Genesis 37

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father sojourned.	1 Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2 And these are his generations. Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful crime.	2 This is the history of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought an ill report of them to their father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors.	3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves.
4 Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him.	4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.
5 Then it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured.	5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they only hated him the more.
6 And he said to them, “Listen to my dream that I saw.	6 He said to them, "Hear this dream which I have dreamed:
7 I thought we were binding sheaves in the field. And my sheaf seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced my sheaf.”	7 behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered round it, and bowed down to my sheaf."
8 His brothers responded: “Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?” Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling to their envy and hatred.	8 His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?" So they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, “I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing me.”	9 Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
10 And when he had related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: “What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?”	10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?"
11 Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently.	11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
12 And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,	12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.
13 Israel said to him: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” And when he answered,	13 And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." And he said to him, "Here I am."
14 “I am ready,” he said to him, “Go, and see if everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening.” So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at Shechem.	14 So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers, and with the flock; and bring me word again." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 And a man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking.	15 And a man found him wandering in the fields; and the man asked him, "What are you seeking?"
16 So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.”	16 "I am seeking my brothers," he said, "tell me, I pray you, where they are pasturing the flock."
17 And the man said to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.	17 And the man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan.
18 And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.	18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.
19 And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.	19 They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer.
20 Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”	20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams."
21 But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:	21 But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."
22 “Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father.	22 And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him"--that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
23 And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,	23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore;
24 and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.	24 and they took him and cast him into a pit. The pit was empty, there was no water in it.
25 And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.	25 Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.
26 Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?	26 Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?
27 It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers agreed to his words.	27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers heeded him.
28 And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.	28 Then Midianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.
29 And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy.	29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he rent his clothes
30 And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, “The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?”	30 and returned to his brothers, and said, "The lad is gone; and I, where shall I go?"
31 Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed,	31 Then they took Joseph's robe, and killed a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood;
32 sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: “We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son or not.”	32 and they sent the long robe with sleeves and brought it to their father, and said, "This we have found; see now whether it is your son's robe or not."
33 And when the father acknowledged it, he said: “It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph.”	33 And he recognized it, and said, "It is my son's robe; a wild beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces."
34 And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time.	34 Then Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
35 Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: “I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld.” And while he persevered in weeping,	35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him.
36 the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers.	36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Poti-phar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.