Genesis 37

DOUAI-RHEIMS	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan wherein his father sojourned.	1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 And these are his generations: Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was feeding the dock with his brethren, being but a boy: and he was with the sons of and of Zelpha his father's wives : and he accused his brethren to his father of a most wicked crime.	2 This is his family history. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flocks with his brothers; he was an assistant to the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought his father bad reports about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of divers colours.	3 Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic.
4 And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.	4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
5 Now it fell out also that he told his brethren a dream, that he had dreamed: which occasioned them to hate him the more.	5 Once Joseph had a dream, which he told to his brothers:
6 And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed.	6 "Listen to this dream I had.
7 I thought we were binding sheaves in the field: and my sheaf arose as it were, end stood, and your sheaves standing about, bowed down before my sheaf.	7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf rose to an upright position, and your sheaves formed a ring around my sheaf and bowed down to it."
8 His brethren answered : Shalt thou be our king? or shall we be subject to thy dominion? Therefore this matter of his dreams and words ministered nourishment to their envy and hatred.	8 "Are you really going to make yourself king over us?" his brothers asked him. "Or impose your rule on us?" So they hated him all the more because of his talk about his dreams.
9 He dreamed also another dream, which he told his brethren, saying: I saw in a dream, as it were the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars worshipping me.	9 Then he had another dream, and this one, too, he told to his brothers. "I had another dream," he said; "this time, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
10 And when he had told this to his father and brethren, his father rebuked him, and said: What meaneth this dream that thou hast dreamed? shall I and thy mother, and thy brethren worship thee upon the earth?	10 When he also told it to his father, his father reproved him. "What is the meaning of this dream of yours?" he asked. "Can it be that I and your mother and your brothers are to come and bow to the ground before you?"
11 His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.	11 So his brothers were wrought up against him but his father pondered the matter.
12 And when his brethren abode in Sichem feeding their father's docks,	12 One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
13 Israel said to him : Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered:	13 Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will send you to them." "I am ready," Joseph answered.
14 I am ready: he said to him: Go, and see if all things be well with thy brethren, and the cattle: and bring me word again what is doing. So being sent from the vale of Hebron, he came to Sichem:	14 "Go then," he replied; "see if all is well with your brothers and the flocks, and bring back word." So he sent him off from the valley of Hebron. When Joseph reached Shechem,
15 And a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought.	15 a man met him as he was wandering about in the fields. "What are you looking for?" the man asked him.
16 But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the docks.	16 "I am looking for my brothers," he answered. "Could you please tell me where they are tending the flocks?"
17 And the man said to him: They are departed from this place: for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothain. And Joseph went forward after his brethren, and found them in Dothain.	17 The man told him, "They have moved on from here; in fact, I heard them say, 'Let us go on to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
18 And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought to kill him.	18 They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
19 And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.	19 They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!
20 Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit : and we will say : Some evil beast hath devoured him: and then it shall appear what his dreams avail him :	20 Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes of his dreams."
21 And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, end said:	21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying: "We must not take his life.
22 Do not take away his life, nor shed his blood: but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and keep your hands harmless: now he said this, being desirous to deliver him out of their hands and to restore him to his father.	22 Instead of shedding blood," he continued, "just throw him into that cistern there in the desert; but don't kill him outright." His purpose was to rescue him from their hands and restore him to his father.
23 And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours:	23 So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
24 And cast him into an old pit, where there was no water.	24 then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry.
25 And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ismaelites on their way coming from Calaad, with their camels, carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh to Egypt.	25 They then sat down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to Egypt.
26 And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood?	26 Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
27 It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites, and that our hands be not defiled: for he is our brother and our flesh. His brethren agreed to his words.	27 Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.
28 And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into Egypt.	28 They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. Some Midianite traders passed by, and they pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and took him to Egypt.
29 And Ruben, returning to the pit, found not the boy:	29 When Reuben went back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not in it, he tore his clothes,
30 And rending his garments he went to his brethren, and said: The boy doth not appear and whither shall I go?	30 and returning to his brothers, he exclaimed: "The boy is gone! And I--where can I turn?"
31 And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed :	31 They took Joseph's tunic, and after slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in its blood.
32 Sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son's coat, or not.	32 Then they sent someone to bring the long tunic to their father, with the message: "We found this. See whether it is your son's tunic or not."
33 And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son's coat, an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph.	33 He recognized it and exclaimed: "My son's tunic! A wild beast has devoured him! Joseph has been torn to pieces!"
34 And tearing his garments, he put an sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time.	34 Then Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned his son many days.
35 And alibis children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow, he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell, mourning. And whilst he continued weeping,	35 Though his sons and daughters tried to console him, he refused all consolation, saying, "No, I will go down mourning to my son in the nether world." Thus did his father lament him.
36 The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.	36 The Midianites, meanwhile, sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward.