Genesis 37

1Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

2These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers. He was a youth with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father.

3Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made for him a richly ornamented robe.

4When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

5Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more.

6And he said to them, “Please listen to this dream that I dreamed.”

7And behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and behold, my sheaf rose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.

8His brothers said to him, “Will you really reign over us? Will you really rule over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of his words.

9Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

10And he told it to his father and to his brothers, and 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 down to the ground before you?”

11So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

12His brothers went to pasture their father's flock at Shechem.

13Then Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers shepherding at Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”

14He said to him, “Go now, see about the well-being of your brothers and the well-being of the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”

16He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are pasturing.”

17The man said, “They have moved on from here, because I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.

19And they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming.”

20So now, come, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘A wild animal has devoured him.’ Then we will see what becomes of his dreams.’

21But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him from their hand and said, “Let us not take his life.”

22And Reuben said to them, “Do not shed blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him from their hand, to return him to his father.

23And when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him.

24Then they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25Then they sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to take it down to Egypt.

26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?”

27Come, 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 listened.

28Then Midianite men, traders, passed by; and they pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. Then they brought Joseph to Egypt.

29When Reuben returned to the pit, behold, Joseph was not in the pit, and he tore his clothes.

30He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I—where shall I go?”

31Then they took Joseph’s tunic, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.

32Then they sent the robe with long sleeves and brought it to their father, and said, “We found this. Please identify whether it is your son's robe or not.”

33He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”

34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

35Then all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” So his father wept for him.

36Meanwhile, the Medanites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.