^{1 Ref} Now Jacob was living in the land where his father had made a place for himself, in the land of Canaan.

^{2 Ref} These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, a boy seventeen years old, was looking after the flock, together with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph gave their father a bad account of them.

^{3 Ref} Now the love which Israel had for Joseph was greater than his love for all his other children, because he got him when he was an old man: and he had a long coat made for him.

^{4 Ref} And because his brothers saw that Joseph was dearer to his father than all the others, they were full of hate for him, and would not say a kind word to him.

^{5 Ref} Now Joseph had a dream, and he gave his brothers an account of it, which made their hate greater than ever.

^{6 Ref} And he said to them, Let me give you the story of my dream.

^{7 Ref} We were in the field, getting the grain stems together, and my grain kept upright, and yours came round and went down on the earth before mine.

^{8 Ref} And his brothers said to him, Are you to be our king? will you have authority over us? And because of his dream and his words, their hate for him became greater than ever.

^{9 Ref} Then he had another dream, and gave his brothers an account of it, saying, I have had another dream: the sun and the moon and eleven stars gave honour to me.

^{10 Ref} And he gave word of it to his father and his brothers; but his father protesting said, What sort of a dream is this? am I and your mother and your brothers to go down on our faces to the earth before you?

^{11 Ref} And his brothers were full of envy; but his father kept his words in mind.

^{12 Ref} Now his brothers went to keep watch over their father's flock in Shechem.

^{13 Ref} And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers with the flock in Shechem? come, I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here am I.

^{14 Ref} And he said to him, Go now, and see if your brothers are well and how the flock is; then come back and give me word. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

^{15 Ref} And a man saw him wandering in the country, and said to him, What are you looking for?

^{16 Ref} And he said, I am looking for my brothers; please give me word of where they are keeping their flock.

^{17 Ref} And the man said, They have gone away from here, for they said in my hearing, Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after them and came up with them at Dothan.

^{18 Ref} But they saw him when he was a long way off, and before he came near them they made a secret design against him to put him to death;

^{19 Ref} Saying to one another, See, here comes this dreamer.

^{20 Ref} Let us now put him to death and put his body into one of these holes, and we will say, An evil beast has put him to death: then we will see what becomes of his dreams.

^{21 Ref} But Reuben, hearing these words, got him out of their hands, saying, Let us not take his life.

^{22 Ref} Do not put him to a violent death, but let him be placed in one of the holes; this he said to keep him safe from their hands, with the purpose of taking him back to his father again.

^{23 Ref} So when Joseph came to his brothers, they took off his long coat which he had on;

^{24 Ref} And they took him and put him in the hole: now the hole had no water in it.

^{25 Ref} Then seating themselves, they took their meal: and looking up, they saw a travelling band of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead on their way to Egypt, with spices and perfumes on their camels.

^{26 Ref} And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there in putting our brother to death and covering up his blood?

^{27 Ref} Let us give him to these Ishmaelites for a price, and let us not put violent hands on him, for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers gave ear to him.

^{28 Ref} And some traders from Midian went by; so pulling Joseph up out of the hole, they gave him to the Ishmaelites for twenty bits of silver, and they took him to Egypt.

^{29 Ref} Now when Reuben came back to the hole, Joseph was not there; and giving signs of grief,

^{30 Ref} He went back to his brothers, and said, The child is gone; what am I to do?

^{31 Ref} Then they took Joseph's coat, and put on it some of the blood from a young goat which they had put to death,

^{32 Ref} And they took the coat to their father, and said, We came across this; is it your son's coat or not?

^{33 Ref} And he saw that it was, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has put him to death; without doubt Joseph has come to a cruel end.

^{34 Ref} Then Jacob, giving signs of grief, put on haircloth, and went on weeping for his son day after day.

^{35 Ref} And all his sons and all his daughters came to give him comfort, but he would not be comforted, saying with weeping, I will go down to the underworld to my son. So great was his father's sorrow for him.

^{36 Ref} And in Egypt the men of Midian gave him for a price to Potiphar, a captain of high position in Pharaoh's house.

^{1 Ref} And Jacob dwelleth in the land of his father's sojournings -- in the land of Canaan.

^{2 Ref} These `are' births of Jacob: Joseph, a son of seventeen years, hath been enjoying himself with his brethren among the flock, (and he `is' a youth,) with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and Joseph bringeth in an account of their evil unto their father.

^{3 Ref} And Israel hath loved Joseph more than any of his sons, for he `is' a son of his old age, and hath made for him a long coat;

^{4 Ref} and his brethren see that their father hath loved him more than any of his brethren, and they hate him, and have not been able to speak `to' him peaceably.

^{5 Ref} And Joseph dreameth a dream, and declareth to his brethren, and they add still more to hate him.

^{6 Ref} And he saith unto them, `Hear ye, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

^{7 Ref} that, lo, we are binding bundles in the midst of the field, and lo, my bundle hath arisen, and hath also stood up, and lo, your bundles are round about, and bow themselves to my bundle.'

^{8 Ref} And his brethren say to him, `Dost thou certainly reign over us? dost thou certainly rule over us?' and they add still more to hate him, for his dreams, and for his words.

^{9 Ref} And he dreameth yet another dream, and recounteth it to his brethren, and saith, `Lo, I have dreamed a dream again, and lo, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars, are bowing themselves to me.'

^{10 Ref} And he recounteth unto his father, and unto his brethren; and his father pusheth against him, and saith to him, `What `is' this dream which thou hast dreamt? do we certainly come -- I, and thy mother, and thy brethren -- to bow ourselves to thee, to the earth?'

^{11 Ref} and his brethren are zealous against him, and his father hath watched the matter.

^{12 Ref} And his brethren go to feed the flock of their father in Shechem,

^{13 Ref} and Israel saith unto Joseph, `Are not thy brethren feeding in Shechem? come, and I send thee unto them;' and he saith to him, `Here `am' I;'

^{14 Ref} and he saith to him, `Go, I pray thee, see the peace of thy brethren, and the peace of the flock, and bring me back word;' and he sendeth him from the valley of Hebron, and he cometh to Shechem.

^{15 Ref} And a man findeth him, and lo, he is wandering in the field, and the man asketh him, saying, `What seekest thou?'

^{16 Ref} and he saith, `My brethren I am seeking, declare to me, I pray thee, where they are feeding?'

^{17 Ref} And the man saith, `They have journeyed from this, for I have heard some saying, Let us go to Dothan,' and Joseph goeth after his brethren, and findeth them in Dothan.

^{18 Ref} And they see him from afar, even before he draweth near unto them, and they conspire against him to put him to death.

^{19 Ref} And they say one unto another, `Lo, this man of the dreams cometh;

^{20 Ref} and now, come, and we slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and have said, An evil beast hath devoured him; and we see what his dreams are.'

^{21 Ref} And Reuben heareth, and delivereth him out of their hand, and saith, `Let us not smite the life;'

^{22 Ref} and Reuben saith unto them, `Shed no blood; cast him into this pit which `is' in the wilderness, and put not forth a hand upon him,' -- in order to deliver him out of their hand, to bring him back unto his father.

^{23 Ref} And it cometh to pass, when Joseph hath come unto his brethren, that they strip Joseph of his coat, the long coat which `is' upon him,

^{24 Ref} and take him and cast him into the pit, and the pit `is' empty, there is no water in it.

^{25 Ref} And they sit down to eat bread, and they lift up their eyes, and look, and lo, a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, and their camels bearing spices, and balm, and myrrh, going to take `them' down to Egypt.

^{26 Ref} And Judah saith unto his brethren, `What gain when we slay our brother, and have concealed his blood?

^{27 Ref} Come, and we sell him to the Ishmaelites, and our hands are not on him, for he `is' our brother -- our flesh;' and his brethren hearken.

^{28 Ref} And Midianite merchantmen pass by and they draw out and bring up Joseph out of the pit, and sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silverlings, and they bring Joseph into Egypt.

^{29 Ref} And Reuben returneth unto the pit, and lo, Joseph is not in the pit, and he rendeth his garments,

^{30 Ref} and he returneth unto his brethren, and saith, `The lad is not, and I -- whither am I going?'

^{31 Ref} And they take the coat of Joseph, and slaughter a kid of the goats, and dip the coat in the blood,

^{32 Ref} and send the long coat, and they bring `it' in unto their father, and say, `This have we found; discern, we pray thee, whether it `is' thy son's coat or not?'

^{33 Ref} And he discerneth it, and saith, `My son's coat! an evil beast hath devoured him; torn -- torn is Joseph!'

^{34 Ref} And Jacob rendeth his raiment, and putteth sackcloth on his loins, and becometh a mourner for his son many days,

^{35 Ref} and all his sons and all his daughters rise to comfort him, and he refuseth to comfort himself, and saith, `For -- I go down mourning unto my son, to Sheol,' and his father weepeth for him.

^{36 Ref} And the Medanites have sold him unto Egypt, to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, head of the executioners.

^{1 Ref} Jacob lived in the land of his father's travels, in the land of Canaan.

^{2 Ref} This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.

^{3 Ref} Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors.

^{4 Ref} His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn't speak peaceably to him.

^{5 Ref} Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.

^{6 Ref} He said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:

^{7 Ref} for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf."

^{8 Ref} His brothers said to him, "Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed have dominion over us?" They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words.

^{9 Ref} He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me."

^{10 Ref} 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? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to you to the earth?"

^{11 Ref} His brothers envied him; but his father kept this saying in mind.

^{12 Ref} His brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

^{13 Ref} Israel said to Joseph, "Aren't your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." He said to him, "Here I am."

^{14 Ref} He said to him, "Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again." So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

^{15 Ref} A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, "What are you looking for?"

^{16 Ref} He said, "I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock."

^{17 Ref} The man said, "They have left here, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.

^{18 Ref} They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.

^{19 Ref} They said one to another, "Behold, this dreamer comes.

^{20 Ref} Come now therefore, and let's kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, 'An evil animal has devoured him.' We will see what will become of his dreams."

^{21 Ref} Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, "Let's not take his life."

^{22 Ref} Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"-- that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.

^{23 Ref} It happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;

^{24 Ref} and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.

^{25 Ref} They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

^{26 Ref} Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

^{27 Ref} Come, and let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh." His brothers listened to him.

^{28 Ref} Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Joseph into Egypt.

^{29 Ref} Reuben returned to the pit; and saw that Joseph wasn't in the pit; and he tore his clothes.

^{30 Ref} He returned to his brothers, and said, "The child is no more; and I, where will I go?"

^{31 Ref} They took Joseph's coat, and killed a male goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.

^{32 Ref} They took the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, "We have found this. Examine it, now, whether it is your son's coat or not."

^{33 Ref} He recognized it, and said, "It is my son's coat. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces."

^{34 Ref} Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

^{35 Ref} All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted. He said, "For I will go down to Sheol{Sheol is the place of the dead or the grave.} to my son mourning." His father wept for him.

^{36 Ref} The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard.