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Chapter 37 |
1 | And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his
father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. |
2 | These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph,
being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and
the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his
father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. |
3 | 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 | And when
his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren,
they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. |
5 | And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it
his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. |
6 |
And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: |
7 | For,
behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose,
and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and
made obeisance to my sheaf. |
8 | And his
brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou
indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his
dreams, and for his words. |
9 | And he
dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I
have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the
eleven stars made obeisance to me. |
10 |
And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father
rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast
dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down
ourselves to thee to the earth? |
11 | And
his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying. |
12 | And his brethren went to feed their
father's flock in Shechem. |
13 |
And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in
Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here
am I. |
14
| And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with
thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he
sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. |
15 | And
a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and
the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? |
16 |
And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed
their flocks. |
17 |
And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us
go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in
Dothan. |
18 | And when they
saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired
against him to slay him. |
19 | And
they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. |
20 | Come now therefore, and let us slay him,
and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath
devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. |
21 | And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him
out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. |
22 | And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood,
but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand
upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to
his father again. |
23 |
And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they
stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him; |
24 |
And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there
was no water in it. |
25 |
And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked,
and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels
bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. |
26 | And
Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother,
and conceal his blood? |
27 | Come,
and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon
him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. |
28 | Then there passed by Midianites
merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold
Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought
Joseph into Egypt. |
29 | And Reuben
returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he
rent his clothes. |
30 | And he returned
unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I
go? |
31
| And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and
dipped the coat in the blood; |
32 |
And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their
father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or
no. |
33 |
And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath
devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. |
34 | And Jacob rent his clothes, and put
sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. |
35 | And all his sons and all his daughters
rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For
I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept
for him. |
36
| And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer
of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard. |