Christian Standard Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

1Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.

2These are the family records of Jacob. At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. The young man was working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought a bad report about them to their father.

2These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.

3Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a robe of many colors for him.

3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.

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

4His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.

5Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.

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

6He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had:

6He said to them, "Please listen to this dream which I have had;

7There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf."

7for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf."

8"Are you really going to reign over us?" his brothers asked him. "Are you really going to rule us?" So they hated him even more because of his dream and what he had said.

8Then his brothers said to him, "Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. "Look," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

9Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, "Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

10He told his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him. "What kind of dream is this that you have had?" he said. "Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the ground before you?"

10He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?"

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

11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

12His brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem.

12Then his brothers went to pasture their father's flock in Shechem.

13Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I'm sending you to them." "I'm ready," Joseph replied.

13Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." And he said to him, "I will go."

14Then Israel said to him, "Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the Hebron Valley, and he went to Shechem.

14Then he said to him, "Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15A man found him there, wandering in the field, and asked him, "What are you looking for?"

15A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, "What are you looking for?"

16"I'm looking for my brothers," Joseph said. "Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?"

16He said, "I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock."

17"They've moved on from here," the man said. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

17Then the man said, "They have moved from here; for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him.

18When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.

19They said to one another, "Oh, look, here comes that dream expert!

19They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer!

20So now, come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we'll see what becomes of his dreams!"

20"Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, 'A wild beast devoured him.' Then let us see what will become of his dreams!"

21When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them. He said, "Let's not take his life."

21But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, "Let us not take his life."

22Reuben also said to them, "Don't shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him"--intending to rescue him from them and return him to his father.

22Reuben further said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him"-- that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father.

23When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph's robe, the robe of many colors that he had on.

23So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him;

24Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.

24and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

25They sat down to eat a meal, and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.

25Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt.

26Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

26Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?

27Come on, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh," and his brothers agreed.

27"Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him.

28When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.

28Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.

29Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.

30He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone! What am I going to do?"

30He returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?"

31So they took Joseph's robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.

31So they took Joseph's tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood;

32They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it. Is it your son's robe or not?"

32and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, "We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son's tunic or not."

33His father recognized it. "It is my son's robe," he said. "A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces!"

33Then he examined it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast 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.

34So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

35All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said. "I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." And his father wept for him.

35Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son." So his father wept for him.

36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards.

36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh's officer, the captain of the bodyguard.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

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