International Standard Version

English Standard Version

1Jacob continued to live in the land they were occupying, where his father had journeyed in the territory of Canaan.

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

2This is a record of Jacob's descendants. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was helping his brothers tend their flocks. He was a young man at that time, as were the children of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. But Joseph would come back and tell his father that his brothers were doing bad things.

2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.

3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his brothers, since he was born to him in his old age, so he had made a richly-embroidered tunic for him.

3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.

4When Joseph's brothers realized that their father loved him more than all of his brothers, they hated him so much that they were unable to speak politely to him.

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

5Right about this time, Joseph had a dream and then told it to his brothers. As a result, his brothers hated him all the more!

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

6"Let me tell you about this dream that I had!" he said.

6He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed:

7"We were tying sheaves together out in the middle of the fields, when all of a sudden, my sheaf stood up erect! And then your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf!"

7Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”

8At this, his brothers replied, "Do you really think you're going to rule us or lord it over us?" So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his interpretations of them.

8His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9But then he had another dream, and he proceeded to tell his brothers about that one, too. "I had another dream," he said. "The sun, moon, and eleven of the stars were bowing down before me!"

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

10When Joseph told his father about this, his father rebuked him and asked him, "What kind of dream is that? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come to you and bow down to the ground in front of you?"

10But when 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? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”

11As a result, his brothers became more envious of him. But his father kept thinking about all of this.

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

12Some time later, his brothers left to tend their father's flock in Shechem.

12Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem.

13And Israel instructed Joseph, "Your brothers are tending the flock in Shechem. Come here, because I'm going to send you to them." "Here I am!" he responded.

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

14"Go and see how things are with your brothers," Israel ordered him. "And see how things are with the flock. Bring back a report for me." Then he sent Joseph from the valley of Hebron. When Joseph reached Shechem,

14So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15a man found him wandering around in a field. So the man asked him, "What are you looking for?"

15And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?”

16"I'm searching for my brothers," he responded. "Tell me, where are they tending the flock?"

16“I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.”

17"They've already left," the man answered. "I heard them saying that they were headed to Dothan." So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.

17And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18Now as soon as they saw him approaching from a distance, before he arrived they plotted together to kill him.

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

19"Look!" they said. "Here comes the Dream Master!

19They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.

20Come on! Let's kill him and toss him into one of the cisterns. Then we'll report that some wild animal devoured him and wait to see what becomes of his dreams!"

20Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”

21When Reuben heard about it, he tried to save Joseph from their plot. "Let's not do any killing,"

21But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”

22Reuben told them. "And no blood shedding, either. Instead, let's toss him into this cistern that's way out here in the wilderness. But don't lay a hand on him." (Reuben intended to free Joseph and return him to his father.)

22And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.

23As it was, when Joseph arrived where his brothers were, they stripped off the tunic that Jacob had given him—that is, the richly-embroidered tunic that he was wearing.

23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.

24They grabbed him and tossed him into the cistern, but the cistern was empty. (There was no water in it.)

24And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25After this, while they were seated, eating their food, they looked around and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead with camels carrying spices, balm, and myrrh for sale down in Egypt.

25Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

26Then Judah suggested to his brothers, "Where's the profit in just killing our brother and shedding his blood?

26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

27Come on! Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites! That way, we won't have laid our hands on him. After all, he's our brother, our own flesh." So Judah's brothers listened to him.

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 to him.

28As the Midianite merchants were passing through, they extracted Joseph from the cistern and sold Joseph for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who then took Joseph down to Egypt.

28Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

29Later, when Reuben returned to the cistern, Joseph wasn't there! In mounting panic, he tore his clothes,

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

30returned to his brothers, and shouted, "He's not there! Now what? Where am I to go?"

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

31So they took Joseph's coat, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.

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

32Then they stretched out the richly-embroidered tunic to dry, and brought it to their father. "We've found this," they reported. "Look at it and see if this is or isn't your son's tunic."

32And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.”

33Examining it, he cried out, "It's my son's tunic! A wild animal has no doubt torn Joseph to pieces."

33And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”

34So Jacob tore his clothes, dressed himself in sackcloth, and then mourned many days for his son.

34Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

35All his sons and daughters showed up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He kept saying, "Leave me alone! I'll go down to the next world, still mourning for my son." So Joseph's father wept for him.

35All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

36Meanwhile, down in Egypt, the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's court officials, who was also Commander-in-Chief of the imperial guards.

36Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.