International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

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

1Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, 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 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 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 all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.

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.

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.

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!

5Then 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, "Please listen to this dream which I have had;

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!"

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."

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.

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.

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!"

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."

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?"

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?"

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

11His 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.

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

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."

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,

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 wandering around in a field. So the man 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 searching for my brothers," he responded. "Tell me, where are they tending the flock?"

16He said, "I am looking for my brothers; please tell me 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.

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.

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

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!"

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

21But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, "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.)

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.

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

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 the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any 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 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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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 coat, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.

31So they took Joseph's tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic 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 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."

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

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

34So Jacob tore his clothes, 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.

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

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