ULT GEN Chapter 37

Joseph’s Dreams Anger His Brothers

37:1–11

37 And Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, a son of seventeen years, was shepherding the flocks with his brothers, and he was a young man with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all of his sons because he was a son of his old age. So he made a multicolored tunic for him. 4 And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all of his brothers, so they hated him and were not able to speak to him peaceably.

5 Then Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brothers, and they continued to hate him even more. 6 And he said to them, “Please hear this dream that I dreamed: 7 And behold, we were binding sheaves in the middle of a field, and behold, my sheaf got up and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 Then his brothers said to him, “Will you really reign over us? Will you really rule over us?” And they continued to hate him even more because of his dreams and because of his words.

9 Then he dreamed yet another dream, and he related it to his brothers. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed another dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 And he related it to his father and to his brothers, but his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you dreamed? Will your mother and I and your brothers really come to bow down to the ground to you?” 11 And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Joseph’s Brothers Sell Him as a Slave

37:12-36

12 Then his brothers went to shepherd the flocks of their father near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers shepherding near Shechem? Come and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Behold me.” 14 Then he said to him, “Please go and see the well-being of your brothers and the well-being of the flocks, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem. 15 And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering around in the fields. So the man asked him, saying, “What are you looking for?” 16 And he said, “I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are shepherding.” 17 Then the man said, “They set out from here. For I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ”

Then Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. 18 But they saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, then they conspired against him to kill him. 19 And they said each to his brother, “Behold, that master of dreams is coming! 20 So now, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns. Then we will say an evil animal devoured him, and we will see what his dreams become!”

21 But Reuben heard, and he rescued him from their hands and said, “Let us not strike his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Do not shed blood. Throw him into this cistern which is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him,” in order to rescue him from their hands, to return him to his father.

23 Then it happened when Joseph came to his brothers, then they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the multicolored tunic that was on him. 24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. And the cistern was empty; there was not water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat bread, and they lifted their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead. And their camels were carrying spices and balm and myrrh that they were going to take down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What gain is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites so that our hands will not be on him. For he is our brother, our flesh.” And his brothers listened. 28 Then the Midianite men, traders, passed by, and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the cistern and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Then they brought Joseph to Egypt.

29 Then Reuben returned to the cistern, but behold, Joseph was not in the cistern, so he tore his clothes. 30 Then he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! And I, where am I going?” 31 Then they took Joseph’s tunic and slaughtered a kid of the goats and dipped the tunic in the blood.

32 Then they sent the multicolored tunic and had it brought to their father and said, “We found this. Please examine whether it is your son’s tunic or not.” 33 And he examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic! An evil animal has devoured him! Surely Joseph was torn to pieces!” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins, and he mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters got up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “For I will go down to my son in Sheol mourning.” So his father wept for him.

36 And the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh, the chief of the guards.