37
Joseph Dreams of Greatness
1Now Jacob dwelt in the land ⚓where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2This is the history of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a ⚓bad report of them to his father.
3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was⚓the son of his old age. Also he ⚓made him a tunic of many colors.
4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they ⚓hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
5Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
6So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
7⚓There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, ⚓the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and ⚓your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”
11And ⚓his brothers envied him, but his father ⚓kept the matter in mind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
13And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in ⚓Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.”
So he said to him, “Here I am.”
14Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of ⚓Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
15Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
16So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. ⚓Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”
17And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in ⚓Dothan.
18Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, ⚓they conspired against him to kill him.
19Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!
20⚓Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”
21But ⚓Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.”
22And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.
23So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they ⚓stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him.
24Then 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 a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of ⚓Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, ⚓balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.
26So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and ⚓conceal his blood?
27Come 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 brothers listened.
28Then ⚓Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, ⚓and sold him to the Ishmaelites for ⚓twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
29Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he ⚓tore his clothes.
30And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad ⚓is no more; and I, where shall I go?”
31So they took ⚓Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
32Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”
33And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A ⚓wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.”
34Then Jacob ⚓tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and ⚓mourned for his son many days.
35And all his sons and all his daughters ⚓arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For ⚓I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
36Now ⚓the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
37
约瑟和他的兄弟
1雅各住在迦南地，就是他父亲寄居的地。
2这是雅各的事迹。
约瑟十七岁与他哥哥们一同牧羊。他是个少年，与他父亲的妾辟拉和悉帕的儿子们常在一起。约瑟把他们的恶行报给父亲。
3以色列爱约瑟过于其他的儿子，因为约瑟是他年老生的；他给约瑟做了一件长袍⚓。
4哥哥们见父亲爱约瑟过于他们，就恨约瑟，不与他说友善的话。
5约瑟做了一个梦，告诉他哥哥们，他们就更加恨他。
6约瑟对他们说：“请听我做的这个梦：
7看哪，我们在田里捆禾稼；看哪，我的捆起来站着；看哪，你们的捆围着我的捆下拜。”
8他的哥哥们对他说：“难道你真的要作我们的王吗？难道你真的要统治我们吗？”他们就因他的梦和他的话更加恨他。
9后来他又做了另一个梦，告诉他哥哥们说：“看哪，我又做了一个梦；看哪，太阳、月亮和十一颗星都向我下拜。”
10约瑟告诉他父亲和哥哥们，他父亲就责备他说：“你做的这是什么梦！难道我和你母亲、你的兄弟真的要俯伏在地，来向你下拜吗？”
11他的哥哥们都嫉妒他，他父亲却把这事存在心里。
约瑟被卖到埃及
12约瑟的哥哥们到示剑去放他们父亲的羊。
13以色列对约瑟说：“你哥哥们不是在示剑放羊吗？来，我派你到他们那里去。”约瑟对他说：“我在这里。”
14以色列对他说：“你去看看你哥哥们是否平安，羊群是否平安，再回来告诉我。”于是他派约瑟出希伯仑谷，约瑟就往示剑去了。
15有人遇见他，看哪，他在田野走迷了路。那人问他说：“你找什么？”
16他说：“我找我的哥哥们，请告诉我，他们在哪里放羊。”
17那人说：“他们已经离开这里走了，我听见他们说：‘我们往多坍去。’”约瑟就去追哥哥们，在多坍找到了他们。
18他们远远看见他，趁他还没有走近他们，就图谋要杀死他。
19他们彼此说：“看哪！那做梦的来了。
20现在，来吧！我们把他杀了，丢在一个坑里，就说有恶兽把他吃了。我们且看他的梦将来怎么样。”
21吕便听见了，要救约瑟脱离他们的手，说：“我们不可害他的性命。”
22吕便又对他们说：“不可流他的血，可以把他丢在这旷野的坑里，不可下手害他。”吕便要救他脱离他们的手，把他还给他父亲。
23约瑟到了他哥哥们那里，他们就剥去他的外衣，就是他身上那件长袍。
24他们抓住他，把他丢在坑里。那坑是空的，里头没有水。
25他们坐下吃饭，举目观看，看哪，有一群以实玛利人从基列来，用骆驼驮着香料、乳香、没药，要带下埃及去。
26犹大对他的兄弟们说：“我们杀我们的弟弟，遮掩他的血有什么好处呢？
27来，我们把他卖给以实玛利人，不要下手害他，因为他是我们的弟弟，我们的骨肉。”他的兄弟们就听从了他。
28那时，有些米甸的商人从那里经过，就把约瑟从坑里拉上来。他们以二十块银子把约瑟卖给以实玛利人，他们就把约瑟带到埃及去了。
29吕便回到坑旁，看哪，约瑟不在坑里，就撕裂自己的衣服，
30回到他兄弟们那里，说：“孩子不在了。我往哪里去才好呢？”
31于是，他们宰了一只公山羊，拿了约瑟的那件外衣染上了血，
32派人把长袍送到他们的父亲那里，说：“我们发现这个， 请认一认，是不是你儿子的外衣？”
33他认出来，就说：“这是我儿子的外衣，恶兽把他吃了，约瑟一定被撕碎了！”
34雅各就撕裂衣服，腰间围上麻布，为他儿子哀伤了多日。
35他的儿女都起来安慰他，他却不肯受安慰，说：“我必哀伤着下阴间，到我儿子那里。”约瑟的父亲就为他哀哭。
36米甸人把约瑟卖到埃及，给法老的官员，就是护卫长波提乏。