Holman Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

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

1So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.

2These are the family records of Jacob. At 17 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.

2This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.

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.

3Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

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.

4But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

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

5One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.

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

6“Listen to this dream,” he said.

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.""

7“We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”

8Are 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.

8His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.

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 11 stars were bowing down to me."

9Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”

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

10This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?”

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

11But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.

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

12Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at 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.

13When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them.” “I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.

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 Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

14“Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,” Jacob said. “Then come back and bring me a report.” So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.

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

15When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.

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

16“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”

17They'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.

17“Yes,” the man told him. “They have moved on from here, but I heard them say, ‘Let’s go on to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there. Joseph Sold into Slavery

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

18When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him.

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

19“Here comes the dreamer!” they said.

20Come 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“Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

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

21But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said.

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 their hands and return him to his father.

22“Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.

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

23So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing.

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

24Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

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

25Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.

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

26Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime.

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

27Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed.

28When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.

28So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.

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

29Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief.

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

30Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, “The boy is gone! What will I do now?”

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

31Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its 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?"

32They sent the beautiful robe to their father with this message: “Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?”

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

33Their father recognized it immediately. “Yes,” he said, “it is my son’s robe. A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces!”

34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

34Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time.

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.

35His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “I will go to my grave mourning for my son,” he would say, and then he would weep.

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

36Meanwhile, the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard.

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.