New King James Version

Christian Standard Bible

1Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

6So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:

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

7There 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.”

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."

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.

8"Are 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.

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.”

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 eleven stars were bowing 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?”

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

11And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

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

12Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.

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

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.

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.

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 Hebron Valley, 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?”

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

16So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”

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

17"They'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.

18Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.

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

19Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!

19They said to one another, "Oh, look, here comes that dream expert!

20Come 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!”

20So now, come 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!"

21But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.”

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

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.

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 them and return him 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.

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

24Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

24Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.

25And 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

29Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.

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

30And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?”

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

31So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.

31So they took Joseph's robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its 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?”

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?"

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.”

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

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

34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around 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.

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.

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

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

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.