Genesis 37 NKJV ISV Parallel

◄ Genesis 37 ►

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

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

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.

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 all his brothers, since he was born to him in his old age, so he had made a richly-embroidered tunic 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 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.

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

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!

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

6"Let me tell you about this dream that I had!" he said.

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.”

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!"

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.

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.

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.”

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!"

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?”

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?"

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

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

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

12Some time later, his brothers left to tend 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.”

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.

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.

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,

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

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 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.

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

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

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

19"Look!" they said. "Here comes the Dream Master!

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!”

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!"

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

21When Reuben heard about it, he tried to save Joseph from their plot. "Let's not do any killing,"

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 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.)

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.

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.

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

24They grabbed him and tossed him into the cistern, but the cistern was empty. (There was no water in it.)

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

31So they took Joseph's coat, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the coat 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?”

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."

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.”

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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.

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