New Living Translation

English Standard Version

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

1Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

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.

2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.

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.

3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.

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.

4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

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

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

6“Listen to this dream,” he said.

6He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed:

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!”

7Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”

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.

8His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

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!”

9Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

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?”

10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”

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

11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

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

12Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem.

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.

13And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”

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.

14So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

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

15And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?”

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

16“I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.”

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

17And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

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

18They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.

19“Here comes the dreamer!” they said.

19They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.

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!”

20Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”

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

21But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”

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.

22And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.

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

23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.

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

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

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.

25Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

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

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

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.

27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.

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.

28Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

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.

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

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

30and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?”

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

31Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.

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

32And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.”

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!”

33And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”

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

34Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

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.

35All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

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.

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

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.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.