The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Genesis 37
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s
travels, in the land of Canaan.
2 This is the history of the generations of
Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old,
was feeding the flock with his brothers.
He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and
Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought
an evil report of them to their father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all
his children, because he was the son of his
old age, and he made him a tunic of many
colors.
4 His brothers saw thattheir father loved
him more than all his brothers, and they
hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably
to him.
5 Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it
to his brothers, and they hated him all the
more.
6 He said to them, “Please hear this
dream which I have dreamed:
7 for behold, we were binding sheaves
in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose
and also stood upright; and behold, your
sheaves came around, and bowed down to
my sheaf.”
8 His brothers asked him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have
dominion over us?” They hated him all the
more for his dreams and for his words.
9 He dreamed yet another dream, and
told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold,
I have dreamed yet another dream: and
behold, the sun and the moon and eleven
stars bowed down to me.”
10 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? Will I and your mother
and your brothers indeed come to bow
ourselves down to the earth before you?”
11 Hisbrothers enviedhim, buthis father
kept this saying in mind.
12 His brothers wentto feed their father’s
flock in Shechem.
13 Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your
brothers feeding the flock in Shechem?
Come, and I will send you to them.” He said
to him, “Here I am.”
14 He said to him, “Go now, see whether
it is well with your brothers, and well with
the flock; and bring me word again.” So he
sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and
he came to Shechem.
15 A certain man found him, and behold,
he was wandering in the field. The man
asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16He said, “I am looking for my brothers.
Tell me, please, where they are feeding the
flock.”
17 The man said, “They have left here, for
I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ”
Joseph went after his brothers, and
found them in Dothan.
18 They saw him afar off, and before he
came near to them, they conspired against
him to kill him.
19 They said to one another, “Behold, this
dreamer comes.
20 Come now therefore, and let’s kill him,
and cast him into one of the pits, and
we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured
him.’ We will see what will become of his
dreams.”
21 Reuben heard it, and delivered him
out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take
his life.”
22 Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood.
Throw him into this pit that is in the
wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that
he might deliver him out of their hand, to
restore him to his father.
23 When Joseph came to his brothers,
they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic
of many colors that was on him;
24 and they took him, and threw him into
the pit. The pit was empty. There was no
water in it.
25 They sat down to eat bread, and they
lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw
a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from
Gilead, with their camels bearing spices
and balm and myrrh, going to carry it
down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, “What
profitis itif we kill ourbrother andconceal
his blood?
27 Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him;
for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him.
28 Midianites who were merchants
passed by, and they drew and lifted up
Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to
the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 Reuben returned to the pit, and saw
that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore
his clothes.
30 He returned to his brothers, and said,
“The child is no more; and I, where will I
go?”
31 They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed
a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the
blood.
32 They took the tunic of many colors,
and they brought it to their father, andsaid, “We have found this. Examine it,
now, and see ifit is your son’s tunic or not.”
33 He recognized it, and said, “It is my
son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured
him. Joseph is without doubt torn in
pieces.”
34 Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son
many days.
35 All his sons and all his daughters rose
up to comfort him, but he refused to be
comforted. He said, “For I will go down to
Sheol† to my son, mourning.” His father
wept for him.
36 The Midianites sold him into Egypt
to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the
captain of the guard.
37:35 Sheol is the place of the dead.