International Standard Version | Berean Study Bible |
1Jacob continued to live in the land they were occupying, where his father had journeyed in the territory of Canaan. | 1Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan. |
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. | 2This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them. |
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. | 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors. |
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. | 4When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. |
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! | 5Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. |
6"Let me tell you about this dream that I had!" he said. | 6He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: |
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!" | 7We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.” |
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. | 8“Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements. |
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!" | 9Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” |
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?" | 10He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” |
11As a result, his brothers became more envious of him. But his father kept thinking about all of this. | 11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said. |
12Some time later, his brothers left to tend their father's flock in Shechem. | 12Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem. |
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. | 13Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending you to them.” “I am ready,” Joseph replied. |
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, | 14Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem, |
15a man found him wandering around in a field. So the man asked him, "What are you looking for?" | 15a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?” |
16"I'm searching for my brothers," he responded. "Tell me, where are they tending the flock?" | 16“I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?” |
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. | 17“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan. |
18Now as soon as they saw him approaching from a distance, before he arrived they plotted together to kill him. | 18Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him. |
19"Look!" they said. "Here comes the Dream Master! | 19“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another. |
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!" | 20“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!” |
21When Reuben heard about it, he tried to save Joseph from their plot. "Let's not do any killing," | 21When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said. |
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.) | 22“Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father. |
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. | 23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing— |
24They grabbed him and tossed him into the cistern, but the cistern was empty. (There was no water in it.) | 24and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it. |
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. | 25And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt. |
26Then Judah suggested to his brothers, "Where's the profit in just killing our brother and shedding his blood? | 26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? |
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. | 27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed. |
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. | 28So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. |
29Later, when Reuben returned to the cistern, Joseph wasn't there! In mounting panic, he tore his clothes, | 29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes, |
30returned to his brothers, and shouted, "He's not there! Now what? Where am I to go?" | 30returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?” |
31So they took Joseph's coat, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. | 31Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. |
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." | 32They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.” |
33Examining it, he cried out, "It's my son's tunic! A wild animal has no doubt torn Joseph to pieces." | 33His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” |
34So Jacob tore his clothes, dressed himself in sackcloth, and then mourned many days for his son. | 34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. |
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. | 35All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. |
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. | 36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. |
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