| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, in the land of Canaan. | 1Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. |
| 2This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, was taking care of the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father. | 2These are the family records of Jacob. At 17 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 sons because he was a son born to him late in life, and he made a special tunic for him. | 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. |
| 4When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated Joseph and were not able to speak to him kindly. | 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. |
| 5Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more. | 5Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. |
| 6He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: | 6He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: |
| 7There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down to it!" | 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."" |
| 8Then his brothers asked him, "Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?" They hated him even more because of his dream and because of what he said. | 8Are 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 had another dream, and told it to his brothers. "Look," he said. "I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing 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 11 stars were bowing down to me." |
| 10When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, "What is this dream that you had? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?" | 10He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him. "What kind of dream is this that you have had?" he said. "Are your mother and brothers and I going to come and bow down to the ground before you?" |
| 11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said. | 11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. |
| 12When his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, | 12His brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem. |
| 13Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them." "I'm ready," Joseph replied. | 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. |
| 14So Jacob said to him, "Go now and check on the welfare of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word." So Jacob sent him from the valley of Hebron. | 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 Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem. |
| 15When Joseph reached Shechem, a man found him wandering in the field, so the man asked him, "What are you looking for?" | 15A man found him there, wandering in the field, and asked him, "What are you looking for?"" |
| 16He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are grazing their flocks." | 16I'm looking for my brothers," Joseph said. "Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?"" |
| 17The man said, "They left this area, for I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. | 17They'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 Joseph's brothers saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. | 18They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him. |
| 19They said to one another, "Here comes this master of dreams! | 19They said to one another, "Here comes that dreamer! |
| 20Come now, let's kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild animal ate him. Then we'll see how his dreams turn out!" | 20Come 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!" |
| 21When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph from their hands, saying, "Let's not take his life!" | 21When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them. He said, "Let's not take his life." |
| 22Reuben continued, "Don't shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him." (Reuben said this so he could rescue Joseph from them and take 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 their hands and return him to his father. |
| 23When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. | 23When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off his robe, the robe of many colors that he had on. |
| 24Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.) | 24Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. |
| 25When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. | 25Then they sat down to eat a meal. They looked up, and there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt. |
| 26Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? | 26Then Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? |
| 27Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let's not lay a hand on him, for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed. | 27Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh," and they agreed. |
| 28So when the Midianite merchants passed by, Joseph's brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites then took Joseph to Egypt. | 28When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt. |
| 29Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! 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 said, "The boy isn't there! And I, where can 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 young goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood. | 31So they took Joseph's robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. |
| 32Then they brought the special tunic to their father and said, "We found this. Determine now 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?" |
| 33He recognized it and exclaimed, "It is my son's tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! Joseph has surely been 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 on sackcloth, and mourned for his son many days. | 34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. |
| 35All his sons and daughters stood by him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. "No," he said, "I will go to the grave mourning 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 to my son, mourning." And his father wept for him. |
| 36Now in Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard. | 36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard. |
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