Genesis 37 Parallel Bible

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	CPDV Catholic Public Domain Version	ESV English Standard Version	NIV New International Version
1	Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father sojourned.	Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.	Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2	And these are his generations. Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful crime.	These 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.	This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3	Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors.	Now 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.	Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him.
4	Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him.	But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.	When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5	Then it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured.	Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.	Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
6	And he said to them, “Listen to my dream that I saw.	He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed:	He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
7	I thought we were binding sheaves in the field. And my sheaf seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced my sheaf.”	Behold, 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.”	We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
8	His brothers responded: “Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?” Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling to their envy and hatred.	His 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.	His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
9	Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, “I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing me.”	Then 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.”	Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10	And when he had related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: “What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?”	But 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?”	When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”
11	Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently.	And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.	His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
12	And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,	Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem.	Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,
13	Israel said to him: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” And when he answered,	And 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.”	and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.” “Very well,” he replied.
14	“I am ready,” he said to him, “Go, and see if everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening.” So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at Shechem.	So 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.	So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem,
15	And a man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking.	And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?”	a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16	So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.”	“I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.”	He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
17	And the man said to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.	And 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.	“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.
18	And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.	They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.	But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19	And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.	They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.	“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other.
20	Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”	Come 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.”	“Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
21	But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:	But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”	When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.
22	“Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father.	And 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.	“Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
23	And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,	So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.	So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—
24	and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.	And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.	and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25	And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.	Then 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.	As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
26	Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?	Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?	Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
27	It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers agreed to his words.	Come, 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.	Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
28	And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.	Then 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.	So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29	And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy.	When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes	When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.
30	And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, “The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?”	and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?”	He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”
31	Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed,	Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.	Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
32	sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: “We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son or not.”	And 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.”	They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
33	And when the father acknowledged it, he said: “It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph.”	And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”	He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
34	And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time.	Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.	Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.
35	Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: “I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld.” And while he persevered in weeping,	All 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.	All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.
36	the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers.	Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.	Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
	Read Catholic Public Domain Version Public domain.	Read English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.	Read New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.

Genesis 37 Parallel Bible Translations