Genesis 37 Parallel Bible Translations

Genesis 37 ▼
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1 Jacob continued to live in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived. 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 This is the account of Jacob and his descendants. Joseph was a seventeen-year-old young man. He took care of the flocks with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph told his father about the bad things his brothers were doing. 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 Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because Joseph had been born in Israel's old age. So he made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves. 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 Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. They hated Joseph and couldn't speak to him on friendly terms. 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 Joseph had a dream and when he told his brothers, they hated him even more. 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 He said to them, |Please listen to the dream I had. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
7 We were tying grain into bundles out in the field, and suddenly mine stood up. It remained standing while your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it.| 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 Then his brothers asked him, |Are you going to be our king or rule us?| They hated him even more for his dreams and his words. 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 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. |Listen,| he said, |I had another dream: I saw the sun, the moon, and 11 stars bowing down to 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 When he told his father and his brothers, his father criticized him by asking, |What's this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers come and bow down in front of you?| 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 So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept thinking about these things. 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 His brothers had gone to take care of their father's flocks at Shechem. 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 then said to Joseph, |Your brothers are taking care of the flocks at Shechem. I'm going to send you to them.| Joseph responded, |I'll go.| 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 So Israel said, |See how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and bring some news back to me.| Then he sent Joseph away from the Hebron Valley. When Joseph came to 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 a man found him wandering around in the open country. |What are you looking for?| the man asked. 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 Joseph replied, |I'm looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they're taking care of their 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 The man said, |They moved on from here. I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.' | So Joseph went after his brothers and 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 They saw him from a distance. Before he reached them, they plotted 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 They said to each other, |Look, here comes that master dreamer! They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other.
20 Let's kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and say that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we'll see what happens to his dreams.| 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 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save Joseph from their plot. |Let's not kill him,| 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 |Let's not have any bloodshed. Put him into that cistern that's out in the desert, but don't hurt him.| Reuben wanted to rescue Joseph from them and bring him back 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 So when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his special robe with long sleeves. 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 Then they took him and put him into an empty cistern. It had no water in it. 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 As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying the materials for cosmetics, medicine, and embalming. They were on their way to take them to 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 Judah asked his brothers, |What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up his death? 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 Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let's not hurt him, because he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.| His brothers agreed. 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 As the Midianite merchants were passing by, the brothers pulled Joseph out of the cistern. They sold him to the Ishmaelites for eight ounces of silver. The Ishmaelites took him to 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 When Reuben came back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was no longer there, he tore his clothes in grief. 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 He went back to his brothers and said, |The boy isn't there! What am I going to do?| 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 So they took Joseph's robe, killed a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. 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 Then they brought the special robe with long sleeves to their father and said, |We found this. You better examine it to see whether it's your son's robe 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 He recognized it and said, |It is my son's robe! A wild animal has eaten him! Joseph must have been torn to pieces!| 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 Then, to show his grief, Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son 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 All his other sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, |No, I will mourn for my son until I die.| This is how Joseph's father cried over him. 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 Meanwhile, in Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials and captain of the guard. 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.
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