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Genesis chapter 37

English Standard Version

1Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2These 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.
3Now 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. 4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
5Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7Behold, 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.” 8His 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.
9Then 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.” 10But 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?” 11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
12Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13And 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.” 14So 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. 15And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16“I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17And 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.
18They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20Come 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.” 21But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22And 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. 23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25Then 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. 26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27Come, 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. 28Then 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.
29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” 31Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32And 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.” 33And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35All 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. 36Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
New International Version

1Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2This 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.
3Now 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. 4When 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.
5Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6He said to them, 'Listen to this dream I had: 7We 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.'
8His 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.
9Then 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.'
10When 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?' 11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
12Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem,
13and 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.
14So 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, 15a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, 'What are you looking for?'
16He replied, 'I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?'
17They 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. 18But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19Here comes that dreamer!' they said to each other. 20Come 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.'
21When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. 'Let's not take his life,' he said. 22Don'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.
23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe--the ornate robe he was wearing-- 24and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25As 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.
26Judah said to his brothers, 'What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27Come, 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.
28So 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.
29When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30He went back to his brothers and said, 'The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?'
31Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, 'We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe.'
33He recognized it and said, 'It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.'
34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35All 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.
36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.
New American Standard Bible

1Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had lived as a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when he was seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father. 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a multicolored tunic. 4And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.
5Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6He said to them, 'Please listen to this dream which I have had; 7for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf stood up and also remained standing; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.' 8Then his brothers said to him, 'Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?' So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9Then he had yet another dream, and informed his brothers of it, and said, 'Behold, I have had yet another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.' 10He also told it to his father as well as to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, 'What is this dream that you have had? Am I and your mother and your brothers actually going to come to bow down to the ground before you?' 11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
12Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. 13And Israel said to Joseph, 'Are your brothers not pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.' And he said to him, 'I will go.' 14Then he said to him, 'Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.' So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, 'What are you looking for?' 16He said, 'I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.' 17Then the man said, 'They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’?' So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18When they saw him from a distance, and before he came closer to them, they plotted against him to put him to death. 19They said to one another, 'Here comes this dreamer! 20Now then, come and let’s kill him, and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A vicious animal devoured him.’ Then we will see what will become of his dreams!' 21But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands by saying, 'Let’s not take his life.' 22Then Reuben said to them, 'Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him'—so that later he might rescue him out of their hands, to return him to his father. 23So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the multicolored tunic that was on him; 24and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
25Then they sat down to eat a meal. But as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying labdanum resin, balsam, and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt. 26And Judah said to his brothers, 'What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.' And his brothers listened to him. 28Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him out and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. So they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments. 30He returned to his brothers and said, 'The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?' 31So they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood; 32and they sent the multicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, 'We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.' 33Then he examined it and said, 'It is my son’s tunic. A vicious animal has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!' 34So Jacob tore his clothes, and put on a sackcloth undergarment over his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35Then all his sons and all his daughters got up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, 'Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.' So his father wept for him. 36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.
Christian Standard Bible

1Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2These are the family records of Jacob.At seventeen 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 his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a long-sleeved robe for him. 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.
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: 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."
8"Are 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, and this time the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
10He told his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him. "What kind of dream is this that you have had? " he said. "Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the ground before you? " 11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
12His brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem.
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.
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 Hebron Valley, and he went to Shechem.
15A man found him there, wandering in the field, and asked him, "What are you looking for? "
16"I'm looking for my brothers," Joseph said. "Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks? "
17"They'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.
18They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19They said to one another, "Oh, look, here comes that dream expert! 20So now, come 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 tried to save him from them. He said, "Let's not take his life." 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 them and return him to his father.
23When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph's robe, the robe of many colors that he had on. 24Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.
25They sat down to eat a meal, and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.
26Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27Come on, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh," and his brothers agreed. 28When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.
29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone! What am I going to do? " 31So they took Joseph's robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. 32They sent the long-sleeved robe to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it. Is it your son's robe or not? "
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 sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 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.
36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards.
New Living Translation

1So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.
2This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.
3Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph — a beautiful robe. 4But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.
5One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 6Listen to this dream,' he said. 7We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!'
8His brothers responded, 'So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?' And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.
9Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. 'Listen, I have had another dream,' he said. 'The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!'
10This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. 'What kind of dream is that?' he asked. 'Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?' 11But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.
12Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem.
13When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, 'Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them.' 'I’m ready to go,' Joseph replied.
14Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,' Jacob said. 'Then come back and bring me a report.' So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.
15When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. 'What are you looking for?' he asked.
16I’m looking for my brothers,' Joseph replied. 'Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?'
17Yes,' the man told him. 'They have moved on from here, but I heard them say, ‘Let’s go on to Dothan.’' So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.
18When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. 19Here comes the dreamer!' they said. 20Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!'
21But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. 'Let’s not kill him,' he said. 22Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.' Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.
23So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. 24Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 25Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.
26Judah said to his brothers, 'What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime. 27Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother — our own flesh and blood!' And his brothers agreed. 28So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.
29Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief. 30Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, 'The boy is gone! What will I do now?'
31Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood. 32They sent the beautiful robe to their father with this message: 'Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?'
33Their father recognized it immediately. 'Yes,' he said, 'it is my son’s robe. A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces!' 34Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time. 35His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. 'I will go to my grave mourning for my son,' he would say, and then he would weep.
36Meanwhile, the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard.
King James Version

1And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. 4And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
5And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
12And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. 13And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. 14And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? 16And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. 17And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. 18And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. 19And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. 20Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. 21And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. 22And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.
23And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; 24And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 25And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. 28Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. 29And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 30And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
31And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; 32And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. 33And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. 34And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. 36And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

What does Genesis chapter 37 mean?

Beginning with this chapter, Genesis takes up the story of Jacob's son Joseph. Joseph, just 17, is both deeply loved and deeply hated. Described as the son of Jacob's old age, as well as being the firstborn of Jacob's beloved late wife Rachel, Joseph is clearly favored by his father over his older ten half-brothers. It's not surprising, then, to learn of their hatred for Joseph, especially when Jacob gives to him a princely, multicolored robe. This gift may have indicated Jacob's plan to make Joseph his primary heir. Joseph doesn't make it better. He reports on his brothers' misdeeds to Jacob. He also tells them of powerful prophetic dreams he experiences that suggest all of them will one day bow down to him (Genesis 37:1–11).

After that, the fury and jealousy of Joseph's older brothers reaches a boiling point. They are ready to kill him. Apparently unaware of how bad things are, Jacob gives them just such an opportunity. The ten of them are pasturing the family flocks near Shechem, north of the family household in Hebron. This is the same area where Jacob's sons demonstrated their willingness to engage in violence when angered (Genesis 34:26–27). Jacob charges Joseph to go to his brothers, alone, to get a report on how the flocks are doing (Genesis 37:12–14).

Joseph obeys, eventually locating his brothers even farther to the north near Dotham. When they see Joseph coming, the brothers immediately form a plan to kill him outright. This is the chance they've been waiting for. They will kill him, throw his dead body in a nearby pit, and report to their father Joseph has been killed by a wild animal. The oldest, however, objects. Reuben insists that they throw Joseph alive into the pit, implying that they will leave Joseph to die in the wilderness. Reuben's secret plan is to return and rescue Joseph later and bring him safely to Jacob. Having disgraced himself (Genesis 35:22), it's possible Reuben sees this as an opportunity to be redeemed (Genesis 37:15–22).

The brothers agree to Reuben's plan. They strip Joseph of his multicolored robe and lower him alive into the pit. When they sit down to eat together, while Reuben is away, they spot a caravan of traders traveling by on the road to Egypt. Judah suggests a new plan. Why not make some money and get rid of Joseph at the same time? If they sell him as a slave instead of killing him, or allowing him to die, they can claim they are innocent of the blood of a family member, as well. Those present agree, and Joseph is immediately sold to the traders (Genesis 37:23–28).

When Reuben returns and finds the pit empty, he is heartbroken. Much of this grief may be selfish. His mother, Leah, had hoped that giving birth to a son would make Jacob love her—that son was Reuben (Genesis 29:31–32). Her plan failed, and Reuben's scheme to present a rescued Joseph to his father has also fallen through (Genesis 37:29–30).

To fully sell the lie that Joseph is gone, and the brothers are innocent, they fabricate evidence. They kill a goat and smear the blood on Joseph's ornate, unique robe. They return to Jacob and, cruelly, ask him to confirm that this belongs to Joseph. Jacob reaches the exact conclusion they hoped for: that Joseph has been eaten by a wild animal (Genesis 37:31–33).

The brothers would have expected Jacob to be intensely grieved at the loss of his favorite son. Even so, Jacob's shattered reaction seems to catch them by surprise. Typical mourning for a dead son in that era—formal steps such as wearing sackcloth—might last as long as a month. But Jacob refuses to stop grieving and mourning, or even to be comforted, after the customary time of mourning has come and gone. This display is so emotional that Judah—mastermind of the plot—will offer his own freedom while seeking to spare Jacob from another tragic loss (Genesis 44:18, 30–34). For the time being, there is nothing else to be done, and Jacob is locked in a state of despair (Genesis 37:34–35).

Meanwhile, Joseph has arrived in Egypt, sold as a slave to an Egyptian officer named Potiphar (Genesis 37:36).

Chapter 38 will relate some of the unpleasant events which happened to Jacob's family while Joseph is gone. Chapter 39 will resume Joseph's story, now as a captured slave.
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