Joseph’s Dreams

37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed,^(A) the land of Canaan.^(B)

² This is the account^(C) of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph,^(D) a young man of seventeen,^(E) was tending the flocks^(F) with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah^(G) and the sons of Zilpah,^(H) his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report^(I) about them.

³ Now Israel^(J) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,^(K) because he had been born to him in his old age;^(L) and he made an ornate^[a] robe^(M) for him.^{(N) 4} When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him^(O) and could not speak a kind word to him.

⁵ Joseph had a dream,^(P) and when he told it to his brothers,^(Q) they hated him all the more.^{(R) 6} He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ⁷ We were binding sheaves^(S) 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.”^(T)

⁸ His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?”^(U) And they hated him all the more^(V) because of his dream and what he had said.

⁹ Then he had another dream,^(W) and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars^(X) were bowing down to me.”^(Y)

¹⁰ When he told his father as well as his brothers,^(Z) his father rebuked^(AA) 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?”^{(AB) 11} His brothers were jealous of him,^(AC) but his father kept the matter in mind.^(AD)

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

¹² Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,^{(AE) 13} and Israel^(AF) said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.^(AG) Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied.

¹⁴ So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers^(AH) and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.^(AI)

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, ¹⁵ a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁶ He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

¹⁷ “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.^(AJ)’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. ¹⁸ But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.^(AK)

¹⁹ “Here comes that dreamer!^(AL)” they said to each other. ²⁰ “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns^(AM) and say that a ferocious animal^(AN) devoured him.^(AO) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”^(AP)

²¹ When Reuben^(AQ) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.^{(AR) 22} “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern^(AS) 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.^(AT)

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe^(AU) he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern.^(AV) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites^(AW) coming from Gilead.^(AX) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm^(AY) and myrrh,^(AZ) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.^(BA)

²⁶ Judah^(BB) said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?^{(BC) 27} Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,^(BD) our own flesh and blood.^(BE)” His brothers agreed.

²⁸ So when the Midianite^(BF) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern^(BG) and sold^(BH) him for twenty shekels^[b] of silver^(BI) to the Ishmaelites,^(BJ) who took him to Egypt.^(BK)

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.^{(BL) 30} He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”^(BM)

³¹ Then they got Joseph’s robe,^(BN) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.^{(BO) 32} They took the ornate robe^(BP) 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! Some ferocious animal^(BQ) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”^(BR)

³⁴ Then Jacob tore his clothes,^(BS) put on sackcloth^(BT) and mourned for his son many days.^{(BU) 35} All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,^(BV) but he refused to be comforted.^(BW) “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son^(BX) in the grave.^(BY)” So his father wept for him.

³⁶ Meanwhile, the Midianites^[c](BZ) sold Joseph^(CA) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.^(CB)

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39 Now Joseph^(A) had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard,^(B) bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.^(C)

² The Lord was with Joseph^(D) so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ When his master saw that the Lord was with him^(E) and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,^{(F) 4} Joseph found favor in his eyes^(G) and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household,^(H) and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.^{(I) 5} From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household^(J) of the Egyptian because of Joseph.^(K) The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.^{(L) 6} So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care;^(M) with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,^(N)

¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.^(A) But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”^(B)

¹⁶ “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”^(C)

¹⁷ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,^{(D) 18} when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.^{(E) 19} After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰ The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. ²¹ But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

²² “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. ²³ After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. ²⁴ The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.^(F)”

²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.^(G) God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.^{(H) 26} The seven good cows^(I) are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. ²⁷ The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.^(J)

²⁸ “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.^{(K) 29} Seven years of great abundance^(L) are coming throughout the land of Egypt, ³⁰ but seven years of famine^(M) will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.^{(N) 31} The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. ³² The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided^(O) by God, and God will do it soon.^(P)

³³ “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man^(Q) and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.^{(R) 34} Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners^(S) over the land to take a fifth^(T) of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.^{(U) 35} They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.^{(V) 36} This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt,^(W) so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

³⁷ The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.^{(X) 38} So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God^[a]?”^(Y)

³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you,^(Z) there is no one so discerning and wise as you.^{(AA) 40} You shall be in charge of my palace,^(AB) and all my people are to submit to your orders.^(AC) Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.^(AD)”

Joseph in Charge of Egypt

⁴¹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”^{(AE) 42} Then Pharaoh took his signet ring^(AF) from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes^(AG) of fine linen^(AH) and put a gold chain around his neck.^{(AI) 43} He had him ride in a chariot^(AJ) as his second-in-command,^[b](AK) and people shouted before him, “Make way^[c]!”^(AL) Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.^(AM)

⁴⁴ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”^(AN)

⁵³ The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, ⁵⁴ and the seven years of famine^(A) began,^(B) just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. ⁵⁵ When all Egypt began to feel the famine,^(C) the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”^(D)

⁵⁶ When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians,^(E) for the famine^(F) was severe throughout Egypt.^{(G) 57} And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph,^(H) because the famine was severe everywhere.^(I)