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

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

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

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

¹⁰ When he told his father as well as his brothers,^(Q) his father rebuked^(R) 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?”^{(S) 11} His brothers were jealous of him,^(T) but his father kept the matter in mind.^(U)

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe^(A) he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern.^(B) 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^(C) coming from Gilead.^(D) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm^(E) and myrrh,^(F) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.^(G)

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

²⁸ So when the Midianite^(L) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern^(M) and sold^(N) him for twenty shekels^[a] of silver^(O) to the Ishmaelites,^(P) who took him to Egypt.^(Q)

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

³¹ Then they got Joseph’s robe,^(T) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.^{(U) 32} They took the ornate robe^(V) 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^(W) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”^(X)

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.

⁶ So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care;^(A) with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,^{(B) 7} and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”^(C)

⁸ But he refused.^(D) “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care.^(E)

¹⁰ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused^(A) to go to bed with her or even be with her.

¹¹ One day he went into the house to attend to his duties,^(B) and none of the household servants^(C) was inside. ¹² She caught him by his cloak^(D) and said, “Come to bed with me!”^(E) But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.^(F)