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.

¹⁰ When he told his father as well as his brothers,^(A) his father rebuked^(B) 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?”^{(C) 11} His brothers were jealous of him,^(D) but his father kept the matter in mind.^(E)

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

¹² Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,^{(F) 13} and Israel^(G) said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.^(H) 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^(I) and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.^(J)

When Joseph arrived at Shechem,

³² They took the ornate robe^(A) 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^(B) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”^(C)

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