Genesis 37
Expanded Bible
Joseph the Dreamer
37 Jacob ·lived [settled] in the land of Canaan, where his father had ·lived [sojourned; lived as an alien]. 2 ·This is the family history [L These are the generations; 2:4] of Jacob:
Joseph was a young man, seventeen years old. He and his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, ·cared for [shepherded] the flocks. Joseph was a ·helper [assistant; L youth] to his brothers. Joseph gave his father bad reports about his brothers. 3 Since Joseph was born when his father Israel [C Jacob’s other name] was old, Israel loved him more than his other sons. He made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves [C traditionally a multicolored robe]. 4 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated their brother and could not speak to him ·politely [C civilly; L peacefully].
5 One time Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more. 6 Joseph said, “Listen to the dream I ·had [L dreamed]. 7 We were in the field tying ·bundles [sheaves] of wheat together. My ·bundle [sheaf] rose and stood upright, and your ·bundles [sheaves] of wheat gathered around it and bowed down to it.”
8 His brothers said, “Do you really think you will be king over us? Do you truly think you will ·rule over [dominate] us?” His brothers hated him even more because of his dreams and what he had said.
9 Then Joseph had another dream, and he told his brothers about it also. He said, “Listen, I had another dream. I saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me.”
10 Joseph also told his father about this dream, but his father ·scolded [rebuked] him, saying, “What kind of dream is this? Do you really believe that your mother, your brothers, and I will bow down to you?” 11 Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him, but his father ·thought about what all these things could mean [L guarded/kept the report].
12 One day Joseph’s brothers went to Shechem [12:6] to ·graze [shepherd] their father’s flocks. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “·Go to Shechem where your brothers are grazing the flocks [L Are not your brothers shepherding in Shechem? Go and I will send you to them].”
Joseph answered, “I will go.”
14 His father said, “Go and see ·if your brothers and the flocks are all right [after the welfare of your brothers and the flocks]. Then come back and ·tell me [give me a report].” So Joseph’s father sent him from the Valley of Hebron [13:18].
When Joseph came to Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering in the field and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 Joseph answered, “I am looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are ·grazing [shepherding] the flocks?”
17 The man said, “They have already gone. I heard them say they were going to Dothan [C a small town thirteen miles north of Shechem].” So Joseph went to look for his brothers and found them in Dothan.
Joseph Sold into Slavery
18 Joseph’s brothers saw him coming from far away. Before he reached them, they ·made a plan [conspired] to kill him. 19 They said to each other, “Here comes that dreamer. 20 Let’s ·kill [murder] him and throw his body into one of the ·wells [pits; cisterns]. We can tell our father that a wild animal ·killed [L ate] him. Then we will see what will become of his dreams.”
21 But Reuben [C the oldest among the brothers] heard ·their plan [L it] and ·saved Joseph [L rescued him from their hands], saying, “Let’s not ·kill him [take his life]. 22 Don’t spill any blood. Throw him into this ·well [pit; cistern] here in the ·desert [wilderness], but don’t ·hurt him [L send your hand against him]!” Reuben planned to ·save Joseph later [L rescue him from their hand] and ·send him back [return him] to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they ·pulled [stripped] off his robe with long sleeves [37:3] 24 and threw him into the ·well [pit; cistern]. It was empty, and there was no water in it.
25 ·While Joseph was in the well, the brothers [L They] sat down to eat. When they ·looked up [L lifted their eyes], they saw a ·group [caravan] of Ishmaelites traveling from Gilead to Egypt. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What ·will we gain [profit is there] if we ·kill [murder] our brother and ·hide his death [L cover up his blood]? 27 Let’s sell him to these Ishmaelites. Then we will not ·be guilty of killing our own brother [L lay our hands on him]. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” And the other brothers ·agreed [listened; obeyed]. 28 So when the Midianite traders [C Midian is part of the Ishmaelite nation; Judg. 8:22, 24] came by, ·the brothers took Joseph out [L they drew him and lifted him up out] of the ·well [pit; cistern] and sold him to the Ishmaelites for ·eight ounces [L twenty pieces] of silver [C the price of a slave at the time]. And the Ishmaelites took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben came back to the ·well [pit; cistern] and Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes [C to show he was upset]. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! ·What shall I do [L And as for me, where should I go]?” 31 ·The brothers killed [L They took the robe and slaughtered] a goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood. 32 Then they brought the long-sleeved robe [37:3] to their father and said, “We found this robe. Look it over carefully and see if it is your son’s robe.”
33 ·Jacob looked it over [L He recognized it] and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ·savage [evil] animal has eaten him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces!” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes and put ·on rough cloth [burlap/sackcloth on his loins; C to show he was upset], and he continued ·to be sad about [mourn for] his son for ·a long time [L many days]. 35 All of his sons and daughters tried to ·comfort [console] him, but he could not be ·comforted [consoled]. He said, “I will ·be sad about my son until the day I die [I will go down to Sheol/the grave mourning my son].” So ·Jacob [L his father] cried for his son Joseph.
36 Meanwhile the Midianites who had bought Joseph had taken him to Egypt. There they sold him to Potiphar, an officer to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] and captain of the palace guard and chief ·butcher [or executioner; C a high Egyptian official].
Genesis 37
Christian Standard Bible
Joseph’s Dreams
37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.(A) 2 These 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,(B) and he brought a bad report about them to their father.(C)
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age,(D) and he made a long-sleeved robe[a] for him. 4 When 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.
5 Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 There 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.”(E)
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.
9 Then 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.”
10 He 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?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him,(F) but his father kept the matter in mind.(G)
Joseph Sold into Slavery
12 His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. 13 Israel 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.
14 Then 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(H) Valley, and he went to Shechem.
15 A 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.’”(I) So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18 They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him.(J) 19 They said to one another, “Oh, look, here comes that dream expert![b] 20 So now, come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits.[c] We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them.[d] He said, “Let’s not take his life.”(K) 22 Reuben 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.
23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s robe, the long-sleeved robe that he had on. 24 Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.(L)
25 They sat down to eat a meal,(M) and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead.(N) Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.(O)
26 Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come 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. 28 When Midianite(P) 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.(Q)
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.(R) 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?” [e] 31 So they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. 32 They sent the long-sleeved robe to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it. Is it your son’s robe or not?”
33 His father recognized it. “It is my son’s robe,” he said. “A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces!” (S) 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All 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.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards.
1 Moseboken 37
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015
37 (A) Men Jakob bosatte sig i Kanaans land, där hans far hade bott som främling.
X. JAKOBS FORTSATTA HISTORIA 37:2-50:26
Josef och hans bröder
2 Detta är Jakobs fortsatta historia. När Josef[a] var sjutton år[b] vallade han fåren tillsammans med sina bröder. Som ung hjälpte han sönerna till Bilha och Silpa, sin fars hustrur. Och Josef berättade för deras far allt ont som sades om dem.
3 Israel älskade Josef mer än alla sina andra söner, eftersom han hade fått honom på sin ålderdom. Han lät göra en hellång[c] dräkt åt honom. 4 (B) När hans bröder såg att deras far älskade honom mer än alla hans bröder, hatade de honom och kunde inte tala vänligt med honom.
Josefs drömmar
5 Josef hade en dröm som han berättade för sina bröder. Efter det hatade de honom ännu mer. 6 Han sade till dem: ”Hör vilken dröm jag har haft. 7 Vi var och band kärvar på åkern. Då reste sig min kärve upp och blev stående, och era kärvar ställde sig runt omkring och bugade sig för min kärve.” 8 Men hans bröder sade till honom: ”Ska du bli vår kung? Ska du härska över oss?” Och de hatade honom ännu mer på grund av hans drömmar och det som han sagt.
9 Sedan fick han en annan dröm som han berättade för sina bröder. ”Lyssna”, sade han, ”jag har haft en dröm till. Jag drömde att solen och månen och elva stjärnor bugade sig för mig.” 10 När han berättade detta för sin far och sina bröder, tillrättavisade hans far honom och sade: ”Vad är det för en dröm du har haft? Skulle jag och din mor och dina bröder komma och buga oss ner till jorden för dig?” 11 Bröderna blev avundsjuka på honom, men hans far lade det på minnet.
Josef blir såld till Egypten
12 Och hans bröder gick för att valla sin fars får i Shekem.[d] 13 Då sade Israel till Josef: ”Se, dina bröder vallar fåren i Shekem. Jag vill sända dig till dem.” Han svarade: ”Jag är redo.” 14 Israel sade till honom: ”Gå och se efter om allt är väl med dina bröder och med fåren. Kom sedan tillbaka till mig med besked.” Så sände han i väg honom från Hebrons dal, och han kom till Shekem.
15 Där mötte han en man medan han irrade omkring på fältet. Mannen frågade honom vad han sökte. 16 Han svarade: ”Jag letar efter mina bröder. Säg mig var de vallar sin hjord.” 17 Mannen svarade: ”De har gått härifrån. Jag hörde dem säga att de skulle gå till Dotan[e].” Då gick Josef vidare efter sina bröder och fann dem i Dotan.
18 Men när de såg honom på avstånd, innan han kommit fram till dem, började de prata om att döda honom. 19 De sade till varandra. ”Där kommer drömmaren. 20 Kom nu, så dödar vi honom och kastar honom i en brunn! Sedan kan vi säga att ett vilddjur åt upp honom. Så får vi se hur det går med hans drömmar!” 21 (C) Men när Ruben hörde det, ville han rädda honom från dem och sade: ”Vi kan inte slå ihjäl honom.” 22 Och han fortsatte: ”Spill inte blod! Kasta ner honom i brunnen här i öknen, men bär inte hand på honom!” Han ville nämligen rädda honom från dem och föra honom tillbaka till hans far.
23 När Josef kom fram till sina bröder, slet de av honom den hellånga dräkten som han hade på sig. 24 (D) Och de tog honom och kastade honom i brunnen. Den var tom,[f] det fanns inget vatten i den. 25 Sedan satte de sig ner för att äta.
Då fick de se en karavan[g] med ismaeliter som kom från Gilead. Deras kameler var lastade med dragantgummi, balsam och ladanum[h], och de var på väg ner till Egypten. 26 Då sade Juda till sina bröder: ”Vad vinner vi på att döda vår bror och dölja hans blod? 27 Kom, vi säljer honom till ismaeliterna! Vår hand ska inte komma vid honom, han är ju vår bror, vårt eget kött och blod.” Och bröderna lyssnade på honom. 28 (E) När de midjanitiska köpmännen kom förbi, drog de upp Josef ur brunnen. De sålde honom för tjugo siklar silver[i] till ismaeliterna[j], som förde Josef till Egypten.
29 (F) När Ruben kom tillbaka till brunnen, se, då fanns inte Josef där. Då rev han sönder sina kläder 30 och gick tillbaka till sina bröder och sade: ”Pojken är inte där! Vart ska jag nu ta vägen?”
31 Men de slaktade en bock och tog Josefs dräkt och doppade den i blodet. 32 Sedan skickade de hem den hellånga dräkten till sin far och lät säga: ”Den här har vi hittat. Se efter om det är din sons dräkt.” 33 (G) Och han kände igen den och sade: ”Det är min sons dräkt! Ett vilddjur har ätit upp honom. Josef är säkert ihjälriven.” 34 Och Jakob rev sönder sina kläder, svepte säcktyg[k] om sina höfter och sörjde sin son under lång tid. 35 Alla hans söner och döttrar kom för att trösta honom, men han ville inte låta sig tröstas utan sade: ”Jag ska med sorg fara ner i dödsriket till min son.” Så grät hans far över honom.
36 (H) Men midjaniterna[l] sålde Josef i Egypten till Potifar, som var hovman hos farao och befälhavare för livvakterna.
Footnotes
- 37:2 Josef Framhålls av Stefanus i Apg 7:9f som en parallell till Kristus: älskad och sänd av sin far men förkastad i avund av bröderna och såld till hedningarna, störtad i jordens djup men upphöjd till härskarens högra sida, därifrån välsignande både hedningar och sina bröder, etc.
- 37:2 När Josef var sjutton år Ca 1898 f Kr (jfr 41:46).
- 37:3 hellång Annan översättning (så Septuaginta): ”färggrann”. I samtida egyptiska gravmålningar (t ex vid Beni Hasan) framställs män från Kanaans land i långärmade, färggrant broderade dräkter.
- 37:12 valla … i Shekem I de svalare högländerna fanns bete även under den torra sommaren.
- 37:17 Dotan Stad drygt två mil norr om Shekem (2 Kung 6:13) med goda betesmarker omkring.
- 37:24 brunnen … tom Torra brunnar eller cisterner användes ofta som fånghålor (jfr Jer 38:6, Sak 9:11).
- 37:25 karavan Shekem och Dotan låg vid den stora karavanvägen mellan Egypten och Mesopotamien.
- 37:25 dragantgummi, balsam och ladanum Olika typer av väldoftande kådor.
- 37:28 tjugo siklar silver Drygt 200 gram, ungefär två årslöner för arbetaren (Dom 17:10). Detta var ett vanligt pris för en slav enligt t ex Hammurabis lag (jfr 3 Mos 27:5).
- 37:28 ismaeliterna Troligen en undergrupp eller ett alternativt namn för midjaniterna. De två benämningarna används om vartannat (jfr 37:36, 39:1, Dom 8:22, 24).
- 37:34 rev sönder sina kläder, svepte säcktyg Uttryck för djup sorg (jfr Est 4:1, Job 1:20).
- 37:36 midjaniterna Så Septuaginta. Masoretiska textens vokalisering: ”medaniterna” (släktingar till midjaniterna, jfr 1 Mos 25:2).
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Svenska Folkbibeln 2015, Copyright © 2015 by Svenska Folkbibeln Foundation