约瑟的梦

37 雅各住在他父亲寄居的迦南, 以下是有关雅各一家的记载。

十七岁的少年约瑟跟哥哥们,就是雅各的妾辟拉和悉帕生的儿子们一同放羊。他向父亲报告哥哥们做的坏事。 约瑟是以色列年老时生的,以色列特别宠爱他,为他做了一件彩衣。 约瑟的哥哥们见父亲偏爱他,就怀恨在心,对他恶言相向。

约瑟做了一个梦,并告诉了哥哥们,他们更恨他了。 约瑟对哥哥们说:“你们听听我做的梦—— 我们在田里捆庄稼,我捆的庄稼站起来,你们捆的庄稼都围着我捆的庄稼下拜。” 他的哥哥们回答说:“难道你真想做我们的王统治我们吗?”他们因约瑟的梦和他说的话而更恨他。

后来,约瑟又做了一个梦,他又去对哥哥们说:“你们听听我做的另一个梦,我梦见太阳、月亮和十一颗星星都向我下拜。” 10 约瑟把梦告诉了父亲和哥哥们,他父亲就责备他说:“你做的是什么梦!难道你的父母弟兄都要来向你俯伏下拜吗?” 11 约瑟的哥哥们嫉恨他,他父亲却把这些话记在心里。

12 约瑟的哥哥们到示剑放父亲的羊。 13 以色列把约瑟叫来,对他说:“你哥哥们在示剑放羊,我要派你去他们那里。”约瑟说:“好的。” 14 以色列说:“你去看看你哥哥们以及羊群是否平安,然后回来告诉我。”于是,约瑟就从希伯仑谷出发去示剑。 15 有人见他在田野走迷了路,就问他:“你在找什么?” 16 约瑟回答说:“我在找我哥哥们,你知道他们在哪里放羊吗?” 17 那人说:“他们已经走了,我听他们说要到多坍去。”约瑟就赶往多坍,在那里找到了他们。

18 约瑟的哥哥们远远看见他走来,趁他还没有到跟前,就合谋要害死他。 19 他们彼此商量说:“看!做梦的来了。 20 来吧!我们杀了他,把他扔在井里,就说有野兽把他吃掉了,看他的梦怎么实现。” 21 吕便听后想救约瑟的性命,就说:“我们不要害他性命。” 22 他又说:“不要杀人流血,把他扔在这口井里吧,不要下手害他。”吕便想救约瑟,把他交回给父亲。 23 这时候,约瑟来了,他们就脱去他身上的彩衣, 24 把他扔到井里。当时,那口井是干的,没有水。

25 他们坐下来吃饭的时候,看见一队从基列来的以实玛利商人用骆驼驮着香料、乳香、没药去埃及。 26 犹大对他的众弟兄说:“我们杀死弟弟、掩盖罪行有什么益处呢? 27 不如把他卖给以实玛利人,不要下手害他,他毕竟是我们的弟弟,我们的骨肉啊!”其他弟兄都赞成他的意见。 28 于是,那些米甸商人经过的时候,他们就把约瑟从井里拉上来,以二百二十克银子的价钱把他卖给了以实玛利人。这些商人把他带到埃及去了。

29 吕便回到井边发现约瑟不见了,就伤心地撕裂了身上的衣服, 30 回到弟兄们那里说:“那少年不见了,我现在怎么办?” 31 他们宰了一只公山羊,把血染在约瑟的彩衣上, 32 拿去给父亲,说:“我们捡到这件衣服,你看看是不是你儿子的?” 33 雅各认出那件彩衣,说:“这是我儿子的衣服,一定是野兽把他吃了,约瑟一定被撕碎了!” 34 雅各撕裂自己的衣服,束上麻布,为约瑟哀伤了好几天。 35 他的儿女都来安慰他,他却不肯接受他们的安慰,说:“我一定会凄凄惨惨地下到阴间,去我儿子那里。”约瑟的父亲为他哀哭。

36 那些米甸人把约瑟带到埃及后,把他卖给了法老的内臣——护卫长波提乏。

God’s promises are not exclusive. As Isaac’s son, Esau becomes great in the land of Seir, a land to the south and east of the Dead Sea. He has sons and daughters, many of whom go on to become tribal chiefs and influential leaders among the people known as the Edomites. But the story now returns to Jacob, for he has a special place in God’s plan.

37 Jacob ended up settling in the land where his father had lived as a foreigner for many years—in the land of Canaan. Here now is the story of Jacob and his family:

Joseph, when he was a young man of 17, often shepherded the flocks along with his brothers. One day as he was with Bilhah’s and Zilpah’s sons (his half-brothers), he decided to report back to their father about things they were doing wrong. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children because he came along when he was an old man. So Israel presented Joseph with a special[a] robe he had made for him—a spectacularly colorful robe with long sleeves in it. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than the rest, they grew to hate him and couldn’t find it in themselves to speak to him without resentment or argument.

One day Joseph had a dream. When he told the dream to his brothers, they hated him even more.

Joseph: Please listen to this dream I had! There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood up, and then your sheaves all gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.

Joseph’s Brothers (annoyed): Are you serious? You think you are somehow destined to reign over us? You think you are going to be our king?

This dream and what he told them about it made them hate him even more.

But Joseph had another dream, and he made the mistake of telling them about this dream too.

Joseph: Listen! I’ve had another dream: I saw the sun, the moon, and 11 stars bowing down to me.

10 When he told this dream to his father and brothers, even his father scolded him.

Israel: What kind of dream is this? Do you actually think your mother and I and your brothers are going to bow down before you?

11 Joseph’s brothers had become extremely jealous of him. But his father—though he scolded Joseph—kept this dream in the back of his mind.

12 About this time, Joseph’s brothers went north toward Shechem in search of better pasture for their father’s flocks.

Israel (to Joseph): 13 Aren’t your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come on then, I will send you out to them to see how they are doing.

Joseph: I’m ready, Father.

Israel: 14 Get going then. See if they’re doing all right, and make sure the flocks are well. When you get back, give me a report.

With that, Israel sent Joseph out to the valley of Hebron. When he came to the area around Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in a field. The man asked him what he was looking for.

Joseph: 16 I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are pasturing our flock.

Man: 17 They’ve already gone. I heard them say they were going to Dothan.

So Joseph hurried off and followed his brothers to Dothan.

18 They saw him coming even though he was still a long way off. Before he was near enough to hear them, they conspired to kill him.

Joseph’s brothers are tired of his arrogant pretense. Each and every one of them has a bill of complaint against Joseph.

Joseph’s Brothers (to each other): 19 Oh, here comes the great dreamer. 20 Let’s kill him and throw his body into one of the pits. Then we can tell everyone a wild animal killed and devoured him. We’ll see then what becomes of his stupid dreams.

21 When Reuben heard the plan, he tried to help Joseph.

Reuben: Let’s not kill him. 22 We don’t need to shed any blood to be free of him. Let’s just toss him into some pit here in the wilderness. We don’t need to lay a hand on him.

Reuben thought perhaps he could secretly come back later and get Joseph out of the pit and take him home to their father before any more harm came to him.

The brothers agreed. 23 When Joseph arrived, they ripped his robe off of him—the fancy, colorful[b] robe he always wore that his father had made for him, 24 and they threw him into the pit. Now this pit happened to be an empty cistern; there was no water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat. Soon they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelite traders approaching from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with gum, balm, and a fragrant resin; and they were on their way down to Egypt with their goods.

Judah (to his brothers): 26 What profit will it be for us if we just kill our brother and conceal the crime? 27 Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites instead. We won’t have to lay a hand on him then. He is, after all, our brother, our own flesh and blood.

All of the brothers agreed. 28 As the Midianite traders were passing by, they brought Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for about eight ounces of silver, the usual price of young male slaves. The traders set off with Joseph in the direction of Egypt.

29 Now Reuben had not been around when the caravan came by, so when Reuben came back to the cistern later and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothing in agony and despair. 30 He went back to his brothers.

Reuben: The boy is gone. What do I do now? What am I supposed to tell Father?

As the oldest, Reuben is responsible for what happens to Joseph. Does he dare go home and face his father? After sleeping with his father’s concubine, he has little chance now of being confirmed as Israel’s firstborn.

31-32 The brothers took Joseph’s fancy, colorful robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped it in the blood. Then they took the special[c] robe to their father.

Joseph’s Brothers: We found this, Father. Tell us if you think this is Joseph’s robe.

Israel (recognizing the robe): 33 This is my son’s robe! A wild animal must have killed and eaten him. Joseph is without a doubt torn to shreds!

34 Then Jacob wailed in agony and tore his clothes with the depth of emotional pain only a father could feel upon losing a child. He dressed in sackcloth and mourned his son for a long time. 35 All of his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.

Israel: No, I will go to the grave grieving for my son.

Israel is inconsolable. His grief over his son transcends even death itself.

This is how deeply Joseph’s father grieved for him. 36 Meanwhile, the Midianites arrived in Egypt and sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officers and the captain of the guard.

Footnotes

  1. 37:3 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. Greek and Latin manuscripts read, “many-colored”; similar Aramaic words mean, “long-sleeved.”
  2. 37:23 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  3. 37:31–32 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

37 ¶ And Jacob dwelt in the land in which his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

These 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.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colours.

And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him.

¶ And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren; and they hated him yet the more.

And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about and made obeisance to my sheaf.

And 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.

And he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brethren, saying, Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me.

10 And he told it to his father and to his brethren; and his father reprehended 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?

11 And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the word.

12 ¶ And his brethren went to feed their father’s sheep in Shechem.

13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the sheep in Shechem? Come and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.

14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it is well with thy brethren and well with the sheep and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

16 And he said, I seek my brethren; tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

17 And the man said, They are departed from here; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren and found them in Dothan.

18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer comes;

20 now therefore, come and let us slay him and cast him into a cistern, and we will say, Some evil beast has devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

21 When Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands and said, Let us not kill him.

22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood but cast him into this cistern 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.

23 ¶ And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

24 and they took him and cast him into the cistern; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

25 And 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 aromas and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

26 Then Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?

27 Come 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.

28 And when the Midianite merchantmen passed by, they took and lifted up Joseph out of the cistern and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29 And Reuben returned unto the cistern; and, behold, Joseph was not inside, and he rent his clothes.

30 And he returned unto his brethren and said, The young man is not; and I, where shall I go?

31 ¶ Then they took Joseph’s coat and killed a kid of the goats and dipped the coat in the blood;

32 and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father and said, We have found this, recognize now whether it is thy son’s coat or not.

33 And he knew it and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

34 Then Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his son many days.

35 And 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.

36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s and captain of the guard.