Génesis 37
Reina-Valera 1995
José, vendido por sus hermanos
37 Jacob habitó en la tierra donde había vivido su padre, en la tierra de Canaán. 2 Ésta es la historia de la familia de Jacob: José tenía diecisiete años y apacentaba las ovejas con sus hermanos; el joven estaba con los hijos de Bilha y con los hijos de Zilpa, mujeres de su padre; e informaba José a su padre de la mala fama de ellos.
3 Israel amaba a José más que a todos sus hijos, porque lo había tenido en su vejez; y le hizo una túnica de diversos colores. 4 Al ver sus hermanos que su padre lo amaba más que a todos ellos, lo aborrecían y no podían hablarle pacíficamente.
5 Tuvo José un sueño y lo contó a sus hermanos, y ellos llegaron a aborrecerlo más todavía. 6 Él les dijo:
—Oíd ahora este sueño que he tenido: 7 estábamos atando manojos en medio del campo, y mi manojo se levantaba y se quedaba derecho, y vuestros manojos estaban alrededor y se inclinaban ante el mío.
8 Entonces le respondieron sus hermanos:
—¿Reinarás tú sobre nosotros, o dominarás sobre nosotros?
Y lo aborrecieron aún más a causa de sus sueños y sus palabras.
9 Después tuvo otro sueño y lo contó a sus hermanos. Les dijo:
—He tenido otro sueño. Soñé que el sol, la luna y once estrellas se inclinaban hacia mí.
10 Y lo contó a su padre y a sus hermanos; su padre le reprendió, y le dijo:
—¿Qué sueño es éste que tuviste? ¿Acaso vendremos yo, tu madre y tus hermanos a postrarnos en tierra ante ti?
11 Sus hermanos le tenían envidia, pero su padre meditaba en esto.
12 Un día, sus hermanos fueron a apacentar las ovejas de su padre en Siquem. 13 Entonces Israel dijo a José:
—Tus hermanos apacientan las ovejas en Siquem. Ven, y te enviaré a ellos.
—Aquí estoy —respondió él.
14 —Ve ahora, mira cómo están tus hermanos y cómo están las ovejas, y tráeme la noticia —dijo Israel.
Lo envió, pues, desde el valle del Hebrón, y José llegó a Siquem. 15 Lo halló un hombre, andando él errante por el campo; y aquel hombre le preguntó:
—¿Qué buscas?
16 —Busco a mis hermanos; te ruego que me muestres dónde están apacentando —respondió José.
17 —Ya se han ido de aquí; pero yo les oí decir: “Vamos a Dotán” —dijo el hombre.
Entonces José fue tras sus hermanos y los halló en Dotán.
18 Cuando ellos lo vieron de lejos, antes que llegara cerca de ellos conspiraron contra él para matarlo. 19 Se dijeron el uno al otro:
—¡Ahí viene el soñador! 20 Ahora pues, venid, matémoslo y echémoslo en una cisterna, y diremos: “Alguna mala bestia lo devoró.” Veremos entonces qué será de sus sueños.
21 Cuando Rubén oyó esto, lo libró de sus manos. Dijo:
—No lo matemos.
22 Y añadió:
—No derraméis sangre; echadlo en esta cisterna que está en el desierto, pero no le pongáis las manos encima.
Quiso librarlo así de sus manos y hacerlo volver a su padre. 23 Sucedió, pues, que cuando llegó José junto a sus hermanos, ellos quitaron a José su túnica —la túnica de colores que llevaba puesta—, 24 lo agarraron y lo echaron en la cisterna; pero la cisterna estaba vacía, no había en ella agua. 25 Luego se sentaron a comer. En esto, al alzar la vista, vieron una compañía de ismaelitas que venía de Galaad, con camellos cargados de aromas, bálsamo y mirra, que llevaban a Egipto. 26 Entonces Judá dijo a sus hermanos:
—¿Qué vamos a ganar con matar a nuestro hermano y ocultar su muerte? 27 Venid y vendámoslo a los ismaelitas; pero no le pongamos las manos encima, porque es nuestro hermano, nuestra propia carne.
Y sus hermanos convinieron con él.
28 Cuando pasaban los mercaderes madianitas, sacaron ellos a José de la cisterna, lo trajeron arriba y lo vendieron a los ismaelitas por veinte piezas de plata. Y estos se llevaron a José a Egipto.
29 Después Rubén volvió a la cisterna y, al no hallar dentro a José, rasgó sus vestidos. 30 Luego volvió a sus hermanos y dijo:
—El joven no aparece; y yo, ¿adónde iré yo?
31 Entonces tomaron ellos la túnica de José, degollaron un cabrito del rebaño y tiñeron la túnica con la sangre. 32 Enviaron la túnica de colores a su padre, con este mensaje: «Esto hemos hallado; reconoce ahora si es o no la túnica de tu hijo.»
33 Cuando él la reconoció, dijo: «Es la túnica de mi hijo; alguna mala bestia lo devoró; José ha sido despedazado.» 34 Entonces Jacob rasgó sus vestidos, se puso ropa áspera sobre su cintura y guardó luto por su hijo durante muchos días. 35 Se levantaron todos sus hijos y todas sus hijas para consolarlo, pero él no quiso recibir consuelo, diciendo: «¡Descenderé enlutado junto a mi hijo hasta el seol!» Y lo lloró su padre.
36 En Egipto, los madianitas lo vendieron a Potifar, oficial del faraón y capitán de la guardia.
Genesis 37
Complete Jewish Bible
Parashah 9: Vayeshev (He continued living) 37:1–40:23
37 Ya‘akov continued living in the land where his father had lived as a foreigner, the land of Kena‘an.
2 Here is the history of Ya‘akov. When Yosef was seventeen years old he used to pasture the flock with his brothers, even though he was still a boy. Once when he was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, he brought a bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Isra’el loved Yosef the most of all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long-sleeved robe. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they began to hate him and reached the point where they couldn’t even talk with him in a civil manner.
5 Yosef had a dream which he told his brothers, and that made them hate him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen while I tell you about this dream of mine. 7 We were tying up bundles of wheat in the field when suddenly my bundle got up by itself and stood upright; then your bundles came, gathered around mine and prostrated themselves before it.” 8 His brothers retorted, “Yes, you will certainly be our king. You’ll do a great job of bossing us around!” And they hated him still more for his dreams and for what he said.
9 He had another dream which he told his brothers: “Here, I had another dream, and there were the sun, the moon and eleven stars prostrating themselves before me.” 10 He told his father too, as well as his brothers, but his father rebuked him: “What is this dream you have had? Do you really expect me, your mother and your brothers to come and prostrate ourselves before you on the ground?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
(ii) 12 After this, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father’s sheep in Sh’khem, 13 Isra’el asked Yosef, “Aren’t your brothers pasturing the sheep in Sh’khem? Come, I will send you to them.” He answered, “Here I am.” 14 He said to him, “Go now, see whether things are going well with your brothers and with the sheep, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him away from the Hevron Valley, and he went to Sh’khem, 15 where a man found him wandering around in the countryside. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 “I’m looking for my brothers,” he answered. “Tell me, please, where are they pasturing the sheep?” 17 The man said, “They’ve left here; because I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dotan.’” Yosef went after his brothers and found them in Dotan.
18 They spotted him in the distance, and before he had arrived where they were, they had already plotted to kill him. 19 They said to each other, “Look, this dreamer is coming! 20 So come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these water cisterns here. Then we’ll say some wild animal devoured him. We’ll see then what becomes of his dreams!” 21 But when Re’uven heard this, he saved him from being destroyed by them. He said, “We shouldn’t take his life. 22 Don’t shed blood,” Re’uven added. “Throw him into this cistern here in the wilds, but don’t lay hands on him yourselves.” He intended to rescue him from them later and restore him to his father.
(iii) 23 So it was that when Yosef arrived to be with his brothers, they stripped off his robe, the long-sleeved robe he was wearing, 24 and took him and threw him into the cistern (the cistern was empty; without any water in it). 25 Then they sat down to eat their meal; but as they looked up, they saw in front of them a caravan of Yishma‘elim coming from Gil‘ad, their camels loaded with aromatic gum, healing resin and opium, on their way down to Egypt. 26 Y’hudah said to his brothers, “What advantage is it to us if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Yishma‘elim, instead of putting him to death with our own hands. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers paid attention to him. 28 So when the Midyanim, merchants, passed by, they drew and lifted Yosef up out of the cistern and sold him for half a pound of silver shekels to the Yishma‘elim, who took Yosef on to Egypt.
29 Re’uven returned to the cistern, and, upon seeing that Yosef wasn’t in it, tore his clothes in mourning. 30 He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I go now?”
31 They took Yosef’s robe, killed a male goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 Then they sent the long-sleeved robe and brought it to their father, saying, “We found this. Do you know if it’s your son’s robe or not?” 33 He recognized it and cried, “It’s my son’s robe! Some wild animal has torn Yosef in pieces and eaten him!” 34 Ya‘akov tore his clothes and, putting sackcloth around his waist, mourned his son for many days. 35 Though all his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, he refused all consolation, saying, “No, I will go down to the grave, to my son, mourning.” And his father wept for him.
36 In Egypt the Midyanim sold Yosef to Potifar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, a captain of the guard.
Genesis 37
King James Version
37 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2 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.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
4 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.
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
8 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.
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked 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 observed the saying.
12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock 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 be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale 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 hence; 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 cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
21 And Reuben heard it, and 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 pit 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 stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: 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 spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26 And 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 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
31 And 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, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.
33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
34 And 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.
Genesis 37
New King James Version
Joseph Dreams of Greatness
37 Now Jacob dwelt in the land (A)where his father was a [a]stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the history of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought (B)a bad report of them to his father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was (C)the son of his old age. Also he (D)made him a tunic of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they (E)hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 (F)There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, (G)the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and (H)your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” 11 And (I)his brothers envied him, but his father (J)kept the matter in mind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12 Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in (K)Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.”
So he said to him, “Here I am.”
14 Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of (L)Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
15 Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
16 So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. (M)Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”
17 And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in (N)Dothan.
18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, (O)they conspired against him to kill him. 19 Then they said to one another, “Look, this [b]dreamer is coming! 20 (P)Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”
21 But (Q)Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.
23 So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they (R)stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. 24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 (S)And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of (T)Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, (U)balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. 26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and (V)conceal his blood? 27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and (W)let not our hand be upon him, for he is (X)our brother and (Y)our flesh.” And his brothers listened. 28 Then (Z)Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, (AA)and sold him to the Ishmaelites for (AB)twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
29 Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he (AC)tore his clothes. 30 And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad (AD)is no more; and I, where shall I go?”
31 So they took (AE)Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32 Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”
33 And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A (AF)wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob (AG)tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and (AH)mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters (AI)arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For (AJ)I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
36 Now (AK)the [c]Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Footnotes
- Genesis 37:1 sojourner, temporary resident
- Genesis 37:19 Lit. master of dreams
- Genesis 37:36 MT Medanites
Copyright © 1995 by United Bible Societies
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
