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Genesis 37:12-36
New English Translation

12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers[a] are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,”[b] Joseph replied.[c] 14 So Jacob[d] said to him, “Go now and check on[e] the welfare[f] of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob[g] sent him from the valley of Hebron.

15 When Joseph reached Shechem,[h] a man found him wandering[i] in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell[j] me where they are grazing their flocks.” 17 The man said, “They left this area,[k] for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18 Now Joseph’s brothers[l] saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams![m] 20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild[n] animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!”[o]

21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph[p] from their hands,[q] saying,[r] “Let’s not take his life!”[s] 22 Reuben continued,[t] “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.”[u] (Reuben said this[v] so he could rescue Joseph[w] from them[x] and take him back to his father.)

23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him[y] of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty;[z] there was no water in it.)

25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up[aa] and saw[ab] a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt.[ac] 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him,[ad] for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed.[ae] 28 So when the Midianite[af] merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled[ag] him[ah] out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites[ai] then took Joseph to Egypt.

29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it![aj] He tore his clothes, 30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?” 31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat,[ak] and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father[al] and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”

33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him![am] Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth,[an] and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters stood by[ao] him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.”[ap] So Joseph’s[aq] father wept for him.

36 Now[ar] in Egypt the Midianites[as] sold Joseph[at] to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.[au]

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 37:13 tn The text uses an interrogative clause: “Are not your brothers,” which means “your brothers are.”
  2. Genesis 37:13 sn With these words Joseph is depicted here as an obedient son who is ready to do what his father commands.
  3. Genesis 37:13 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here I am.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.
  4. Genesis 37:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. Genesis 37:14 tn Heb “see.”
  6. Genesis 37:14 tn Heb “peace.”
  7. Genesis 37:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. Genesis 37:15 tn Heb “and he [i.e., Joseph] went to Shechem.” The referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity. In Hebrew, these are the last two words of verse 14, but they have been carried over to verse 15 in the NET for stylistic reasons.
  9. Genesis 37:15 tn Heb “and a man found him and look, he was wandering in the field.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vehinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the action through this unnamed man’s eyes.
  10. Genesis 37:16 tn The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.
  11. Genesis 37:17 tn Heb “they traveled from this place.”
  12. Genesis 37:18 tn Heb “and they”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  13. Genesis 37:19 tn Heb “Look, this master of dreams is coming.” The brothers’ words have a sarcastic note and indicate that they resent his dreams.
  14. Genesis 37:20 tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.
  15. Genesis 37:20 tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”
  16. Genesis 37:21 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  17. Genesis 37:21 sn From their hands. The instigators of this plot may have been the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (see v. 2).
  18. Genesis 37:21 tn Heb “and he said.”
  19. Genesis 37:21 tn Heb “we must not strike him down [with respect to] life.”
  20. Genesis 37:22 tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”
  21. Genesis 37:22 sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.
  22. Genesis 37:22 tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  23. Genesis 37:22 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  24. Genesis 37:22 tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.
  25. Genesis 37:23 tn Heb “Joseph”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  26. Genesis 37:24 tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that helps the reader or hearer to picture what happened.
  27. Genesis 37:25 tn Heb “lifted up their eyes.”
  28. Genesis 37:25 tn Heb “and they saw and look.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vehinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the event through the eyes of the brothers.
  29. Genesis 37:25 tn Heb “and their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh, going to go down to Egypt.”
  30. Genesis 37:27 tn Heb “let not our hand be upon him.”
  31. Genesis 37:27 tn Heb “listened.”
  32. Genesis 37:28 sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.
  33. Genesis 37:28 tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).
  34. Genesis 37:28 tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  35. Genesis 37:28 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  36. Genesis 37:29 tn Heb “and look, Joseph was not in the cistern.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vehinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the situation through Reuben’s eyes.
  37. Genesis 37:31 sn It was with two young goats that Jacob deceived his father (Gen 27:9); now with a young goat his sons continue the deception that dominates this family.
  38. Genesis 37:32 tn Heb “and they sent the special tunic and they brought [it] to their father.” The text as it stands is problematic. It sounds as if they sent the tunic on ahead and then came and brought it to their father. Some emend the second verb to a Qal form and read “and they came.” In this case, they sent the tunic on ahead.
  39. Genesis 37:33 sn A wild animal has eaten him. Jacob draws this conclusion on his own without his sons actually having to lie with their words (see v. 20). Dipping the tunic in the goat’s blood was the only deception needed.
  40. Genesis 37:34 tn Heb “and put sackcloth on his loins.”
  41. Genesis 37:35 tn Heb “arose, stood”; which here suggests that they stood by him in his time of grief.
  42. Genesis 37:35 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Indeed I will go down to my son mourning to Sheol.’” Sheol was viewed as the place where departed spirits went after death.
  43. Genesis 37:35 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  44. Genesis 37:36 tn The disjunctive clause formally signals closure for this episode of Joseph’s story, which will be resumed in Gen 39.
  45. Genesis 37:36 tc The MT spells the name of the merchants as מְדָנִים (medanim, “Medanites”) rather than מִדְיָנִים (midyanim, “Midianites”) as in v. 28. It is likely that the letter י (yod) was accidentally omitted in the MT. The LXX, Vulgate, Smr, and Syriac read “Midianites” here. Some prefer to read “Medanites” both here and in v. 28, but Judg 8:24, which identifies the Midianites and Ishmaelites, favors the reading “Midianites.”
  46. Genesis 37:36 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  47. Genesis 37:36 sn The expression captain of the guard might indicate that Potiphar was the chief executioner. The noun "guard" derives from a verb meaning to slaughter.
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Genesis 37:12-36
New International Version

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,(A) 13 and Israel(B) said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.(C) 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(D) and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.(E)

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.(F)’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.(G)

19 “Here comes that dreamer!(H)” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns(I) and say that a ferocious animal(J) devoured him.(K) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”(L)

21 When Reuben(M) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.(N) 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern(O) here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.(P)

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe(Q) he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern.(R) 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(S) coming from Gilead.(T) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm(U) and myrrh,(V) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.(W)

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

28 So when the Midianite(AB) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern(AC) and sold(AD) him for twenty shekels[a] of silver(AE) to the Ishmaelites,(AF) who took him to Egypt.(AG)

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

31 Then they got Joseph’s robe,(AJ) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.(AK) 32 They took the ornate robe(AL) 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(AM) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”(AN)

34 Then Jacob tore his clothes,(AO) put on sackcloth(AP) and mourned for his son many days.(AQ) 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,(AR) but he refused to be comforted.(AS) “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son(AT) in the grave.(AU)” So his father wept for him.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites[b](AV) sold Joseph(AW) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.(AX)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 37:28 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams
  2. Genesis 37:36 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 28); Masoretic Text Medanites
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