37:9 Then he had another dream, 4 and told it to his brothers. “Look,” 5 he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 37:10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? 6 Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” 7 37:11 His brothers were jealous 8 of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said. 9
37:12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 37:13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers 10 are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” 11 Joseph replied. 12 37:14 So Jacob 13 said to him, “Go now and check on 14 the welfare 15 of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob 16 sent him from the valley of Hebron.
37:15 When Joseph reached Shechem, 17 a man found him wandering 18 in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell 19 me where they are grazing their flocks.” 37:17 The man said, “They left this area, 20 for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers 21 saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 37:19 They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams! 22 37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild 23 animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” 24
37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph 25 from their hands, 26 saying, 27 “Let’s not take his life!” 28 37:22 Reuben continued, 29 “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” 30 (Reuben said this 31 so he could rescue Joseph 32 from them 33 and take him back to his father.)
37:23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him 34 of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; 35 there was no water in it.)
37:25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up 36 and saw 37 a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. 38 37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, 39 for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. 40 37:28 So when the Midianite 41 merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled 42 him 43 out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites 44 then took Joseph to Egypt.
37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! 45 He tore his clothes, 37:30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?” 37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, 46 and dipped the tunic in the blood. 37:32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father 47 and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! 48 Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, 49 and mourned for his son many days. 37:35 All his sons and daughters stood by 50 him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” 51 So Joseph’s 52 father wept for him.
37:36 Now 53 in Egypt the Midianites 54 sold Joseph 55 to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. 56