Genesis Chapter 37
1 Jacob lived in Canaan, where his father had lived as a nomad.
Gen 36:31-37:1
2 Jacob’s Dreams
When Joseph was still a youth of 17, he was pasturing the flock with his half-brothers, including the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. He brought his father a bad report about what they were doing. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because he was born when Israel was old. He made him a tunic with many colors in it. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than them, so they despised him and wouldn’t speak to him in a civil way.
5 Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they despised him more, 6 “Let me tell you a dream I had. 7 We were tying up bundles in the field. My bundle stood up straight and yours gathered around and bowed to mine.” 8 His brothers asked, “You’re think you’re going to reign over us? You’re going to rule us?” They hated him even more for his dreams and what he said.
9 He told his brothers another dream he had, “The sun, moon, and 11 stars were bowing down to me.” 10 He told his father too, who scolded him, “What’s a dream like that mean? Are your brothers, your mother, and I really going to bow to you?” 11 His brothers resented him, but his father wondered what it might mean.
Gen 37:2-11
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12 His brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem. 13 Israel told Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing at Shechem? Go join them.” 14 He told him to bring him word how they and the flock were doing. He sent him from the Valley of Hebron to Shechem. 15 A fellow found him walking in the countryside and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 “My brothers. Where are they pasturing the flock?”
17 “They’ve moved on from here. I heard them say they were going to Dothan.”
Joseph trailed them to Dothan.
Gen 37:12-17
18 When they saw him in the distance, they said,
19 “Here comes the dreamer! 20 Let’s kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns. We can say a wild animal ate him. Then let’s see what comes of his dreams!”
21 But Reuben heard about their scheme and came to his rescue, “Let’s not kill him. 22 Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this cistern in the open country, but don’t lay hands on him.” He intended to rescue him and get him back to his father. 23 When Joseph got to his brothers, they stripped off his multi-colored robe 24 and put him in an empty cistern.
Gen 37:18-24
25 They sat down to eat. When they looked up, a caravan of Ishmaelite traders was coming from Gilead with camels carrying aromatic gum, salve, and myrrh—headed for Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What’s in it for us if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, not hurt him. He’s our brother, our own flesh.” They agreed. 28 Then some of the Midianite traders (Ishmaelites) went by; they pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for 20 pieces of silver. They took him to Egypt.
Gen 37:25-28
29 Reuben went back to the cistern, and Joseph wasn’t in it. He tore his clothes! 30 He went to his brothers, “The boy’s not there. What am I going to do?” 31 They took Joseph’s tunic and slaughtered a male goat. They dipped the robe in its blood 32 and took it to their father,
“We found this. See if it’s your son’s robe.”
33He examined it, “It’s his. A wild animal has torn him to pieces and eaten him!”
34 Jacob tore his clothes and put burlap around his waist and mourned for him many days. 35 His sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, “I’ll go down to Sheol mourning for him.” His father cried over him. 36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the bodyguard.
Gen 37:29-36