Genesis 37:1–20

The Dreams of Joseph

37And Jacob settled in the land of the sojourning of his father, in the land of Canaan. ²These are the generations^a of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years old,^b was shepherding the flock with his brothers. Now he was a helper with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. ³Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, for he was a son of his old age. And he made a robe with long sleeves^c for him. ⁴When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and were not able to speak peaceably to him.

⁵And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers. And they hated him even more.^{d 6}And he said to them, “Listen now to this dream that I dreamed. ⁷Now behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field and, behold, my sheaf stood up and it remained standing. Then behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” ⁸Then his brothers said to him, “Will you really reign over us? Or will you truly rule over us?” And they hated him even more^e on account of his dream and because of his words. ⁹Then he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream again, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” ¹⁰And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the ground to you?” ¹¹And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Joseph Sold Into Slavery by his Brothers

¹²Now his brothers went to pasture the flock of their father in Shechem. ¹³And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing in Shechem? Come, let me send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” ¹⁴Then he said to him, “Go now, see if it goes well for your brothers and for the flock,^f then return word to me.” And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he arrived at Shechem. ¹⁵And a man found him, and behold, he^g was wandering about in a field. And the man asked him, “What do you seek?” ¹⁶And he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing.” ¹⁷And the man said, “They have moved on from here, for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” Then Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. ¹⁸And they saw him from a distance. And before he drew near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹And each said to his brothers, “Look, this master of dreams is coming. ²⁰Now then, come, let us kill him and throw him in one of the pits. Then we will say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what his dreams become.”