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The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 37 -

1
Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father sojourned.
2
And these are his generations. Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful crime.
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Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors.
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Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him.
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Then it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured.(a)
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And he said to them, “Listen to my dream that I saw.
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I thought we were binding sheaves in the field. And my sheaf seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced my sheaf.”
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His brothers responded: “Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?” Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling to their envy and hatred.
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Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, “I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing me.”(b)
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And when he had related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: “What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?”(c)
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Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently.

Joseph Sold into Egypt

(Acts 7:9–14)
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And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,
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Israel said to him: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” And when he answered,
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“I am ready,” he said to him, “Go, and see if everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening.” So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at Shechem.
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And a man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking.
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So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.”
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And the man said to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.
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And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.
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And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.
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Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”(d)
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But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:
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“Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father.
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And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,
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and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.
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And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.
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Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
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It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers agreed to his words.
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And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.
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And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy.
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And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, “The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?”

Jacob Mourns Joseph

31
Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed,
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sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: “We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son or not.”
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And when the father acknowledged it, he said: “It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph.”
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And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time.
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Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: “I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld.” And while he persevered in weeping,(e)
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the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers.(f) (g)

Footnotes

(a)37:5 A dream:These dreams of Joseph were prophetical, and sent from God; as were also those which he interpreted, Gen. 40. and 41.; otherwise generally speaking, the observing of dreams is condemned in the Scripture, as superstitious and sinful. See Deut. 18:10; Eccli. 34:2,3.(Challoner)
(b)37:9 The word ‘adorare’ can be translated as ‘worship’ (adore) or ‘reverence’. Joseph did not think that he himself would be worshipped (this would be blasphemy). So the correct translation for the literal meaning is ‘reverence.’ However, the text has a spiritual meaning, that a descendent of Joseph, namely the Christ, would be worshipped, in which case the correct translation is ‘worship’ or ‘adore.’(Conte)
(c)37:10 Worship:This word is not used here to signify divine worship, but an inferior veneration, expressed by the bowing of the body, and that, according to the manner of the eastern nations, down to the ground.(Challoner)
(d)37:20 The phrase ‘cisternam veterem’ not only indicates that the well is old, but also that it is dry. In other words, it is old in the sense of outmoded or no longer useful.(Conte)
(e)37:35 Into hell:That is, into limbo, the place where the souls of the just were received before the death of our Redeemer. For allowing that the word hell sometimes is taken for the grave, it cannot be so taken in this place; since Jacob did not believe his son to be in the grave, (whom he supposed to be devoured by a wild beast,) and therefore could not mean to go down to him thither: but certainly meant the place of rest where he believed his soul to be.(Challoner)
(f)37:36 The word ‘magistro’ has more of the meaning of a teacher or instructor, than of a captain or magistrate. This eunuch was an instructor of the soldiers (probably of the new recruits), not an officer over the active duty soldiers.(Conte)
(g)37:36 An eunuch:This word sometimes signifies a chamberlain, courtier, or officer of the king: and so it is taken in this place.(Challoner)
1
Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan.
2
This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.
3
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a tunic of many colors.
4
His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.
5
Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.
6
He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
7
for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8
His brothers asked him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words.
9
He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10
He told it to his father and to his brothers. 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 ourselves down to the earth before you?”
11
His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.

Joseph Sold into Egypt

(Acts 7:9–14)
12
His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
13
Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.”
14
He said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15
A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
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He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock.”
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The man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.
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They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.
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They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes.
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Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.”
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Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.”
22
Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
23
When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him;
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and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.
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They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26
Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27
Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him.
28
Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt.
29
Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
30
He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?”

Jacob Mourns Joseph

31
They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
32
They took the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, and see if it is your son’s tunic or not.”
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He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”
34
Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
35
All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol (a) to my son, mourning.” His father wept for him.
36
The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.

Footnotes

(a)37:35 Sheol is the place of the dead.
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