Genesis
Chapter 37
1 And Iacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Iacob: Ioseph being seuenteene yeeres old, was feeding the flocke with his brethren, and the lad was with the sonnes of Bilhah, and with the sonnes of Zilpah, his fathers wiues: and Ioseph brought vnto his father their euill report.
3 Now Israel loued Ioseph more then all his children, because he was the sonne of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
4 And when his brethren saw that their father loued him more then all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speake peaceably vnto him.
5 ¶ And Ioseph dreamed a dreame, and he told it his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.
6 And he said vnto them, Heare, I pray you, this dreame which I haue dreamed.
7 For beholde, wee were binding sheaues in the field, and loe, my sheafe arose, and also stood vpright; and behold, your sheaues stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheafe.
8 And his brethren saide to him, Shalt thou indeed reigne ouer vs? or shalt thou indeed haue dominion ouer vs? and they hated him yet the more, for his dreames, and for his words.
9 ¶ And hee dreamed yet another dreame, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I haue dreamed a dreame more: and behold, the sunne and the moone, and the eleuen starres made obeisance to me.
10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said vnto him, What is this dreame that thou hast dreamed? shal I, and thy mother, and thy brethren indeed come to bow downe our selues to thee, to the earth?
11 And his brethren enuied him: but his father obserued the saying.
12 ¶ And his brethren went to feed their fathers flocke in Shechem.
13 And Israel saide vnto Ioseph, Doe not thy brethren feed the flocke in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee vnto them: & he said to him, Here am I.
14 And he said to him, Goe, I pray thee, see whether it bee well with thy brethren, and well with the flockes, and bring me word againe: so hee sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 ¶ And a certaine man found him, and behold, hee was wandring in the field, and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
16 And he said, I seeke my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feede their flockes.
17 And the man said, They are departed hence: for I heard them say, Let vs goe to Dothan. And Ioseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.
18 And when they saw him a farre off, euen before he came neere vnto them, they conspired against him, to slay him.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer commeth.
20 Come now therefore, and let vs slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some euill beast hath deuoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreames.
21 And Reuben heard it, and he deliuered him out of their hands, and said; Let vs not kill him.
22 And Reuben saide vnto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wildernesse, and lay no hand vpon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliuer him to his father againe.
23 ¶ And it came to passe when Ioseph was come vnto his brethren, that they stript Ioseph out of his coate, his coat of many colours that was on him.
24 And they tooke him and cast him into a pit: and the pit was emptie, there was no water in it.
25 And they sate downe to eat bread: and they lift vp their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead, with their camels, bearing spicery, & baulme, and myrrhe, going to cary it downe to Egypt.
26 And Iudah saide vnto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceale his blood?
27 Come, and let vs sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand bee vpon him: for he is our brother, and our flesh; and his brethren were content.
28 Then there passed by Midianites merchant men, and they drew and lift vp Ioseph out of the pit, and sold Ioseph to the Ishmeelites for twentie pieces of siluer: and they brought Ioseph into Egypt.
29 ¶ And Reuben returned vnto the pit, and behold, Ioseph was not in the pit: and he rent his clothes.
30 And hee returned vnto his brethren and said, The childe is not, and I, whither shall I goe?
31 And they tooke Iosephs coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood.
32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father, and said, This haue we found: know now whether it bee thy sonnes coat or no.
33 And he knew it, and said, It is my sonnes coat: an euil beast hath deuoured him; Ioseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
34 And Iacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth vpon his loines, & mourned for his sonne many dayes.
35 And all his sonnes, and all his daughters rose vp to comfort him: but he refused to be comforted: and he said, For I will goe downe into the graue vnto my sonne, mourning; thus his father wept for him.
36 And the Medanites sold him into Egypt vnto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaohs, and captaine of the guard.