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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Genesis 37 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/genesis/37.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/genesis/37-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Genesis 37</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../genesis/36.htm" title="Genesis 36">◄</a> Genesis 37 <a href="../genesis/38.htm" title="Genesis 38">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">Joseph and His Brothers</h3><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_1"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.1" class="v0_37_1">1</span>Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father Isaac had lived, </span><span class="v0_37_2"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.2" class="v0_37_2">2</span>and this is the story of his family.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_2">When Jacob's son Joseph was 17 years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah.<a href="#fn" id="link_Gen.37.2!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_3"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.3" class="v0_37_3">3</span>Jacob loved Joseph more than he did any of his other sons, because Joseph was born when Jacob was very old. Jacob had even given Joseph a fancy coat<a href="#fn" id="link_Gen.37.3!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v0_37_4"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.4" class="v0_37_4">4</span>which showed that Joseph was his favorite son, and so Joseph's brothers hated him and would not be friendly to him.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_5"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.5" class="v0_37_5">5</span>One day, Joseph told his brothers what he had dreamed, and they hated him even more. </span><span class="v0_37_6"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.6" class="v0_37_6">6</span>Joseph said, “Let me tell you about my dream. </span><span class="v0_37_7"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.7" class="v0_37_7">7</span>We were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to it.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_8"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.8" class="v0_37_8">8</span>His brothers asked, “Do you really think you are going to be king and rule over us?” Now they hated Joseph more than ever because of what he had said about his dream.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_9"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.9" class="v0_37_9">9</span>Joseph later had another dream, and he told his brothers, “Listen to what else I dreamed. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_10"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.10" class="v0_37_10">10</span>When he told his father about this dream, his father became angry and said, “What's that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down to you?” </span><span class="v0_37_11"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.11" class="v0_37_11">11</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Gen.37.11!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept wondering about the dream.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Joseph Is Sold and Taken to Egypt</h3><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_12"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.12" class="v0_37_12">12</span>One day when Joseph's brothers had taken the sheep to a pasture near Shechem, </span><span class="v0_37_13"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.13" class="v0_37_13">13</span>his father Jacob said to him, “I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_13">“Yes, sir,” Joseph answered.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_14"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.14" class="v0_37_14">14</span>His father said, “Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know.” So he sent him from Hebron Valley.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_14">Joseph was near Shechem </span><span class="v0_37_15"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.15" class="v0_37_15">15</span>and wandering through the fields, when a man asked, “What are you looking for?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_16"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.16" class="v0_37_16">16</span>Joseph answered, “I'm looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_17"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.17" class="v0_37_17">17</span>“They're not here anymore,” the man replied. “I overheard them say they were going to Dothan.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_17">Joseph left and found his brothers in Dothan. </span><span class="v0_37_18"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.18" class="v0_37_18">18</span>But before he got there, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. </span><span class="v0_37_19"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.19" class="v0_37_19">19</span>They said to one another, “Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! </span><span class="v0_37_20"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.20" class="v0_37_20">20</span>Let's kill him and throw him into a pit and say that some wild animal ate him. Then we'll see what happens to those dreams.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_21"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.21" class="v0_37_21">21</span>Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. “Let's not kill him,” he said. </span><span class="v0_37_22"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.22" class="v0_37_22">22</span>“Don't murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a well out here in the desert.” Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_23"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.23" class="v0_37_23">23</span>When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat<a href="#fn" id="link_Gen.37.23!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v0_37_24"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.24" class="v0_37_24">24</span>and threw him into a dry well.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_25"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.25" class="v0_37_25">25</span>As Joseph's brothers sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with all kinds of spices that they were taking to Egypt. </span><span class="v0_37_26"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.26" class="v0_37_26">26</span>So Judah said, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and hide his body? </span><span class="v0_37_27"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.27" class="v0_37_27">27</span>Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not harm him. After all, he is our brother.” And the others agreed.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_28"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.28" class="v0_37_28">28</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Gen.37.28!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> When the Midianite merchants came by, Joseph's brothers took him out of the well, and for 20 pieces of silver they sold him to the Ishmaelites<a href="#fn" id="link_Gen.37.28!f.2" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> who took him to Egypt.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_29"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.29" class="v0_37_29">29</span>When Reuben returned to the well and did not find Joseph there, he tore his clothes in sorrow. </span><span class="v0_37_30"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.30" class="v0_37_30">30</span>Then he went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_31"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.31" class="v0_37_31">31</span>Joseph's brothers killed a goat and dipped Joseph's fancy coat in its blood. </span><span class="v0_37_32"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.32" class="v0_37_32">32</span>After this, they took the coat to their father and said, “We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to your son.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_33"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.33" class="v0_37_33">33</span>Jacob knew it was Joseph's coat and said, “It's my son's coat! Joseph has been torn to pieces and eaten by some wild animal.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_34"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.34" class="v0_37_34">34</span>Jacob mourned for Joseph a long time, and to show his sorrow he tore his clothes and wore sackcloth.<a href="#fn" id="link_Gen.37.34!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v0_37_35"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.35" class="v0_37_35">35</span>All of Jacob's children came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will go to my grave, mourning for my son.” So Jacob kept on grieving.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v0_37_36"><span class="reftext" id="Gen.37.36" class="v0_37_36">36</span>Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king's<a href="#fn" id="link_Gen.37.36!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> official in charge of the palace guard.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">37.2 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Bilhah and Zilpah: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See 30.1-13.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">37.3 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">fancy coat: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “a coat of many colors” or “a coat with long sleeves.”</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">37.23 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">fancy coat: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See the note at 37.3.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">37.28 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Midianite … Ishmaelites: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">According to 25.1,2, 12 both the Midianites and the Ishmaelites were descendants of Abraham, and in Judges 8.22-24 the two names are used of the same people. It is possible that in this passage “Ishmaelite” has the meaning “nomadic traders,” while “Midianite” refers to their ethnic origin.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">37.34 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">sackcloth: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">A rough dark-colored cloth made from goat or camel hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">37.36 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">the king's: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See the note at 12.15.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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