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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://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=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Genesis 37 ISV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></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="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ISV</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"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">International Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/isv/esv/genesis/37.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Joseph’s Life before His Captivity</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Jacob continued to live in the land they were occupying, where his father had journeyed in the territory of Canaan. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>This is a record of Jacob’s descendants.</p> <p class="reg">When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was helping his brothers tend their flocks. He was a young man at that time, as were the children of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. But Joseph would come back and tell his father that his brothers were doing bad things. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his brothers, since he was born to him in his old age, so he had made a richly-embroidered<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:3 Or long-sleeved; LXX reads multi-colored">a</a></span> tunic for him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>When Joseph’s<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:4 Lit. his">b</a></span> brothers realized that their father loved him more than all of his brothers, they hated him so much that they were unable to speak politely to him.</p> <p class="heading">Joseph’s Dreams</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Right about this time, Joseph had a dream and then told it to his brothers. As a result, his brothers hated him all the more! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>“Let me tell you about this dream that I had!” he said. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>“We were tying sheaves together out in the middle of the fields, when all of a sudden, my sheaf stood up erect! And then your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf!”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>At this, his brothers replied, “Do you really think you’re going to rule us or lord it over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his interpretations of them.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>But then he had another dream, and he proceeded to tell his brothers about that one, too. “I had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven of the stars were bowing down before me!”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>When Joseph told his father about this, his father rebuked him and asked him, “What kind of dream is that? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come to you and bow down to the ground in front of you?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>As a result, his brothers became more envious of him. But his father kept thinking about all of this.</p> <p class="heading">Joseph is Sent to Visit His Brothers</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Some time later, his brothers left to tend their father’s flock in Shechem. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>And Israel instructed Joseph, “Your brothers are tending the flock in Shechem. Come here, because I’m going to send you to them.”</p> <p class="reg">“Here I am!” he responded.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>“Go and see how things are with your brothers,” Israel<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:14 Lit. he">c</a></span> ordered him. “And see how things are with the flock. Bring back a report for me.” Then he sent Joseph<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:14 Lit. him">d</a></span> from the valley of Hebron.</p> <p class="reg">When Joseph reached Shechem, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>a man found him wandering around in a field. So the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>“I’m searching for my brothers,” he responded. “Tell me, where are they tending the flock?”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:16 The Heb. lacks the flock">e</a></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>“They’ve already left,” the man answered. “I heard them saying that they were headed to Dothan.” So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.</p> <p class="heading">Joseph’s Brothers Plot to Kill Him</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Now as soon as they saw him approaching from a distance, before he arrived they plotted together to kill him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>“Look!” they said. “Here comes the Dream Master! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Come on! Let’s kill him and toss him into one of the cisterns. Then we’ll report that some wild animal devoured him and wait to see what becomes of his dreams!”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>When Reuben heard about it, he tried to save Joseph<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:21 Lit. him">f</a></span> from their plot. “Let’s not do any killing,”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:21 Lit. Let’s not kill a soul">g</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>Reuben told them. “And no blood shedding, either. Instead, let’s toss him into this cistern that’s way out here in the wilderness. But don’t lay a hand on him.” (Reuben<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:22 Lit. He">h</a></span> intended to free Joseph<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:22 Lit. him from their control">i</a></span> and return him to his father.)</p> <p class="heading">Joseph is Sold into Slavery</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>As it was, when Joseph arrived where his brothers were, they stripped off the tunic that Jacob had given him—that is, the richly-embroidered<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:23 Or long-sleeved; LXX reads multi-colored">j</a></span> tunic that he was wearing. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>They grabbed him and tossed him into the cistern, but the cistern was empty. (There was no water in it.) <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>After this, while they were seated, eating their food, they looked around and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead with camels carrying spices, balm, and myrrh for sale down in Egypt.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Then Judah suggested to his brothers, “Where’s the profit in just killing our brother and shedding his blood? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Come on! Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites! That way, we won’t have laid our hands on him. After all, he’s our brother, our own flesh.”</p> <p class="reg">So Judah’s<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:27 Lit. his">k</a></span> brothers listened to him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>As the Midianite merchants were passing through, they extracted Joseph from the cistern and sold Joseph for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who then took Joseph down to Egypt.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>Later, when Reuben returned to the cistern, Joseph wasn’t there! In mounting panic, he tore his clothes, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>returned to his brothers, and shouted, “He’s<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:30 Lit. The young man is">l</a></span> not there! Now what? Where am I to go?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>So they took Joseph’s coat, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>Then they stretched out the richly-embroidered<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:32 Or long-sleeved; LXX reads multi-colored">m</a></span> tunic to dry,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:32 The Heb. lacks to dry">n</a></span> and brought it to their father.</p> <p class="reg">“We’ve found this,” they reported. “Look at it and see if this is or isn’t your son’s tunic.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>Examining it, he cried out, “It’s my son’s tunic! A wild animal has no doubt torn Joseph to pieces.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>So Jacob tore his clothes, dressed himself in sackcloth, and then mourned many days for his son. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>All his sons and daughters showed<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:35 Lit. rose">o</a></span> up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He kept saying, “Leave me alone! I’ll go down to the next world,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:35 Lit. to Sheol; i.e. the realm of the dead">p</a></span> still mourning for my son.” So Joseph’s father wept for him.</p> <p class="heading">Joseph is Enslaved to Potiphar</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-36.htm"><b>36</b></a></span>Meanwhile, down in Egypt, the Midianites sold Joseph<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="37:36 Lit. him">q</a></span> to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s court officials, who was also Commander-in-Chief of the imperial guards.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="ftn"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn1"><span class="fnb">a</span> 37:3 Or <i>long-sleeved</i>; LXX reads <i>multi-colored</i><br /><span class="fnb">b</span> 37:4 Lit. <i>his</i><br /><span class="fnb">c</span> 37:14 Lit. <i>he</i><br /><span class="fnb">d</span> 37:14 Lit. <i>him</i><br /><span class="fnb">e</span> 37:16 The Heb. lacks <i>the flock</i><br /><span class="fnb">f</span> 37:21 Lit. <i>him</i><br /><span class="fnb">g</span> 37:21 Lit. <i>Let’s not kill a soul</i><br /><span class="fnb">h</span> 37:22 Lit. <i>He</i><br /><span class="fnb">i</span> 37:22 Lit. <i>him from their control</i><br /><span class="fnb">j</span> 37:23 Or <i>long-sleeved</i>; LXX reads <i>multi-colored</i><br /><span class="fnb">k</span> 37:27 Lit. <i>his</i><br /><span class="fnb">l</span> 37:30 Lit. <i>The young man is</i><br /><span class="fnb">m</span> 37:32 Or <i>long-sleeved</i>; LXX reads <i>multi-colored</i><br /><span class="fnb">n</span> 37:32 The Heb. lacks <i>to dry</i><br /><span class="fnb">o</span> 37:35 Lit. <i>rose</i><br /><span class="fnb">p</span> 37:35 Lit. <i>to Sheol</i>; i.e. the realm of the dead<br /><span class="fnb">q</span> 37:36 Lit. <i>him</i><br /></span><br><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><div align="center"><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1<br />Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation<br />ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../genesis/36.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Genesis 36"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Genesis 36" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../genesis/38.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Genesis 38"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Genesis 38" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/genesis/37-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><div align="center" style="background-color:#F2FAFF"><br /><br /><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/botmenubhnm2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe><div align="center"><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span></div></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>