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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" /><title>Genesis 37 ESV</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="../">ESV</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">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/genesis/37.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Joseph’s Dreams</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>These are the generations of Jacob.</p><p class="regular">Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="See Septuagint, Vulgate; or (with Syriac) a robe with long sleeves. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain; also verses 23, 32">a</a></sup></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>But when 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? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.</p> <p class="heading">Joseph Sold by His Brothers</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>“I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or cisterns; also verses 22, 24">b</a></sup></span> Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams">c</a></sup></span> of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/37-36.htm"><b>36</b></a></span>Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">3</span> See Septuagint, Vulgate; or (with Syriac) <i>a robe with long sleeves</i>. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain; also verses 23, 32<br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">20</span> Or <i>cisterns</i>; also verses 22, 24<br /><span class="footnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">28</span> A <i class="catch-word-plural">shekel</i> was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams<br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 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