Genesis

约瑟和他的兄弟

1雅各住在迦南地，就是他父亲寄居的地。

2雅各的记略如下。 约瑟十七岁与他哥哥们一同牧羊。他是个童子，与他父亲的妾辟拉、悉帕的儿子们常在一处。约瑟将他哥哥们的恶行报给他们的父亲。

3以色列原来爱约瑟过于爱他的众子，因为约瑟是他年老生的；他给约瑟做了一件彩衣。

4约瑟的哥哥们见父亲爱约瑟过于爱他们，就恨约瑟，不与他说和睦的话。

5约瑟做了一梦，告诉他哥哥们，他们就越发恨他。

6约瑟对他们说：「请听我所做的梦：

7我们在田里捆禾稼，我的捆起来站着，你们的捆来围着我的捆下拜。」

8他的哥哥们回答说：「难道你真要作我们的王吗？难道你真要管辖我们吗？」他们就因为他的梦和他的话越发恨他。

9后来他又做了一梦，也告诉他的哥哥们说：「看哪，我又做了一梦，梦见太阳、月亮，与十一个星向我下拜。」

10约瑟将这梦告诉他父亲和他哥哥们，他父亲就责备他说：「你做的这是什么梦！难道我和你母亲、你弟兄果然要来俯伏在地，向你下拜吗？」

11他哥哥们都嫉妒他，他父亲却把这话存在心里。

约瑟被卖到埃及

12约瑟的哥哥们往示剑去放他们父亲的羊。

13以色列对约瑟说：「你哥哥们不是在示剑放羊吗？你来，我要打发你往他们那里去。」约瑟说：「我在这里。」

14以色列说：「你去看看你哥哥们平安不平安，群羊平安不平安，就回来报信给我」；于是打发他出希伯 谷，他就往示剑去了。

15有人遇见他在田野走迷了路，就问他说：「你找什么？」

16他说：「我找我的哥哥们，求你告诉我，他们在何处放羊。」

17那人说：「他们已经走了，我听见他们说要往多坍去。」约瑟就去追赶他哥哥们，遇见他们在多坍。

18他们远远地看见他，趁他还没有走到跟前，大家就同谋要害死他，

19彼此说：「你看！那做梦的来了。

20来吧！我们将他杀了，丢在一个坑里，就说有恶兽把他吃了。我们且看他的梦将来怎么样。」

21吕便听见了，要救他脱离他们的手，说：「我们不可害他的性命」；

22又说：「不可流他的血，可以把他丢在这野地的坑里，不可下手害他。」吕便的意思是要救他脱离他们的手，把他归还他的父亲。

23约瑟到了他哥哥们那里，他们就剥了他的外衣，就是他穿的那件彩衣，

24把他丢在坑里；那坑是空的，里头没有水。

25他们坐下吃饭，举目观看，见有一伙米甸 的以实玛利人从基列来，用骆驼驮着香料、乳香、没药，要带下埃及去。

26犹大对众弟兄说：「我们杀我们的兄弟，藏了他的血有什么益处呢？

27我们不如将他卖给以实玛利人，不可下手害他；因为他是我们的兄弟，我们的骨肉。」众弟兄就听从了他。

28有些米甸的商人从那里经过，哥哥们就把约瑟从坑里拉上来，讲定二十舍客勒银子，把约瑟卖给以实玛利人。他们就把约瑟带到埃及去了。

29吕便回到坑边，见约瑟不在坑里，就撕裂衣服，

30回到兄弟们那里，说：「童子没有了。我往哪里去才好呢？」

31他们宰了一只公山羊，把约瑟的那件彩衣染了血，

32打发人送到他们的父亲那里，说：「我们捡了这个；请认一认是你儿子的外衣不是？」

33他认得，就说：「这是我儿子的外衣。有恶兽把他吃了，约瑟被撕碎了！撕碎了！」

34雅各便撕裂衣服，腰间围上麻布，为他儿子悲哀了多日。

35他的儿女都起来安慰他，他却不肯受安慰，说：「我必悲哀着下阴间，到我儿子那里。」约瑟的父亲就为他哀哭。

36米甸人带约瑟到埃及，把他卖给法老的内臣—护卫长波提乏。

Joseph’s Dreams

1Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.

2This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

3Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.

4When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

5Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.

6He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:

7We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”

8“Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements.

9Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

10He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”

11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.

Joseph Sold into Egypt

12Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.

13Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending you to them.” “I am ready,” Joseph replied.

14Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem,

15a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”

16“I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

17“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.

19“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.

20“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”

21When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.

22“Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.

23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—

24and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.

25And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.

28So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silverto the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,

30returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”

Jacob Mourns Joseph

31Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.

32They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”

33His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

35All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

36Meanwhile, the Midianitessold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.