Joseph’s Dreams 1 UDB Jacob continued to live in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived previously. BSB BSB: Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.
2 UDB This is what happened to Jacob's family. When his son Joseph was seventeen years old, he was taking care of the flocks of sheep and goats with some of his older brothers. They were sons of his father's concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah. Joseph told his father about bad things that his brothers were doing. BSB BSB: This 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.
3 UDB Jacob loved Joseph more than he loved any of his other children because Joseph had been born when Jacob was an old man. Jacob had someone make for Joseph a beautiful piece of clothing with long sleeves. BSB BSB: Now 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.
4 UDB When Joseph's older brothers realized that their father loved him more than he loved any of them, they hated him. They never spoke kindly to him. BSB BSB: When 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.
5 UDB One night Joseph had a dream. He told his brothers about the dream, who hated him even more as a result. This is in detail what happened: BSB BSB: Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
6 UDB He said to them, "Listen to the dream I had! BSB BSB: He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
7 UDB In the dream, we were tying up bundles of wheat in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight, and your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it!" BSB BSB: We 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 UDB His brothers said to him, "Do you think that you will rule over us? Are you going to be our king?" They hated him even more than before because of what he had told them about his dream. BSB BSB: “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.
9 UDB Later he had another dream, and again he told his older brothers about it. He said, "Listen to this! I had another dream. In this dream, the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me!" BSB BSB: Then 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.”
10 UDB He also told his father about it. His father corrected him, saying "What are you suggesting by that dream? Do you think it means that there will come a day when your mother and I and your older brothers will bow down to the ground in front of you?" BSB BSB: He 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?”
11 UDB Joseph's older brothers resented him, but his father kept thinking about what the dream might mean. BSB BSB: And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.
Joseph Sold into Egypt (Acts 7:9–14)
12 UDB One day Joseph's older brothers went to take care of their father's sheep and goats that were in fields near Shechem. BSB BSB: Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.
13 UDB Some time later, Jacob said to Joseph, "Your brothers are taking care of the sheep and goats near Shechem. I am going to send you there to see them." Joseph replied, "I will go." BSB BSB: Israel 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.
14 UDB Jacob said, "Go and see if they are doing okay, and if the flocks are doing okay. Then come back and give me a report." So Jacob sent Joseph from the valley where they were living, the valley where Hebron is located, to go to find his brothers. Then Joseph arrived near the city of Shechem. BSB BSB: Then 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,
15 UDB While he was wandering around in the fields looking for his brothers, a man saw him and asked him, "Whom are you looking for?" BSB BSB: a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”
16 UDB Joseph replied, "I am looking for my older brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their sheep and goats?" BSB BSB: “I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”
17 UDB The man replied, "They are not here anymore. I heard one of them saying, 'Let us take the sheep and goats and go to Dothan town.'" So Joseph left there and went north, and found his older brothers near Dothan. BSB BSB: “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.
18 UDB But they saw him when he was still far away, and they decided to kill him. BSB BSB: Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.
19 UDB They said to each other things like, "Here comes that dreamer!" BSB BSB: “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.
20 UDB "Come on, let us kill him and throw his body into one of the pits! Then we will tell people that a wild animal attacked and killed him and ate him. And then we will find out whether his dreams come true!" BSB BSB: “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!”
21 UDB Reuben heard what they were saying, so he tried to persuade them not to kill Joseph. He said, "No, we should not kill him. BSB BSB: When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.
22 UDB Do not take his life! We can throw him into this pit in the desert, but we should not harm him." He said that and then left them, planning to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father. BSB BSB: “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.
23 UDB When Joseph arrived where his older brothers were, they seized him and ripped off his long-sleeved clothing. BSB BSB: So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—
24 UDB Then they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was dry; there was no water in it. BSB BSB: and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.
25 UDB After they sat down to eat some food, they looked up and saw a caravan, descendants of Ishmael, coming from the Gilead area. Their camels were loaded with bags of spices and sweet-smelling resins. They were going down to Egypt to sell those things there. BSB BSB: And 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.
26 UDB Judah said to his older and younger brothers, "If we kill our younger brother and hide his body, what will we gain? BSB BSB: Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
27 UDB So instead of harming him, let us sell him to these men who are descendants of Ishmael. Do not forget, he is our own younger brother!" So they all agreed to do that. BSB BSB: Come, 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.
28 UDB When those traders from the Midian area came near, Joseph's brothers pulled him up out of the pit. Then they sold him to the men from Midian for twenty pieces of silver. The traders then took Joseph to Egypt. BSB BSB: So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29 UDB When Reuben returned to the pit, he saw that his younger brother was not there. He was so grieved that he tore his clothes. BSB BSB: When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
30 UDB He went back to his younger brothers and said, "The boy is not in the pit! What can I do now?" BSB BSB: returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
Jacob Mourns Joseph 31 UDB They did not dare to tell their father what they had done. So they decided to invent a story about what had happened. They got Joseph's piece of long-sleeved clothing. Then they killed a goat and dipped the clothing into the goat's blood. BSB BSB: Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.
32 UDB They took that piece of clothing back to their father and said, "We found this! Look at it. Is it your son's clothing?" BSB BSB: They 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.”
33 UDB He recognized it, and he said, "Yes, it is my son's! Some ferocious animal must have attacked and killed him! I am sure that the animal has torn Joseph to pieces!" BSB BSB: His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
34 UDB Jacob was so grieved that he tore his clothes. He put on sackcloth. He mourned. BSB BSB: Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
35 UDB All of his children came to try to comfort him, but he did not pay attention to what they said. He said, "No, I will still be mourning when I die and go to be with my son." So Joseph's father continued to cry because of what had happened to his son. BSB BSB: All 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.
36 UDB In the meantime, the men from Midian took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, who was one of the king's officials. He was the captain of the soldiers who protected the king. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.