1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.

5 Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf."

8 His brothers asked him, "Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have dominion over us?" They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words. 9 He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me." 10 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? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to the earth before you?" 11 His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.

12 His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, "Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." He said to him, "Here I am."

14 He said to him, "Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again." So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, "What are you looking for?"

16 He said, "I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock."

17 The man said, "They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’"

Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan. 18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, "Behold, this dreamer comes. 20 Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams."

21 Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, "Let’s not take his life." 22 Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. 23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him; 24 and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.

25 They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh." His brothers listened to him. 28 Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt.

29 Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 30 He returned to his brothers, and said, "The child is no more; and I, where will I go?" 31 They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32 They took the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, "We have found this. Examine it, now, and see if it is your son’s tunic or not."

33 He recognized it, and said, "It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces." 34 Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, "For I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." His father wept for him. 36 The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.

1 雅各住在他父亲寄居的地方， 就是迦南地。

2 雅各的历史记在下面： 约瑟十七岁的时候， 与他的哥哥们一同牧羊。他是个孩童， 与他父亲的妾， 辟拉和悉帕的众子， 常在一起。约瑟把他们的恶行报告给父亲。

3 以色列爱约瑟过于爱其他的儿子， 因为约瑟是他年老时生的。他给约瑟做了一件彩色长衣。

4 约瑟的哥哥们见父亲爱约瑟过于爱他们， 就恨约瑟， 不能与他和和气气地说话。

5 约瑟作了一个梦， 把梦告诉哥哥们， 他们就越发恨他。

6 约瑟对他们说： "请听我所作的这个梦：

7 我们正在田间捆麦子， 我的麦捆忽然站立起来， 你们的麦捆都来围着我的下拜。"

8 他的哥哥们对他说： "你真的要作我们的王吗？真的要管辖我们吗？"他们就为了约瑟的梦和他的话， 越发恨他。

9 后来约瑟又作了一个梦， 也把梦向哥哥们述说了。他说： "我又作了一个梦， 我梦见太阳、月亮和十一颗星向我下拜。"

10 约瑟把梦向他父亲和哥哥们述说了， 他父亲就斥责他， 说： "你所作的这梦是什么梦呢？我和你母亲， 以及你的兄弟， 真的要来俯伏在地向你下拜吗？"

11 他哥哥们都嫉妒他， 他父亲却把这事记在心里。

12 约瑟的哥哥们去了示剑， 牧放他们父亲的羊群。

13 以色列对约瑟说： "你的哥哥们不是在示剑牧放羊群吗？来吧， 我要派你到他们那里去。"约瑟回答他： "我在这里。"

14 以色列对他说： "你去看看你的哥哥们是不是平安， 羊群是不是平安， 就回来告诉我。"于是打发他离开希伯仑谷， 他就到示剑去了。

15 有人遇见约瑟在田间迷了路， 就问他说： "你找什么？"

16 他回答： "我正在找我的哥哥们， 请你告诉我他们在哪里牧放羊群。"

17 那人说： "他们已经离开了这里； 我听见他们说： ‘我们要到多坍去。’"于是约瑟去追寻哥哥们， 结果在多坍找到了他们。

18 他们远远就看见了他； 趁他还没有走近， 大家就谋害他， 要把他杀死。

19 他们彼此说： "看哪， 那作梦的人来了。

20 来吧， 我们把他杀了， 丢在一个枯井里， 就说有猛兽把他吃了。我们要看看他的梦将来要怎么样。"

21 流本听见了， 要救约瑟脱离他们的手。他说： "我们不可取他的性命。"

22 流本又对他们说： "不可流他的血， 可以把他丢在这旷野的枯井里， 不可下手害他。"流本的意思是要救他脱离他们的手， 把他带回去给他的父亲。

23 约瑟到了哥哥们那里， 他们就脱去他的外衣， 就是他穿在身上的那件彩衣。

24 他们拿住约瑟， 把他丢在枯井里。那井是空的， 里面没有水。

25 他们坐下吃饭， 举目观看， 见有一群以实玛利人从基列来。他们的骆驼载着香料、乳香和没药， 要带下埃及去。

26 犹大对他的众兄弟说： "我们杀了我们的兄弟， 把他的血隐藏起来， 究竟有什么益处呢？

27 我们不如把他卖给以实玛利人， 不要下手害他， 因为他是我们的兄弟， 我们的骨肉。"众兄弟就听从了他。

28 有些米甸的商人经过那里， 约瑟的哥哥们就把约瑟从枯井里拉上来， 以二十块银子把他卖给以实玛利人。以实玛利人就把约瑟带到埃及去了。

29 流本回到枯井那里， 见约瑟不在井里， 就撕裂自己的衣服。

30 他回到兄弟们那里去， 说： "孩子不见了， 我可到哪里去呢？"

31 于是， 他们宰了一只公山羊， 把约瑟的长衣蘸在血里；

32 然后打发人把彩衣送到他们父亲那里， 说： "这是我们找到的。请你认一认， 是你儿子的长衣不是？"

33 他认出这件长衣， 就说： "是我儿子的长衣， 有猛兽把他吃了。约瑟真的被撕碎了。"

34 雅各就撕裂自己的衣服， 腰束麻布， 为他儿子哀悼了很多日子。

35 他所有的儿女都起来安慰他， 他却不肯接受他们的安慰， 说： "我要悲悲哀哀地下到阴间， 到我的儿子那里去。"约瑟的父亲就为他哀哭。

36 米甸人后来把约瑟卖到埃及去， 卖给法老的一个臣宰， 军长波提乏。