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Genesis 37-39
New Life Version
Genesis 37-39
New Life Version
Joseph’s Dream
37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had lived as a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the story of the children of Jacob and of their children.
When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was caring for the flock with his brothers. The boy was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph told his father about how bad they were. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because Joseph was born when he was an old man. And Israel made him a long coat of many colors. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers. So they hated Joseph and could not speak a kind word to him.
5 Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to the dream that I have had. 7 We were gathering grain in the field. My bundle of grain stood up. Your bundles of grain gathered around it and bowed down to my bundle.” 8 Then his brothers said to him, “Are you going to be our king? Are you going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for what he said.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. He said, “I have had another dream. The sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father spoke sharp words to him, saying, “What is this dream you have had? Will I and your mother and brothers come to bow ourselves down to the ground in front of you?” 11 Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him. But his father thought about what he said.
Joseph Is Sold and Taken to Egypt
12 Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And Joseph said to him, “I will go.” 14 Then Israel said, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock. Then come and tell me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 A man found him walking through a field, and asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 Joseph said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me where they are feeding the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have moved from here. For I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18 When they saw him far away, before he came near them, they made plans to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer! 20 Now come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the deep holes. Then we will say that a wild animal ate him. And we will see what becomes of his dreams!”
21 But Reuben heard this and saved him from their hands, saying, “Let us not kill him.” 22 Reuben then said, “Do not put him to death. Throw him into this hole here in the desert. But do not lay a hand on him.” He wanted to be able to save Joseph and return him to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they tore off his coat, the coat of many colors that he was wearing. 24 And they took him and threw him into the hole. The hole was empty and had no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat. When they looked up, they saw a group of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. They were taking spices and perfumes on their camels to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What do we get by killing our brother and covering his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him. For he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Some Midianite traders were passing by. So the brothers pulled Joseph up out of the hole. And they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they took Joseph to Egypt.
29 Then Reuben returned to the hole. When he saw that Joseph was not in the hole, he tore his clothes. 30 He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! What can I do?” 31 So they took Joseph’s coat, killed a male goat, and put the blood on the coat. 32 They sent the coat of many colors to their father. And they said, “We found this. Is it your son’s coat or not?”
33 Jacob looked at it and said, “It is my son’s coat! A wild animal has eaten him! For sure Joseph has been torn to pieces!” 34 So Jacob tore his clothes and dressed in clothes made from hair. He had sorrow for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him. But he would not be comforted. He said, “I will go down to the grave in sorrow for my son.” And his father cried for him.
36 The Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, the head of the soldiers of Pharaoh’s house.
Judah and Tamar
38 Judah went away from his brothers at that time. He visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. 2 There Judah saw a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her as his wife and lived with her. 3 And she was going to have a child and gave birth to a son. He gave him the name Er. 4 Then she was going to have another child and she gave birth to a son. She gave him the name Onan. 5 Then she gave birth to another son at Chezib. And she gave him the name Shelah.
6 Judah chose a wife for his first-born son Er. Her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s first-born, was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord took his life. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife. Do your duty as her brother-in-law. Have children for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the children would not be his. So when he went in to his brother’s wife, he wasted his seed on the ground to keep his brother from having children. 10 What he did was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord took his life also. 11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Stay in your father’s house as a woman whose husband has died, until my son Shelah is grown.” For he thought, “I am afraid that he also may die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.
12 Now after a long time, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. And after the time of sorrow, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went to the men who cut the wool from his sheep at Timnah. 13 It was told to Tamar, “Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to cut the wool from his sheep.” 14 So she took off the clothes of a woman whose husband has died and put on other clothes and covered her face with cloth. Then she sat in the gate of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown, and she had not been given to him for a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a woman who sold the use of her body. For she had covered her face. 16 He went to her at the side of the road, and said, “Here now, let me come in to you.” He did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me to come in to me?” 17 He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She asked, “Will you give something as a promise until you send it?” 18 He said, “What should I give you as a promise?” And she said, “The ring you use to mark your name, and its string, and the stick that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her. And she was going to have a baby by him. 19 Then she got up and left. She took off the cloth that covered her, and put on the clothes worn by a woman whose husband has died.
20 Judah sent his friend the Adullamite to bring the young goat to the woman and take from her the things he had given as a promise. But he did not find her. 21 He asked the men of the place, “Where is the woman who was selling the use of her body beside the road at Enaim?” They said, “There has been no woman selling the use of her body here.” 22 So he returned to Judah, and said, “I did not find her. The men of the place said, ‘There has been no woman selling the use of her body here.’” 23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep the things, or else we will be laughed at. I sent the young goat, and you did not find her.”
24 About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has sold the use of her body. She is going to have a baby by doing this sinful thing.” Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 25 When she was brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “I am going to have a baby by the man who owns these things.” She said, “Look and see, who owns this ring for marking a name, and this string and stick?” 26 Judah saw that they belonged to him. He said, “She is more right than I, because I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not lie with her again.
27 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were two babies. 28 While she was giving birth, one put out a hand. The nurse took his hand and tied a red string around it, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But when he pulled away his hand, his brother was born. Then she said, “What an opening you have made for yourself!” So he was given the name of Perez. 30 After that, his brother came out with the red string around his hand. He was given the name Zerah.
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt by the Ishmaelites. And Potiphar, an Egyptian leader, the head of the soldiers of Pharaoh’s house, bought him from the Ishmaelites. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and all went well with him. He was in the house of his boss the Egyptian. 3 Now his boss saw that the Lord was with him. He saw how the Lord made all that Joseph did go well. 4 So Joseph found favor in his eyes, and worked only for him. Potiphar made him the one to watch over his house and take care of all that he owned. 5 And from the time that he watched over his house and all he owned, the Lord brought good to the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The Lord brought good upon all that he owned in the house and in the field. 6 So he put all he owned in Joseph’s care. Having Joseph near, he did not need to think about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was strong and good-looking. 7 The time came when his boss’s wife saw him, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he would not do it. He said to his boss’s wife, “See, with me near, my boss does not worry about anything in the house. He has put all he owns in my care. 9 There is no one more important in this house than I. And he has held nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this sinful thing, and sin against God?”
10 She spoke to Joseph day after day. But he did not listen to her. He would not lie with her or be with her. 11 Then one day Joseph went into the house to do his work. None of the men of the house were inside. 12 She caught him by his coat, saying, “Lie with me!” But he ran out of the house leaving the coat in her hand. 13 When she saw that he had left his coat in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called the men of her house. And she said to them, “See, this Hebrew has been brought to us to make fun of us. He came in to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 When he heard my loud cry, he left his coat with me and ran outside.”
16 She kept his coat with her until his boss came home. 17 Then she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came to me to lie with me. 18 But when I called out in a loud voice, he left his coat with me and ran outside.” 19 When his boss heard his wife’s story and her words, “This is what your servant did to me,” he became very angry. 20 So Joseph’s boss took him and put him in prison, the place where the men who did wrong against the king were put in chains. So there he was in prison.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him kindness. He gave him favor in the eyes of the man who watched over the prison. 22 The head of the prison put all the men who were in prison into Joseph’s care. So whatever was done there was because of Joseph. 23 The head of the prison did not worry about anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with him. The Lord made all go well with whatever Joseph did.
Genesis 37-39
New International Version
Genesis 37-39
New International Version
Joseph’s Dreams
37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed,(A) the land of Canaan.(B)
2 This is the account(C) of Jacob’s family line.
Joseph,(D) a young man of seventeen,(E) was tending the flocks(F) with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah(G) and the sons of Zilpah,(H) his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report(I) about them.
3 Now Israel(J) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,(K) because he had been born to him in his old age;(L) and he made an ornate[a] robe(M) for him.(N) 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him(O) and could not speak a kind word to him.
5 Joseph had a dream,(P) and when he told it to his brothers,(Q) they hated him all the more.(R) 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves(S) of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”(T)
8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?”(U) And they hated him all the more(V) because of his dream and what he had said.
9 Then he had another dream,(W) and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars(X) were bowing down to me.”(Y)
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers,(Z) his father rebuked(AA) him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”(AB) 11 His brothers were jealous of him,(AC) but his father kept the matter in mind.(AD)
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,(AE) 13 and Israel(AF) said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.(AG) Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers(AH) and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.(AI)
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.(AJ)’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.(AK)
19 “Here comes that dreamer!(AL)” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns(AM) and say that a ferocious animal(AN) devoured him.(AO) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”(AP)
21 When Reuben(AQ) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.(AR) 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern(AS) here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.(AT)
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe(AU) he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern.(AV) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites(AW) coming from Gilead.(AX) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm(AY) and myrrh,(AZ) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.(BA)
26 Judah(BB) said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?(BC) 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,(BD) our own flesh and blood.(BE)” His brothers agreed.
28 So when the Midianite(BF) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern(BG) and sold(BH) him for twenty shekels[b] of silver(BI) to the Ishmaelites,(BJ) who took him to Egypt.(BK)
29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.(BL) 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”(BM)
31 Then they got Joseph’s robe,(BN) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.(BO) 32 They took the ornate robe(BP) back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal(BQ) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”(BR)
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes,(BS) put on sackcloth(BT) and mourned for his son many days.(BU) 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,(BV) but he refused to be comforted.(BW) “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son(BX) in the grave.(BY)” So his father wept for him.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites[c](BZ) sold Joseph(CA) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.(CB)
Judah and Tamar
38 At that time, Judah(CC) left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam(CD) named Hirah.(CE) 2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua.(CF) He married her and made love to her; 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.(CG) 4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.(CH) 5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah.(CI) It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.(CJ) 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight;(CK) so the Lord put him to death.(CL)
8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.”(CM) 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.(CN)
11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law(CO) Tamar,(CP) “Live as a widow in your father’s household(CQ) until my son Shelah(CR) grows up.”(CS) For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.
12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua,(CT) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,(CU) to the men who were shearing his sheep,(CV) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite(CW) went with him.
13 When Tamar(CX) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”(CY) 14 she took off her widow’s clothes,(CZ) covered herself with a veil(DA) to disguise herself, and then sat down(DB) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.(DC) For she saw that, though Shelah(DD) had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute,(DE) for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing(DF) that she was his daughter-in-law,(DG) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”(DH)
“And what will you give me to sleep with you?”(DI) she asked.
17 “I’ll send you a young goat(DJ) from my flock,” he said.
“Will you give me something as a pledge(DK) until you send it?” she asked.
18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?”
“Your seal(DL) and its cord, and the staff(DM) in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.(DN) 19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes(DO) again.
20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite(DP) in order to get his pledge(DQ) back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute(DR) who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.
22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’”
23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has,(DS) or we will become a laughingstock.(DT) After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”
24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”(DU)
25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”(DV)
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,(DW) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.(DX)” And he did not sleep with her again.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.(DY) 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife(DZ) took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist(EA) and said, “This one came out first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out,(EB) and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.[d](EC) 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist,(ED) came out. And he was named Zerah.[e](EE)
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
39 Now Joseph(EF) had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard,(EG) bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.(EH)
2 The Lord was with Joseph(EI) so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him(EJ) and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,(EK) 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes(EL) and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household,(EM) and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.(EN) 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household(EO) of the Egyptian because of Joseph.(EP) The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.(EQ) 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care;(ER) with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,(ES) 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”(ET)
8 But he refused.(EU) “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care.(EV) 9 No one is greater in this house than I am.(EW) My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”(EX) 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused(EY) to go to bed with her or even be with her.
11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties,(EZ) and none of the household servants(FA) was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak(FB) and said, “Come to bed with me!”(FC) But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.(FD)
13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants.(FE) “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew(FF) has been brought to us to make sport of us!(FG) He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed.(FH) 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”(FI)
16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story:(FJ) “That Hebrew(FK) slave(FL) you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger.(FM) 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison,(FN) the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him;(FO) he showed him kindness(FP) and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.(FQ) 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.(FR) 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s(FS) care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.(FT)
Footnotes
- Genesis 37:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verses 23 and 32.
- Genesis 37:28 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams
- Genesis 37:36 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 28); Masoretic Text Medanites
- Genesis 38:29 Perez means breaking out.
- Genesis 38:30 Zerah can mean scarlet or brightness.
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