Genesis 37:1-11

Living Bible

37 So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived.

² Jacob’s son Joseph was now seventeen years old. His job, along with his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, was to shepherd his father’s flocks. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things they were doing. ³ Now as it happened, Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children, because Joseph was born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob gave him a special gift—a brightly colored coat.^{[a] 4} His brothers of course noticed their father’s partiality, and consequently hated Joseph; they couldn’t say a kind word to him. ⁵ One night Joseph had a dream and promptly reported the details to his brothers, causing even deeper hatred.

⁶ “Listen to this,” he proudly announced. ⁷ “We were out in the field binding sheaves, and my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves all gathered around it and bowed low before it!”

⁸ “So you want to be our king, do you?” his brothers derided. And they hated him both for the dream and for his cocky attitude.

⁹ Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Listen to my latest dream,” he boasted. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!” ¹⁰ This time he told his father as well as his brothers; but his father rebuked him. “What is this?” he asked. “Shall I indeed, and your mother and brothers come and bow before you?” ¹¹ His brothers were fit to be tied concerning this affair, but his father gave it quite a bit of thought and wondered what it all meant.