New International Version NIV
New International Reader's Version NIRV
1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
1
Jacob lived in the land of Canaan. It's the land where his father had stayed.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
2
Here is the story of Jacob. Joseph was a young man. He was 17 years old. He was taking care of the flocks with some of his brothers. They were the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought their father a bad report about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him.
3
Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons. Joseph had been born to him when he was old. Israel made him a beautiful robe.
4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
4
Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. So they hated Joseph. They couldn't even speak one kind word to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
5
Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
6
He said to them, "Listen to the dream I had.
7 We were binding sheaves 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.”
7
We were tying up bundles of grain out in the field. Suddenly my bundle rose and stood up straight. Your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it."
8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
8
His brothers said to him, "Do you plan to be king over us? Will you really rule over us?" So they hated him even more because of his dream. They didn't like what he had said.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
9
Then Joseph had another dream. He told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said. "I had another dream. This time the sun and moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me."
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked 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?”
10
He told his father as well as his brothers. Then his father objected. He said, "What about this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers really do that? Will we really come and bow down to the ground in front of you?"
11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
11
His brothers were jealous of him. But his father kept the matter in mind.
12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,
12
Joseph's brothers had gone to take care of their father's flocks near Shechem.
13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.” “Very well,” he replied.
13
Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are taking care of the flocks near Shechem. Come. I'm going to send you to them." "All right," Joseph replied.
14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem,
14
So Israel said to him, "Go to your brothers. See how they are doing. Also see how the flocks are doing. Then come back and tell me." So he sent him away from the Hebron Valley. Joseph arrived at Shechem.
15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
15
A man found him wandering around in the fields. He asked Joseph, "What are you looking for?"
16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
16
He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their flocks?"
17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.
17
"They've moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.' " So Joseph went to look for his brothers. He found them near Dothan.
18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
18
But they saw him a long way off. Before he reached them, they made plans to kill him.
19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other.
19
"Here comes that dreamer!" they said to one another.
20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
20
"Come. Let's kill him. Let's throw him into one of these empty wells. Let's say that a wild animal ate him up. Then we'll see whether his dreams will come true."
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.
21
Reuben heard them. He tried to save Joseph from them. "Let's not take his life," he said.
22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern 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.
22
"Let's not spill any blood. Throw him into this empty well here in the desert. But don't harm him yourselves." Reuben said that to save Joseph from them. He was hoping he could take him back to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—
23
When Joseph came to his brothers, he was wearing his beautiful robe. They took it away from him.
24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
24
And they threw him into the well. The well was empty. There wasn't any water in it.
25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
25
Then they sat down to eat their meal. As they did, they saw some Ishmaelite traders coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, lotion and myrrh. They were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
26
Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and try to cover up what we've done?
27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
27
Come. Let's sell him to these traders. Let's not harm him ourselves. After all, he's our brother. He's our own flesh and blood." Judah's brothers agreed with him.
28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
28
The traders from Midian came by. Joseph's brothers pulled him up out of the well. They sold him to the Ishmaelite traders for eight ounces of silver. Then the traders took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.
29
Later, Reuben came back to the empty well. He saw that Joseph wasn't there. He was so upset that he tore his clothes.
30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”
30
He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Now what should I do?"
31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
31
Then they got Joseph's beautiful robe. They killed a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
32 They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
32
They took it back to their father. They said, "We found this. Take a look at it. See if it's your son's robe."
33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
33
Jacob recognized it. He said, "It's my son's robe! A wild animal has eaten him up. Joseph must have been torn to pieces."
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.
34
Jacob tore his clothes. He put on black clothes. Then he sobbed over his son for many days.
35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.
35
All of Jacob's other sons and daughters came to comfort him. But they weren't able to. He said, "I'll be full of sorrow when I go down into the grave to be with my son." So Joseph's father sobbed over him.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
36
But the traders from Midian sold Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh's officials. He was the captain of the palace guard.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.