Common English Bible CEB
New Revised Standard NRS
12 Joseph's brothers went to tend their father's flocks near Shechem.
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Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.
13 Israel said to Joseph, "Aren't your brothers tending the sheep near Shechem? Come, I'll send you to them." And he said, "I'm ready."
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And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." He answered, "Here I am."
14 Jacob said to him, "Go! Find out how your brothers are and how the flock is, and report back to me." So Jacob sent him from the Hebron Valley. When he approached Shechem,
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So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron. He came to Shechem,
15 a man found him wandering in the field and asked him, "What are you looking for?"
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and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, "What are you seeking?"
16 Joseph said, "I'm looking for my brothers. Tell me, where are they tending the sheep?"
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"I am seeking my brothers," he said; "tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock."
17 The man said, "They left here. I heard them saying, ‘Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
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The man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, "Let us go to Dothan.' " So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan.
18 They saw Joseph in the distance before he got close to them, and they plotted to kill him.
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They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him.
19 The brothers said to each other, "Here comes the big dreamer.
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They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer.
20 Come on now, let's kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns, and we'll say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams!"
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Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams."
21 When Reuben heard what they said, he saved him from them, telling them, "Let's not take his life."
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But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."
22 Reuben said to them, "Don't spill his blood! Throw him into this desert cistern, but don't lay a hand on him." He intended to save Joseph from them and take him back to his father.
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Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father.
23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped off Joseph's long robe,
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So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore;
24 took him, and threw him into the cistern, an empty cistern with no water in it.
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and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 When they sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with camels carrying sweet resin, medicinal resin, and fragrant resin on their way down to Egypt.
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Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain if we kill our brother and hide his blood?
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Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27 Come on, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let's not harm him because he's our brother; he's family." His brothers agreed.
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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 agreed.
28 When some Midianite traders passed by, they pulled Joseph up out of the cistern. They sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they brought Joseph to Egypt.
28
When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.