Genesis 37

All 36 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.

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1. 1Jacob settled in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.
2. 2This is the account of Jacob's family. Joseph was seventeen years old and was tending the flocks alongside his brothers, working with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, who were his father's wives. Joseph brought their bad report to his father.
3. 3Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. He made him a coat of many colours.
4. 4When his brothers realized that their father loved Joseph more than all of them, they hated him and were unable to say a kind word to him.
5. 5Joseph had a dream, and when he shared it with his brothers, they hated him even more.
6. 6He said to them, "Please listen to this dream I had."
7. 7"We were tying bundles of grain together out in the field, and suddenly my bundle stood up straight. Then your bundles gathered around mine and bowed down to it."
8. 8His brothers responded, "Do you actually think you will rule over us? Do you really believe you will have authority over us?" So they hated him even more because of his dreams and what he said.
9. 9Then he had yet another dream and told his brothers about it. He said, "Listen, I had another dream. This time the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
10. 10When he shared this with his father and his brothers, his father scolded him, saying, "What kind of dream is this? Are your mother and I and your brothers really going to come and bow to the ground before you?"
11. 11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
12. 12His brothers traveled to Shechem to tend their father's flocks.
13. 13Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. I want to send you to them." Joseph replied, "Here I am."
14. 14Israel told him, "Go and check on your brothers and see how the flocks are doing, then come back and let me know." So he sent Joseph from the valley of Hebron, and he traveled to Shechem.
15. 15A man came across Joseph wandering through the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"
16. 16Joseph answered, "I am trying to find my brothers. Please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks."
17. 17The man said, "They have already left this place. I overheard them say, 'Let us head to Dothan.'" So Joseph followed after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18. 18They spotted him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19. 19They said to each other, "Look, here comes that dreamer."
20. 20"Let's kill him now and throw his body into one of these pits. We can say that a wild animal ate him. Then we will see what comes of his dreams."
21. 21Reuben heard this and rescued Joseph from their plan, saying, "We must not take his life."
22. 22Reuben told them, "Do not spill any blood. Just throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him." He said this intending to rescue Joseph later and return him safely to their father.
23. 23When Joseph arrived where his brothers were, they stripped him of his coat — the coat of many colours he was wearing.
24. 24They took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25. 25Then they sat down to eat a meal. Looking up, they noticed a caravan of Ishmeelites approaching from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spicery, balm, and myrrh, and they were heading down to Egypt.
26. 26Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his death?"
27. 27"Let's sell him to the Ishmeelites instead and not harm him ourselves, since he is our own brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.
28. 28When Midianite traders came by, the brothers pulled Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmeelites took Joseph to Egypt.
29. 29When Reuben went back to the pit, Joseph was gone. He tore his clothes.
30. 30He went back to his brothers and cried out, "The boy is gone! Where can I turn now?"
31. 31They took Joseph's coat, slaughtered a young goat, and soaked the coat in its blood.
32. 32They brought the coat of many colours to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it and determine whether or not it belongs to your son."
33. 33He recognized it immediately and said, "This is my son's coat! A wild animal has eaten him! Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!"
34. 34Jacob tore his clothes, wrapped himself in sackcloth, and grieved for his son for a long time.
35. 35All his sons and daughters tried to console him, but he would not be consoled. He said, "I will go down to the grave still mourning for my son." So his father continued to weep for him.
36. 36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials and the captain of the guard.