约瑟的梦
1雅各住在他父亲寄居的迦南， 2以下是有关雅各一家的记载。
十七岁的少年约瑟跟哥哥们，就是雅各的妾辟拉和悉帕生的儿子们一同放羊。他向父亲报告哥哥们做的坏事。 3约瑟是以色列年老时生的，以色列特别宠爱他，为他做了一件彩衣。 4约瑟的哥哥们见父亲偏爱他，就怀恨在心，对他恶言相向。
5约瑟做了一个梦，并告诉了哥哥们，他们更恨他了。 6约瑟对哥哥们说：“你们听听我做的梦—— 7我们在田里捆庄稼，我捆的庄稼站起来，你们捆的庄稼都围着我捆的庄稼下拜。” 8他的哥哥们回答说：“难道你真想做我们的王统治我们吗？”他们因约瑟的梦和他说的话而更恨他。
9后来，约瑟又做了一个梦，他又去对哥哥们说：“你们听听我做的另一个梦，我梦见太阳、月亮和十一颗星星都向我下拜。” 10约瑟把梦告诉了父亲和哥哥们，他父亲就责备他说：“你做的是什么梦！难道你的父母弟兄都要来向你俯伏下拜吗？” 11约瑟的哥哥们嫉恨他，他父亲却把这些话记在心里。
12约瑟的哥哥们到示剑放父亲的羊。 13以色列把约瑟叫来，对他说：“你哥哥们在示剑放羊，我要派你去他们那里。”约瑟说：“好的。” 14以色列说：“你去看看你哥哥们以及羊群是否平安，然后回来告诉我。”于是，约瑟就从希伯仑谷出发去示剑。 15有人见他在田野走迷了路，就问他：“你在找什么？” 16约瑟回答说：“我在找我哥哥们，你知道他们在哪里放羊吗？” 17那人说：“他们已经走了，我听他们说要到多坍去。”约瑟就赶往多坍，在那里找到了他们。
18约瑟的哥哥们远远看见他走来，趁他还没有到跟前，就合谋要害死他。 19他们彼此商量说：“看！做梦的来了。 20来吧！我们杀了他，把他扔在井里，就说有野兽把他吃掉了，看他的梦怎么实现。” 21吕便听后想救约瑟的性命，就说：“我们不要害他性命。” 22他又说：“不要杀人流血，把他扔在这口井里吧，不要下手害他。”吕便想救约瑟，把他交回给父亲。 23这时候，约瑟来了，他们就脱去他身上的彩衣， 24把他扔到井里。当时，那口井是干的，没有水。
25他们坐下来吃饭的时候，看见一队从基列来的以实玛利商人用骆驼驮着香料、乳香、没药去埃及。 26犹大对他的众弟兄说：“我们杀死弟弟、掩盖罪行有什么益处呢？ 27不如把他卖给以实玛利人，不要下手害他，他毕竟是我们的弟弟，我们的骨肉啊！”其他弟兄都赞成他的意见。 28于是，那些米甸商人经过的时候，他们就把约瑟从井里拉上来，以二百二十克银子的价钱把他卖给了以实玛利人。这些商人把他带到埃及去了。
29吕便回到井边发现约瑟不见了，就伤心地撕裂了身上的衣服， 30回到弟兄们那里说：“那少年不见了，我现在怎么办？” 31他们宰了一只公山羊，把血染在约瑟的彩衣上， 32拿去给父亲，说：“我们捡到这件衣服，你看看是不是你儿子的？” 33雅各认出那件彩衣，说：“这是我儿子的衣服，一定是野兽把他吃了，约瑟一定被撕碎了！” 34雅各撕裂自己的衣服，束上麻布，为约瑟哀伤了好几天。 35他的儿女都来安慰他，他却不肯接受他们的安慰，说：“我一定会凄凄惨惨地下到阴间，去我儿子那里。”约瑟的父亲为他哀哭。
36那些米甸人把约瑟带到埃及后，把他卖给了法老的内臣——护卫长波提乏。
Joseph Has Two Dreams
1Jacob lived in the land of Canaan. It’s the land where his father had stayed.
2Here is the story of the family line 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, the wives of his father Jacob. Joseph brought their father a bad report about his brothers.
3Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons. That’s because Joseph had been born to him when he was old. Israel made him a beautiful robe. 4Joseph’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.
5Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had. 7We were tying up bundles of grain out in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight. Your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it.”
8His 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.
9Then 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.”
10He told his father as well as his brothers. Then his father rebuked him. 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?” 11His brothers were jealous of him. But his father kept the dreams in mind.
Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers
12Joseph’s brothers had gone to take care of their father’s flocks near Shechem. 13Israel 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.
14So 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. 15A man found him wandering around in the fields. He asked Joseph, “What are you looking for?”
16He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their flocks?”
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. 18But 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 one another. 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.”
21Reuben heard them talking. He tried to save Joseph from them. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22“Don’t spill any of his 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.
23When Joseph came to his brothers, he was wearing his beautiful robe. They took it away from him. 24And they threw him into the well. The well was empty. There wasn’t any water in it.
25Then 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.
26Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and try to cover up what we’ve done? 27Come. 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.
28The 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.
29Later, Reuben came back to the empty well. He saw that Joseph wasn’t there. He was so upset that he tore his clothes. 30He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Now what should I do?”
31Then they got Joseph’s beautiful robe. They killed a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32They took the robe back to their father. They said, “We found this. Take a look at it. See if it’s your son’s robe.”
33Jacob recognized it. He said, “It’s my son’s robe! A wild animal has eaten him up. Joseph must have been torn to pieces.”
34Jacob tore his clothes. He put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. Then he mourned for his son many days. 35All Jacob’s other sons and daughters came to comfort him. But they weren’t able to. He said, “I will continue to mourn until I go down into the grave to be with my son.” So Joseph’s father mourned for him.
36But 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.
