Joseph’s Dreams
1Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2This 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.
3Now 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 ornate37:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verses 23 and 32. robe for him. 4When 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.
5Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7We 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.”
8His 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.
9Then 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.”
10When 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?” 11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13and 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.
14So 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, 15a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing 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. 18But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 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.”
21When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “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.
23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25As 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.
26Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27Come, 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.
28So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels37:28 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”
31Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
33He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35All 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.
36Meanwhile, the Midianites37:36 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 28); Masoretic Text Medanites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
Yosef Daeɛso
1Yosef tenaa Kanaan asase a na nʼagya te so sɛ ɔhɔhoɔ no so.
2Yosef abusua ho asɛm nie:
Ɛberɛ a Yakob ba Yosef dii mfirinhyia dunson no, na ɔne ne nuanom hwɛ wɔn agya Yakob nnwan so. Na ɔyɛ Bilha ne Silpa a wɔyɛ nʼagya yerenom no mmammarima no ɔboafoɔ. Na ɔyɛ obi a nneɛma a ne nuanom no yɛ a ɛnyɛ no, ɔtaa bɛka kyerɛ wɔn agya Yakob.
3Na Israel pɛ ne ba Yosef asɛm sene ne mma a aka no nyinaa, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔwoo no ne nkɔkoraaberɛ mu; ɛno enti, ɔpam batakari bi a ɛyɛ fɛ maa no. 4Ɛberɛ a ne nuanom no hunuu sɛ wɔn agya pɛ nʼasɛm sene wɔn nyinaa no, wɔtan no a na wɔnka abodwosɛm nkyerɛ no.
5Ɛda bi, Yosef soo daeɛ. Ɔkaa daeɛ a ɔsoeɛ no kyerɛɛ ne nuanom mmarima no, wɔtan no kyɛnee kane no mpo. 6Yosef ka kyerɛɛ ne nuanom no sɛ, “Montie daeɛ bi a maso. 7Mesoo daeɛ, na yɛrekyekyere aburoo afiafi wɔ afuom. Ɛberɛ a yɛgu so rekyekyere aburoo no, amonom hɔ ara, me afiafi a makyekyere no sɔre gyinaa ntenten. Mo afiafi a moakyekyere no nso twaa me deɛ no ho hyiaeɛ, kotoo no.”
8Yosef nuanom no bisaa no sɛ, “Enti, wʼadwene ne sɛ wobɛdi yɛn so anaa? Wogye di sɛ, ampa ara, wobɛtumi aka yɛn ahyɛ?” Esiane ne daeɛ a ɔsoeɛ no ne asɛm a ɔkaeɛ no enti, ɛmaa ne nuanom no kyirii no kɔkɔɔkɔ.
9Afei, ɔsane soo daeɛ bio. Ɔkaa daeɛ a ɔsoeɛ no kyerɛɛ ne nuanom no sɛ, “Montie: Maso daeɛ foforɔ bio. Mesoo daeɛ, na owia, ɔsrane ne nsoromma dubaako rekoto me.”
10Saa daeɛ yi deɛ, ɔka kyerɛɛ nʼagya ne ne nuammarimanom no. Nʼagya tee saa daeɛ no, ɔkaa nʼanim sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn daeɛ na woaso yi? Wopɛ sɛ wokyerɛ sɛ ampa ara, wo maame ne me ne wo nuammarimanom no bɛba abɛkoto wo anaa?” 11Yei maa ne nuammarimanom no ani beree no mmorosoɔ. Nanso, nʼagya deɛ, ɔdwenee asɛm no ho kɔɔ akyiri.
Yosef Nuanom Bɔ Ne Ho Pɔ
12Ɛda bi, Yosef nuammarimanom no de wɔn agya nnwan kɔɔ adidi wɔ Sekem. 13Israel ka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Sɛdeɛ wonim no, wo nuanom no de mmoa no kɔ adidi wɔ Sekem. Bra, na mensoma wo wɔn nkyɛn.”
Yosef buaa sɛ, “Yoo, agya, mate.”
14Enti, Israel ka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Kɔ na kɔhwɛ sɛ wo nuanom ho te sɛn, na nnwan no nso, na sane bɛka biribi kyerɛ me.” Enti, Israel somaa Yosef firii Hebron subɔnhwa no mu.
Ɛberɛ a Yosef duruu Sekem no, 15ɔbarima bi hunuu no sɛ ɔnenam wura no mu. Ɔbarima no bisaa no sɛ, “Worehwehwɛ ɛdeɛn?”
16Yosef buaa no sɛ, “Merehwehwɛ me nuammarima. Mesrɛ wo, wobɛtumi akyerɛ me baabi a wɔde wɔn nnwan no kɔ adidi?”
17Ɔbarima no buaa no sɛ, “Wo nuammarimanom no afiri ha kɔ. Metee sɛ wɔreka sɛ, ‘Momma yɛnkɔ Dotan.’ ”
Enti, Yosef tii ne nuanom no, kɔtoo wɔn wɔ Dotan hɔ. 18Ɛberɛ a Yosef fitiiɛ no, wɔhunuu no wɔ akyirikyiri sɛ ɔreba. Ansa na ɔreduru wɔn nkyɛn no, wɔbɔɔ ne ho pɔ sɛ wɔbɛkum no.
19Wɔkeka kyerɛkyerɛɛ wɔn ho wɔn ho sɛ, “Monhwɛ! Ɔdaeɛsofoɔ no na ɔreba no! 20Mommra seesei ara, na yɛnkum no, na yɛnto no ntwene amena no bi mu, na yɛnkɔka nkyerɛ yɛn agya sɛ, aboa bi akye no awe, na yɛnhwɛ sɛ biribi bɛfiri ne daeɛ ahodoɔ no mu aba anaa.”
21Ruben a ɔyɛ wɔn nua panin tee saa asɛm yi no, ɔbɔɔ mmɔden sɛ ɔbɛgye Yosef nkwa. Ɔkaa sɛ, “Mommma yɛnkum no. 22Monnhwie mogya ngu. Momma yɛnto no ntwene amena a ɛwɔ ɛserɛ yi so no bi mu. Na mommma yɛmfa yɛn nsa nka no.” Ruben kaa saa asɛm yi de gyee no firii wɔn nsam, sɛdeɛ ɔbɛnya ɛkwan de no akɔhyɛ wɔn agya nsa.
23Yosef bɛduruu ne nuammarimanom no nkyɛn no, wɔworɔɔ ne batakari fɛfɛ a ɛhyɛ no no. 24Afei, wɔtoo no twenee amena bi mu. Saa amena no, na nsuo biara nni mu.
Wɔtɔn Yosef
25Afei, ɛberɛ a anuanom no tenaa ase sɛ wɔredidi no, wɔtoo wɔn ani hunuu sɛ nyoma bebree sa so reba faako a na wɔrebɛdidi hɔ no. Wɔhunuu sɛ saa nkurɔfoɔ no yɛ Ismaelfoɔ adwadifoɔ bi a wɔsoso hyehwam, akyenkyennuro ne kurobo a wɔde firi Gilead rekɔtɔn no wɔ Misraim asase so.
26Yuda ka kyerɛɛ ne nuanom no sɛ, “Sɛ yɛkum yɛn nua yi, kata ne mogya so a, ɛdeɛn mfasoɔ na yɛbɛnya. 27Momma yɛnyi no, na yɛntɔn no mma Ismaelfoɔ adwadifoɔ yi, sene sɛ yɛbɛkum no. Ɛkɔsi sɛn ara a, ɔyɛ yɛn nua kumaa a ɔyɛ yɛn busuani.” Ne nuanom mmarima no penee nʼadebisa no so.
28Ɛberɛ a Midian adwadifoɔ no bɛduru hɔ no, Yosef nuanom no yii no firii amena no mu, tɔn no gyee dwetɛ gram ahanu aduonu nwɔtwe (228) maa Ismaelfoɔ no, maa wɔde no kɔɔ Misraim.
29Ruben sane nʼakyi baa amena no ho, na ɔhunuu sɛ Yosef nni amena no mu no, ɔsunsuanee ne ntadeɛ mu. 30Ɔkɔɔ ne nuammarimanom no hɔ, kɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Abarimaa no nni hɔ oo! Enti, seesei menyɛ me ho dɛn ni!”
31Afei, anuanom no faa Yosef batakari no, kumm abirekyie, de batakari no nuu ne mogya no mu. 32Wɔde Yosef batakari fɛfɛ no kɔɔ wɔn agya nkyɛn, kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Yɛhunuu saa atadeɛ yi wɔ wura mu hɔ baabi. Hwɛ sɛ ɛyɛ Yosef atadeɛ anaa?”
33Wɔn agya hunuiɛ ampa, kaa sɛ, “Nokorɛ, ɛyɛ me ba Yosef atadeɛ! Aboa bi akye no awe. Ampa ara sɛ, aboa ko no atete Yosef ɛnam pasaa.”
34Na Yakob sunsuanee ne ntadeɛ mu, hyɛɛ ayitadeɛ, suu ne ba no nna bebree. 35Ne mmammarima ne ne mmammaa nyinaa bɛtwaa ne ho hyiaeɛ, kyekyeree ne werɛ, nanso ankɔsi hwee. Yakob kaa sɛ, “Dabi, mede awerɛhoɔ bɛwu akɔto me ba no asamando.” Enti, nʼagya Yakob suu no.
36Deɛ ɛbaeɛ ne sɛ, Midianfoɔ no nso kɔtɔn Yosef maa Potifar wɔ Misraim. Saa Potifar no na ɔyɛ ɔhene Farao dabehene ne nʼawɛmfoɔ so panin.
