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.
Ekirooto Kya Yusufu n’Obukyayi bwa Baganda be
137:1 a Lub 17:8 b Lub 10:19Yakobo yabeeranga mu Kanani, ensi bajjajjaabe mwe baatambuliratambuliranga.
237:2 a Zab 78:71 b Lub 35:25 c Lub 35:26 d 1Sa 2:24Era bino bye bifa ku lulyo lwa Yakobo:
Yusufu bwe yali nga wa myaka kkumi na musanvu ng’ali ne baganda be batabani ba Biira ne Zirifa, nga balunda ekisibo ky’endiga, Yusufu n’ategeezanga Yakobo kitaabwe ebintu ebibi bye baakolanga.
337:3 a Lub 25:28 b Lub 44:20 c 2Sa 13:18-19Bw’atyo Isirayiri n’ayagala nnyo Yusufu okusinga abaana be abalala, kubanga nga ye mwana ow’omu bukadde bwe; n’amutungira ekyambalo eky’amabala amangi. 437:4 Lub 27:41; 49:22-23; Bik 7:9Naye baganda ba Yusufu bwe baalaba nga kitaabwe amwagala okusinga bo ne bakyawa Yusufu, ne batayinza na kwogera naye na kisa.
537:5 Lub 20:3; 28:12Lumu Yusufu n’aloota ekirooto, n’agenda n’akitegeeza baganda be, ne beeyongera nnyo okumukyawa. 6Yabagamba nti, “Muwulire ekirooto kino kye naloose. 737:7 Lub 42:6, 9; 43:26, 28; 44:14; 50:18Twali tusiba ebinywa by’eŋŋaano nga tuli mu nnimiro, ekinywa kyange ne kiyimuka ne kiyimirira; laba ebinywa byammwe ne bikyebungulula ne bikivuunamira.” 837:8 Lub 49:26Baganda be ne bamugamba nti, “Olowooza olitufuga? Olowooleza ddala nti tulibeera baddu bo?” Olwo ne beeyongera nnyo okumukyayira ddala olw’ekirooto kye n’ebigambo bye.
9Ate n’aloota ekirooto ekirala n’akitegeeza baganda be, n’agamba nti, “Ndoose ekirooto ekirala: ne ndaba enjuba n’omwezi n’emmunyeenye ekkumi n’emu nga binvuunamira.”
1037:10 a nny 5 b nny 7; Lub 27:29Naye bwe yakitegeeza kitaawe ng’ali wamu ne baganda be, kitaawe n’amunenya ng’agamba nti, “Kirooto ki kino ky’oloose? Ddala nze ne nnyoko awamu ne baganda bo tulijja ne tuvuunama mu maaso go?” 1137:11 a Bik 7:9 b Luk 2:19, 51Baganda be ne bamukwatirwa obuggya, kyokka ye kitaabwe n’akuuma ekigambo ekyo mu mutima gwe.
Yusufu Atundibwa Baganda be
12Awo baganda ba Yusufu ne bagenda okumpi ne Sekemu okulunda ekisibo kya kitaabwe. 13Isirayiri n’alyoka agamba Yusufu nti, “Nga baganda bo bwe balundira e Sekemu, jjangu nkutume gye bali.” Yusufu n’amuddamu nti, “Nzuuno ntuma.” 1437:14 Lub 13:18; 35:27N’alyoka amugamba nti, “Genda kaakano olabe obanga baganda bo n’ekisibo bali bulungi, okomewo ontegeeze.” Awo n’amutuma okuva mu kiwonvu kya Kebbulooni, n’atuuka e Sekemu.
15Awo omusajja n’amulaba ng’atangatangira ku ttale, n’amubuuza nti, “Onoonya ki?” 16N’amuddamu nti, “Noonya baganda bange, nkwegayiridde mbuulira gye balundira ekisibo.” 1737:17 2Bk 6:13Omusajja n’amuddamu nti, “Beeyongerayo, kubanga nabawulira nga bagamba nti, ‘Ka tugende e Dosani.’ ” Awo Yusufu n’agoberera baganda be n’abasanga e Dosani. 1837:18 1Sa 19:1; Mak 14:1; Bik 23:12Baganda be ne bamulengera ng’akyali wala, era bwe yali nga tannabasemberera ne bateesa bamutte.
19Ne bagambagana nti, “Sekalootera wuuyo ajja. 2037:20 a Yer 38:6, 9 b Lub 50:20Kale mujje tumutte, tumusuule mu kimu ku binnya;37:20 binnya Entobo y’ebinnya ebyo yali ngazi okusinga omumwa gwabyo (Yer 38:6, 13) tuligamba nti, ‘Ensolo enkambwe ye yamulya; tulabe ebirooto bye bwe birituukirira.’ ”
2137:21 Lub 42:22Naye Lewubeeni bwe yakiwulira n’agezaako okumuwonya mu mikono gyabwe n’agamba nti, “Tetumutta. 22Tuleme kuyiwa musaayi; ka tumusuule mu bunnya buno wano mu nsiko. Temumuteekako mukono gwammwe.” Yayogera bw’atyo alyoke amuwonye mu mikono gyabwe, amuddize kitaawe.
23Awo Yusufu bwe yatuuka ku baganda be ne bamwambulamu ekyambalo kye eky’amabala amangi kye yali ayambadde: 2437:24 Yer 41:7ne bamutwala ne bamusuula mu bunnya obwali obukalu nga tebuliimu mazzi.
2537:25 a Lub 43:11 b nny 28Awo bwe baatuula okulya, ne bayimusa amaaso ne balengera ekibiina ky’Abayisimayiri nga bava e Gireyaadi, ng’eŋŋamira zaabwe zeettise ebyakaloosa, n’envumbo ne mooli nga bali mu lugendo babitwala e Misiri.
2637:26 nny 20; Lub 4:10Yuda kwe kugamba baganda be nti, “Kitugasa ki okutta muganda waffe n’okuyiwa omusaayi gwe? 2737:27 Lub 42:21Tumuguze Abayisimayiri. Omukono gwaffe guleme okumubaako, kubanga muganda waffe, omubiri gwaffe gwennyini.” Baganda be ne bakkiriziganya naye.
2837:28 a Lub 25:2; Bal 6:1-3 b Lub 45:4-5; Zab 105:17; Bik 7:9Abasuubuzi, Abayisimayiri bwe baabatuukako ne baggya Yusufu mu bunnya, ne bamuguza Abayisimayiri. Baamubaguza ebitundu bya ffeeza amakumi abiri; ne bamutwala e Misiri. 2937:29 nny 34; Lub 44:13; Yob 1:20Lewubeeni bwe yadda n’alaga ku bunnya n’alaba nga Yusufu taliimu, n’ayuza engoye ze, 3037:30 nny 22; Lub 42:13, 36n’addayo eri baganda be n’abagamba nti, “Omwana taliiyo. Kale naamunoonyeza wa?”
3137:31 nny 3, 23Awo ne baddira ekyambalo kya Yusufu, ne batta embuzi, ne bakinnyika mu musaayi. 32Ne baddira ekyambalo ekyo eky’amabala amangi ne bakitwalira kitaabwe ne bamugamba nti, “Twalaba ekyambalo kino, kikebere olabe obanga kye kya mutabani wo.”
3337:33 a nny 20 b Lub 44:20, 28N’akyetegereza n’agamba nti, “Kye kyambalo kya mutabani wange! Ensolo enkambwe yamulya. Ddala Yusufu yataagulwataagulwa.”
3437:34 a nny 29 b 2Sa 3:31 c Lub 50:3, 10, 11Awo Yakobo n’ayuza ebyambalo bye, n’akungubagira Yusufu okumala ebbanga ddene. 3537:35 Lub 42:38; 44:22, 29, 31Batabani be bonna ne bawala be ne bagenda gy’ali okumusanyusa, kyokka ye n’atakkiriza kusanyusibwa. N’agamba nti, “Nedda, ndikka emagombe nga nkyakungubagira omwana wange Yusufu.” Bw’atyo Yakobo n’akungubagira nnyo Yusufu.
3637:36 Lub 39:1Mu kiseera kyekimu Abamidiyaani bwe baatuuka e Misiri, Yusufu ne bamuguza Potifali, omu ku bakungu ba Falaawo; omukungu oyo ye yali omukulu wa bambowa.
