Genesis 37 · Parashat Vayeshev

And Ya῾aqov dwelt in the land in which his father had sojourned, in the land of Kena῾an.

These are the generations of Ya῾aqov. Yosef being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilha, and with the sons of Zilpa, his father’s wives: and Yosef brought to his father their evil report.

Now Yisra᾽el loved Yosef more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat with long sleeves.

And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

And Yosef dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and bowed down to my sheaf.

And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have again dreamed a dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.

And he told it to his father, and to his brothers: and his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

And his brothers envied him; but his father kept the matter in mind.

And his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shekhem.

And Yisra᾽el said to Yosef, Do not thy brothers feed the flock in Shekhem? come, and I will send thee to them. And he said to him, Here I am.

And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brothers, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Ḥevron, and he came to Shekhem.

And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

And he said, I seek my brothers: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

And the man said, They are departed from here; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dotan. And Yosef went after his brothers, and found them in Dotan.

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near to them, they conspired against him to slay him.

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer comes.

Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, An evil beast has devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

And Re᾽uven heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

And Re᾽uven said to them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might save him out of their hands, to deliver him back to his father.

And it came to pass, when Yosef was come to his brethren, that they stripped Yosef of his coat, the long sleeved coat that was on him.

And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Yishme᾽elim came from Gil῾ad with their camels bearing gum balm and ladanum, going to carry it down to Miżrayim.

And Yehuda said to his brothers, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

Come, and let us sell him to the Yishme᾽elim, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh.

And his brothers hearkened to him. Then there passed by Midyanim, merchants; and they drew and lifted up Yosef out of the pit, and sold Yosef to the Yishme᾽elim for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Yosef into Miżrayim.

And Re᾽uven returned to the pit; and, behold, Yosef was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

And he returned to his brothers, and said, The child is not; and I, where shall I go?

And they took Yosef’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

and they sent the coat with long sleeves, and they brought it to their father; and said, This we have found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.

And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Yosef is without doubt torn in pieces.

And Ya῾aqov rent his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down to my son mourning into She᾽ol. Thus his father wept for him.

And the Midyanim sold him to Miżrayim to Potifar, Par῾o’s chamberlain, a captain of the guard.