1
Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.
2
This is the account of Jacob’s descendants. Joseph, when he was seventeen years old—still a youth—was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought to his father a bad report about them.
3
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a very splendid robe.
4
But when his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak to him in peace.
5
Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
6
He said to them, “Please listen to this dream that I have dreamed:
7
Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and my sheaf arose and stood upright; then your sheaves came around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8
His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you really to rule over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of his words.
9
Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers. He said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10
When he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come and bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
11
And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
12
Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem.
13
And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock near Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And Joseph said, “Here I am.”
14
Then Israel said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word again.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and Joseph came to Shechem.
15
And a man found him wandering in the field, and the man asked him, “What are you seeking?”
16
He said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”
17
Then the man said, “They have gone away from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18
They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them, they conspired together to kill him.
19
They said to one another, “Look, here comes that dreamer!
20
Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of these pits, and we will say, ‘A wild beast has devoured him.’ Then we shall see what will become of his dreams.”
21
But when Reuben heard it, he sought to deliver Joseph out of their hands, and said, “Let us not take his life.”
22
Reuben also said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him” — that he might rescue him out of their hands and restore him to his father.
23
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.
24
And they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25
Then they sat down to eat. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and ladanum, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.
26
Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.
28
Then Midianite traders passed by. They lifted Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt.
29
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes,
30
and returned to his brothers, saying, “The boy is gone; and I, where shall I go?”
31
Then they took Joseph’s robe, and killed a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood.
32
And they sent the robe of many colors and had it brought to their father, saying, “This we have found; please examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”
33
And Jacob examined it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph is surely torn to pieces.”
34
And Jacob tore his garment, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
35
And all his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and said, “No! I will mourn until I go down to my son, to the realm of the dead!” Thus Joseph was wept for by his father.
36
Now Joseph was sold by the Midianites into Egypt, to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s court, the captain of the guard.
🌈🕳️ Summary of Genesis 37
This chapter opens an important story about Joseph, Jacob’s son, who would later become a central figure in the rescue of Israel. In this chapter, Joseph is hated by his brothers because of his dreams and his father’s special love for him, until he is finally sold as a slave to Egypt.
1. Special Love for Joseph (verses 1–4)
- Joseph was Jacob’s son by Rachel, whom he dearly loved.
- Jacob gave him a beautiful robe, a sign of special love.
- His brothers hated Joseph because he brought bad reports about them and was his father’s favorite son.
2. Joseph’s Dreams (verses 5–11)
- Joseph dreamed that his brothers’ sheaves of grain bowed down to him, and in another dream, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him.
- His brothers hated Joseph even more because they felt he wanted to rule over them.
- Jacob rebuked Joseph, but kept the matter in his heart.
3. Joseph Sold to Egypt (verses 12–36)
- When Joseph visited his brothers in the field, they plotted to kill him.
- Reuben suggested not killing him, but only throwing him into a pit.
- While Reuben was away, Judah proposed selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites.
- Joseph was sold for 20 shekels of silver to Midianite traders who were going to Egypt.
- They soiled Joseph’s robe with goat’s blood, and brought it to Jacob.
- Jacob wept and mourned, thinking that Joseph was dead.
- Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an Egyptian official and captain of the king’s guard.
📖 Main Lessons
- Jealousy can destroy family relationships and lead to evil.
- Unbalanced love in a family can give rise to great conflict.
- Dreams from God often meet resistance at first.
- God uses suffering as a path toward a great purpose.
- Cruel actions may be covered by deceit, but the truth will be revealed in its time.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- Joseph’s story teaches that God has a divine plan that sometimes begins with suffering.
- Joseph’s dreams were prophetic, yet they required a long process, including betrayal and pain, before they came true.
- God did not leave Joseph even though he was thrown into the pit and sold — this was the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s great promise.
- Jacob, who once deceived his father with clothing, was now deceived by his sons through Joseph’s robe — showing the law of sowing and reaping in life.
