Joseph and His Brothers
1 Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father Isaac had lived, 2 and this is the story of his family.
When Jacob's son Joseph was 17 years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.
3 Jacob loved Joseph more than he did any of his other sons, because Joseph was born when Jacob was very old. Jacob had even given Joseph a fancy coat 4 which showed that Joseph was his favorite son, and so Joseph's brothers hated him and would not be friendly to him.
5 One day, Joseph told his brothers what he had dreamed, and they hated him even more. 6 Joseph said, “Let me tell you about my dream. 7 We were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to it.”
8 His brothers asked, “Do you really think you are going to be king and rule over us?” Now they hated Joseph more than ever because of what he had said about his dream.
9 Joseph later had another dream, and he told his brothers, “Listen to what else I dreamed. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10 When he told his father about this dream, his father became angry and said, “What's that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down to you?” 11 Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept wondering about the dream.
Joseph Is Sold and Taken to Egypt
12 One day when Joseph's brothers had taken the sheep to a pasture near Shechem, 13 his father Jacob said to him, “I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem.”
“Yes, sir,” Joseph answered.
14 His father said, “Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know.” So he sent him from Hebron Valley.
Joseph was near Shechem 15 and wandering through the fields, when a man asked, “What are you looking for?”
16 Joseph answered, “I'm looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are?”
17 “They're not here anymore,” the man replied. “I overheard them say they were going to Dothan.”
Joseph left and found his brothers in Dothan. 18 But before he got there, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! 20 Let's kill him and throw him into a pit and say that some wild animal ate him. Then we'll see what happens to those dreams.”
21 Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. “Let's not kill him,” he said. 22 “Don't murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a well out here in the desert.” Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.
23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat 24 and threw him into a dry well.
25 As Joseph's brothers sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with all kinds of spices that they were taking to Egypt. 26 So Judah said, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and hide his body? 27 Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not harm him. After all, he is our brother.” And the others agreed.
28 When the Midianite merchants came by, Joseph's brothers took him out of the well, and for 20 pieces of silver they sold him to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the well and did not find Joseph there, he tore his clothes in sorrow. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
31 Joseph's brothers killed a goat and dipped Joseph's fancy coat in its blood. 32 After this, they took the coat to their father and said, “We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to your son.”
33 Jacob knew it was Joseph's coat and said, “It's my son's coat! Joseph has been torn to pieces and eaten by some wild animal.”
34 Jacob mourned for Joseph a long time, and to show his sorrow he tore his clothes and wore sackcloth. 35 All of Jacob's children came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will go to my grave, mourning for my son.” So Jacob kept on grieving.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king's official in charge of the palace guard.
Jāzepa sapņi
1 Jēkabs apmetās zemē, kur mita viņa tēvs, Kanaāna zemē. 2 Šīs ir Jēkaba paaudzes. Jāzeps bija septiņpadsmit gadu vecs un kopā ar saviem brāļiem ganīja avis, viņš palīdzēja sava tēva sievu Bilhas un Zilpas dēliem, un Jāzeps atstāstīja savam tēvam, ko tie sliktu runājuši. 3 Bet Israēls mīlēja Jāzepu vairāk par visiem saviem dēliem, jo viņš tam bija dzimis vecumā, un viņš uzdāvināja tam raibi krāsotus svārkus. 4 Un viņa brāļi redzēja, ka tēvs viņu mīl vairāk par visiem citiem brāļiem, un tie viņu ienīda un nespēja mierīgi ar viņu runāt. 5 Jāzeps sapņoja sapni, un, kad viņš pastāstīja to saviem brāļiem, tie viņu ienīda vēl vairāk. 6 Viņš tiem teica: “Klausieties jel šo sapni, ko es nosapņoju! 7 Re – mēs sējām kūlīšus lauka vidū, un re – mans kūlītis piecēlās un pat nostājās, un re – jūsu kūlīši sastājās apkārt un klanījās manam kūlītim!” 8 Un viņa brāļi viņam teica: “Tad nu tu mūs valdīsi, tu pārraudzīsi?!” Un tie vēl vairāk ienīda viņu par viņa sapņiem un sacīto. 9 Un viņš atkal sapņoja citu sapni un pastāstīja to saviem brāļiem: “Re – es atkal sapņoju sapni, un re – saule un mēness, un vienpadsmit zvaigznes man klanījās!” 10 Un viņš pastāstīja to savam tēvam un saviem brāļiem, bet tēvs viņu apsauca un teica: “Ko nozīmē šis sapnis, ko tu sapņoji? Vai man un tavai mātei, un taviem brāļiem nu būs jāiet klanīties tev līdz zemei?!” 11 Un viņa brāļi viņu apskauda, bet viņa tēvs teikto atcerējās.
Brāļi pārdod Jāzepu
12 Un viņa brāļi devās uz Šehemu ganīt sava tēva avis. 13 Israēls teica Jāzepam: “Visi tavi brāļi taču gana Šehemā! Nāc nu, es tevi sūtīšu pie viņiem!” Un viņš teica: “Es te!” 14 Un viņš tam sacīja: “Ej jel paskaties, vai ar taviem brāļiem un avīm viss kārtībā, un pastāsti man!” Un viņš sūtīja to prom no Hebronas ielejas, un Jāzeps nonāca Šehemā. 15 Viņu sastapa kāds vīrs, kad tas klīda pa lauku, un šis vīrs prasīja viņam: “Ko tu meklē?” 16 Un viņš teica: “Es meklēju savus brāļus, saki jel man, kur viņi gana?” 17 Tas vīrs teica: “No šejienes viņi ir aizgājuši, jo es viņus dzirdēju sakām: iesim uz Dotānu!” – un Jāzeps gāja pakaļ saviem brāļiem un atrada viņus Dotānā. 18 Tie ieraudzīja viņu no tālienes, un, pirms vēl viņš bija pienācis, tie sazvērējās, lai viņu nonāvētu. 19 Tie runāja savā starpā: “Re, kur šis sapņotājs nāk! 20 Tad nu iesim, nokausim viņu un iemetīsim kādā no bedrēm, un teiksim: plēsīgs zvērs viņu aprija! – Tad redzēsim, kas no viņa sapņiem iznāks!” 21 Bet Rūbens, to dzirdējis, izglāba viņu, sacīdams: “Nevienu nenokausim!” 22 Rūbens tiem teica: “Neizlejiet asinis! Iemetiet viņu bedrē, kas tuksnesī, bet roku viņam klāt nelieciet!” – tā viņš darīja, lai izglābtu viņu no tiem un aizgādātu atpakaļ pie tēva. 23 Kad Jāzeps atnāca pie saviem brāļiem, notika tā – tie noģērba Jāzepam svārkus, viņa raibos svārkus, kas tam bija! 24 Viņi to sagrāba un iemeta bedrē, bet bedre bija tukša, ūdens tur nebija. 25 Un viņi apsēdās ēst maizi, tad pacēla savas acis un ieraudzīja, redzi – no Gileādas nāca ismaēliešu karavāna, un viņu kamieļi nesa smaržas un balzamu, un mirres, būdami ceļā uz Ēģipti. 26 Un Jūda teica saviem brāļiem: “Kāds labums, ka nokaujam savu brāli un noslēpjam viņa asinis? 27 Ejam un pārdodam viņu ismaēliešiem, lai mēs viņam ne roku nebūtu piedūruši, jo viņš taču ir mūsu brālis, viņš ir mūsu miesa!” – Un viņa brāļi viņam paklausīja. 28 Bet garām gāja midjāniešu vīri, tirgoņi – tad tie izvilka un izcēla Jāzepu no bedres un pārdeva viņu ismaēliešiem par divdesmit sudraba gabaliem, un Jāzepu aizveda uz Ēģipti.
29 Kad Rūbens atgriezās pie bedres un ieraudzīja, ka Jāzepa vairs bedrē nav, viņš saplēsa savas drānas. 30 Viņš atgriezās pie saviem brāļiem un teica: “Puisēna vairs nav! Un es, ko lai es tagad daru?!” 31 Tad viņi paņēma Jāzepa svārkus, nokāva āzi un iemērca viņa svārkus asinīs. 32 Un raibos svārkus viņi aizgādāja savam tēvam, sacīdami: “To mēs atradām, palūko jel, vai tie ir tava dēla svārki vai ne?” 33 Viņš tos pazina un teica: “Mana dēla svārki! Plēsīgs zvērs viņu ir aprijis! Plosīt saplosīts Jāzeps!” 34 Un Jēkabs saplēsa savu kreklu, apvilka maisu pār gurniem un sēroja par savu dēlu daudz dienu. 35 Visi viņa dēli un meitas nāca viņu mierināt, bet viņš liedzās mierināties, sacīdams: “Sērodams es nokāpšu šeolā pie sava dēla!” – un viņa tēvs raudāja par viņu! 36 Bet midjānieši Jāzepu pārdeva uz Ēģipti faraona galminiekam Potifaram, sardzes virsniekam.
