1 And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father sojourned-in the land of Canaan.2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, fed the flock with his brethren; and he was doing service with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought to his father an evil report of them.3 And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was son of his old age; and he made him a vest of many colours.4 And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they hated him, and could not greet him with friendliness.5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and told {it} to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.6 And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream, which I have dreamt:7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the fields, and lo, my sheaf rose up, and remained standing; and behold, your sheaves came round about and bowed down to my sheaf.8 And his brethren said to him, Wilt thou indeed be a king over us? wilt thou indeed rule over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamt another dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.10 And he told {it} to his father and to his brethren. And his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream which thou hast dreamt? Shall we indeed come, I and thy mother and thy brethren, to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?11 And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying.12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock at Shechem.13 And Israel said to Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed {the flock} at Shechem? Come, that I may send thee to them. And he said to him, Here am I.14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see after the welfare of thy brethren, and after the welfare of the flock; and bring me word again. And he sent him out of the vale of Hebron; and he came towards Shechem.15 And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the country; and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?16 And he said, I am seeking my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed {their flocks}.17 And the man said, They have removed from this; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them at Dothan.18 And when they saw him from afar, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to put him to death.19 And they said one to another, Behold, there comes that dreamer!20 And now come and let us kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast has devoured him; and we will see what becomes of his dreams.21 And Reuben heard {it}, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, Let us not take his life.22 And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood: cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness; but lay no hand upon him-in order that he might deliver him out of their hand, to bring him to his father again.23 And it came to pass when Joseph came to his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his vest, the vest of many colours, which he had on;24 and they took him and cast him into the pit; now the pit was empty-there was no water in it.25 And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead; and their camels bore tragacanth, and balsam, and ladanum-going to carry {it} down to Egypt.26 And Judah said to his brethren, What profit is it that we kill our brother and secrete his blood?27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites; but let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened {to him}.28 And Midianitish men, merchants, passed by; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver-pieces; and they brought Joseph to Egypt.29 And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph {was} not in the pit; and he rent his garments,30 and returned to his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, where shall I go?31 And they took Joseph's vest, and slaughtered a buck of the goats, and dipped the vest in the blood;32 and they sent the vest of many colours and had it carried to their father, and said, This have we found: discern now whether it is thy son's vest or not.33 And he discerned it, and said, {It is} my son's vest! an evil beast has devoured him: Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces!34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and said, For I will go down to my son into Sheol mourning. Thus his father wept for him.36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt, to Potiphar, a chamberlain of Pharaoh, the captain of the life-guard.

1 En Jakob het gewoon in die land van die vreemdelingskap van sy vader, in die land Kanaän.2 Dit is die geskiedenis van Jakob. Josef het as seun van sewentien jaar die kleinvee opgepas saam met sy broers -- hy was nog jonk -- met die seuns van Bilha en die seuns van Silpa, die vroue van sy vader. En Josef het die slegte gerug oor hulle na hulle vader oorgebring.3 En Israel het Josef meer lief gehad as al sy seuns; want hy was vir hom 'n seun van die ouderdom; en hy het vir hom 'n lang rok met moue gemaak.4 Toe sy broers sien dat hulle vader hom meer as al sy broers liefhet, het hulle hom gehaat en kon nie vriendelik met hom praat nie.5 Ook het Josef 'n droom gehad wat hy aan sy broers vertel het. Daaroor het hulle hom nog meer gehaat.6 Hy het naamlik vir hulle gesê: Hoor tog hierdie droom wat ek gehad het.7 Kyk, ons was besig om gerwe te bind op die land toe meteens my gerf gaan staan en ook regop bly staan, terwyl julle gerwe daar rondom kom en hulle voor my gerf neerbuig.8 Toe sê sy broers aan hom: Wil jy miskien oor ons regeer? Of wil jy miskien oor ons heers? En hulle het hom nog meer gehaat oor sy drome en oor sy woorde.9 Daarna het hy nog 'n ander droom gehad en dit aan sy broers vertel en gesê: Kyk, ek het nog 'n droom gehad -- die son en die maan en elf sterre het hulle voor my neergebuig.10 Toe hy dit aan sy vader en sy broers vertel, het sy vader hom hard bestraf en aan hom gesê: Wat is dit vir 'n droom wat jy gehad het? Moet ons werklik kom, ek en jou moeder en jou broers, om ons voor jou na die aarde neer te buig?11 En sy broers was afgunstig op hom, maar sy vader het die saak in gedagte gehou.12 En sy broers het die kleinvee van hulle vader by Sigem gaan oppas.13 Toe sê Israel vir Josef: Pas jou broers nie die vee op by Sigem nie? Kom, laat ek jou na hulle toe stuur. En hy antwoord hom: Hier is ek!14 Toe sê hy vir hom: Gaan tog verneem na die welstand van jou broers en die welstand van die vee, en bring vir my berig terug. So het hy hom dan uit die dal van Hebron weggestuur, en hy het by Sigem aangekom.15 Daarop kry 'n man hom terwyl hy in die veld ronddwaal, en die man vra hom: Wat soek jy?16 En hy antwoord: Ek soek my broers. Vertel my tog waar hulle die vee oppas.17 Toe sê die man: Hulle het hiervandaan weggetrek, want ek het hulle hoor sê: Laat ons na Dotan gaan. En Josef het agter sy broers aan gegaan en hulle in Dotan gevind.18 En hulle het hom van ver af gesien. Maar voordat hy naby hulle kom, het hulle listig raad gehou teen hom om hom dood te maak.19 En hulle het vir mekaar gesê: Daar kom daardie dromer aan!20 Kom dan nou, laat ons hom doodmaak en in een van die putte gooi en sê: 'n Wilde dier het hom opgeëet. Dan sal ons sien wat van sy drome word.21 Toe Ruben dit hoor, het hy hom uit hulle hand gered deur te sê: Laat ons hom nie doodslaan nie.22 Ruben het ook vir hulle gesê: Moenie bloed vergiet nie; gooi hom in hierdie put wat in die woestyn is, maar moenie die hand aan hom slaan nie -- sodat hy hom uit hulle hand kon red om hom na sy vader terug te bring.23 En toe Josef by sy broers kom, trek hulle Josef se rok uit, die rok met lang moue wat hy aangehad het,24 en hulle neem hom en gooi hom in die put. Maar die put was leeg; daar was geen water in nie.25 Daarna het hulle gaan sit om brood te eet; en toe hulle hul oë opslaan, sien hulle meteens 'n reisgeselskap Ismaeliete wat uit G¡lead kom -- hulle kamele gelaai met speserye en balsem en gom op pad om dit na Egipte af te bring.26 Toe sê Juda aan sy broers: Watter voordeel is dit dat ons ons broer doodmaak en sy bloed verberg?27 Kom, laat ons hom aan die Ismaeliete verkoop, maar laat ons hand nie teen hom wees nie, want hy is ons broer, ons vlees. En sy broers het na hom geluister.28 En toe die Midianitiese koopmans verbykom, het hulle Josef uit die put uit opgetrek en uitgehaal en Josef aan die Ismaeliete verkoop vir twintig sikkels silwer. En hulle het Josef na Egipte gebring.29 Toe Ruben by die put terugkom, was Josef nie in die put nie! Daarop skeur hy sy klere,30 en hy gaan na sy broers terug en sê: Die seun is nie daar nie! En ek, waar moet ek heen?31 Toe neem hulle Josef se rok, en hulle slag 'n bok en steek die rok in die bloed,32 en hulle stuur die lang rok weg en laat dit na hulle vader bring met die woorde: Dit het ons gevind. Kyk tog goed of dit die rok van u seun is of nie.33 En hy het dit herken en gesê: Die rok van my seun! 'n Wilde dier het hom opgeëet. Verskeur, verskeur is Josef!34 Toe skeur Jakob sy klere en trek 'n roukleed om sy heupe, en hy het oor sy seun gerou, baie dae lank.35 En al sy seuns en al sy dogters het moeite gedoen om hom te troos, maar hy het geweier om hom te laat troos en gesê: Nee, treurende sal ek na my seun in die doderyk afdaal! So het sy vader hom dan beween.36 En die Midianiete het hom na Egipte verkoop aan Potifar, 'n hofdienaar van Farao, die owerste van die lyfwag.