1 Jokūbas apsigyveno Kanaano šalyje, kur jo tėvas buvo ateivis.

2 Tokia yra Jokūbo istorija. Juozapas, būdamas septyniolikos metų, ganė su savo broliais avis; vaikinas gyveno su savo tėvo žmonų Bilhos ir Zilpos sūnumis. Juozapas pranešdavo tėvui, kai jie ką pikta kalbėdavo.

3 Izraelis mylėjo Juozapą labiau už kitus savo sūnus, nes jis gimė jam sulaukus žilos senatvės. Tėvas jam padarė margą apdarą.

4 Jo broliai, pastebėję, kad jų tėvas Juozapą myli labiau už visus brolius, neapkentė jo ir nesugyveno su juo.

5 Kartą Juozapas sapnavo sapną ir jį papasakojo savo broliams. Tada jie ėmė dar labiau jo nekęsti.

6 Jis jiems tarė: "Pasiklausykite mano sapno:

7 štai mes rišome pėdus laukuose; mano pėdas atsistojo ir stovėjo tiesus, o jūsų pėdai sustojo aplinkui ir nusilenkė prieš mano pėdą".

8 Broliai jam atsakė: "Bene būsi mūsų karalius? O gal mus valdysi?" Ir jie dar labiau jo neapkentė dėl jo sapnų ir jo kalbų.

9 Jis sapnavo dar kitą sapną ir papasakojo savo broliams: "Sapnavau dar vieną sapną, kad saulė, mėnulis ir vienuolika žvaigždžių lenkėsi prieš mane".

10 Kai jis papasakojo tą sapną savo tėvui ir savo broliams, tėvas jį subarė: "Koks čia sapnas! Nejaugi aš, tavo motina ir broliai ateisime ir nusilenksime iki žemės prieš tave?"

11 Jo broliai pavydėjo jam, bet tėvas įsidėmėjo tuos žodžius.

12 Kartą jo broliai ganė tėvo avis prie Sichemo.

13 Tėvas tarė Juozapui: "Ar tavo broliai negano prie Sichemo? Eikš, aš tave pasiųsiu pas juos!" Jis atsiliepė: "Aš čia!"

14 "Eik, pažiūrėk, kaip tavo broliams ten sekasi, ir parėjęs pranešk man". Taigi tėvas išsiuntė Juozapą iš Hebrono slėnio į Sichemą.

15 Vienas vyras sutiko Juozapą beklaidžiojantį lauke ir paklausė: "Ko ieškai?"

16 Jis atsakė: "Ieškau savo brolių. Pasakyk man, kur jie gano?"

17 Tas vyras atsakė: "Jie išėjo iš čia. Nugirdau juos kalbant: ‘Eikime į Dotaną’ ". Juozapas ėjo paskui savo brolius ir rado juos Dotane.

18 Jie, iš tolo pamatę jį ateinant, slapta susimokė jį nužudyti.

19 Jie sakė vienas kitam: "Štai ateina sapnuotojas!

20 Dabar užmuškime jį, įmeskime į duobę ir sakykime: ‘Plėšrus žvėris jį suėdė’; tada pamatysime, kas bus iš jo sapnų!"

21 Bet Rubenas, tai išgirdęs, išgelbėjo jį iš jų rankų, sakydamas: "Nežudykime jo.

22 Nepraliekite kraujo! Įmeskite jį į šitą dykumoje esančią duobę, bet nesutepkite savo rankų!" Jis taip kalbėjo, norėdamas jį išgelbėti iš jų rankų ir sugrąžinti tėvui.

23 Juozapui atėjus pas brolius, jie nutraukė nuo jo margąjį apdarą, kuriuo jis vilkėjo,

24 ir, sugriebę jį, įmetė į duobę, kurioje nebuvo vandens.

25 Tada jie susėdo valgyti. Staiga jie pamatė izmaelitų karavaną, ateinantį iš Gileado, ir jų kupranugarius, nešančius kvepalų, balzamo ir miros. Jie traukė į Egiptą.

26 Judas tarė savo broliams: "Ką laimėsime, užmušę savo brolį ir nuslėpę jo kraują?

27 Parduokime jį izmaelitams ir nesutepkime savo rankų. Juk jis mūsų brolis, mūsų kūnas!" Broliai paklausė jo.

28 Einant pro šalį Midjano pirkliams, jie, ištraukę Juozapą iš duobės, pardavė izmaelitams už dvidešimt sidabrinių; tie nusivedė Juozapą į Egiptą.

29 Rubenas, sugrįžęs prie duobės ir pamatęs, kad Juozapo nebėra, perplėšė savo drabužius.

30 Sugrįžęs pas brolius, tarė: "Vaiko nebėra! Kur aš eisiu!"

31 Jie paėmė Juozapo apdarą ir, papjovę ožį, tą apdarą pamirkė jo kraujyje

32 ir pasiuntė jį tėvui, sakydami: "Štai ką radome. Pažiūrėk, ar tai ne tavo sūnaus apdaras?"

33 Pažinęs jį, tėvas tarė: "Tai mano sūnaus apdaras! Plėšrus žvėris jį suėdė! Juozapas tikrai sudraskytas!"

34 Jokūbas persiplėšė drabužius, užsivilko ašutinę ir daugelį dienų gedėjo savo sūnaus.

35 Visi jo sūnūs ir dukterys guodė jį, tačiau jis nesidavė guodžiamas ir tarė: "Aš gedėdamas nueisiu į mirusiųjų buveinę pas savo sūnų". Taip jį apraudojo jo tėvas.

36 Tuo metu midjaniečiai Egipte pardavė jį Potifarui, faraono rūmų valdininkui, sargybos viršininkui.

1 Now Jacob was living in the land where his father had made a place for himself, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, a boy seventeen years old, was looking after the flock, together with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph gave their father a bad account of them.

3 Now the love which Israel had for Joseph was greater than his love for all his other children, because he got him when he was an old man: and he had a long coat made for him.

4 And because his brothers saw that Joseph was dearer to his father than all the others, they were full of hate for him, and would not say a kind word to him.

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he gave his brothers an account of it, which made their hate greater than ever.

6 And he said to them, Let me give you the story of my dream.

7 We were in the field, getting the grain stems together, and my grain kept upright, and yours came round and went down on the earth before mine.

8 And his brothers said to him, Are you to be our king? will you have authority over us? And because of his dream and his words, their hate for him became greater than ever.

9 Then he had another dream, and gave his brothers an account of it, saying, I have had another dream: the sun and the moon and eleven stars gave honour to me.

10 And he gave word of it to his father and his brothers; but his father protesting said, What sort of a dream is this? am I and your mother and your brothers to go down on our faces to the earth before you?

11 And his brothers were full of envy; but his father kept his words in mind.

12 Now his brothers went to keep watch over their father's flock in Shechem.

13 And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers with the flock in Shechem? come, I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here am I.

14 And he said to him, Go now, and see if your brothers are well and how the flock is; then come back and give me word. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15 And a man saw him wandering in the country, and said to him, What are you looking for?

16 And he said, I am looking for my brothers; please give me word of where they are keeping their flock.

17 And the man said, They have gone away from here, for they said in my hearing, Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after them and came up with them at Dothan.

18 But they saw him when he was a long way off, and before he came near them they made a secret design against him to put him to death;

19 Saying to one another, See, here comes this dreamer.

20 Let us now put him to death and put his body into one of these holes, and we will say, An evil beast has put him to death: then we will see what becomes of his dreams.

21 But Reuben, hearing these words, got him out of their hands, saying, Let us not take his life.

22 Do not put him to a violent death, but let him be placed in one of the holes; this he said to keep him safe from their hands, with the purpose of taking him back to his father again.

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they took off his long coat which he had on;

24 And they took him and put him in the hole: now the hole had no water in it.

25 Then seating themselves, they took their meal: and looking up, they saw a travelling band of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead on their way to Egypt, with spices and perfumes on their camels.

26 And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there in putting our brother to death and covering up his blood?

27 Let us give him to these Ishmaelites for a price, and let us not put violent hands on him, for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers gave ear to him.

28 And some traders from Midian went by; so pulling Joseph up out of the hole, they gave him to the Ishmaelites for twenty bits of silver, and they took him to Egypt.

29 Now when Reuben came back to the hole, Joseph was not there; and giving signs of grief,

30 He went back to his brothers, and said, The child is gone; what am I to do?

31 Then they took Joseph's coat, and put on it some of the blood from a young goat which they had put to death,

32 And they took the coat to their father, and said, We came across this; is it your son's coat or not?

33 And he saw that it was, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has put him to death; without doubt Joseph has come to a cruel end.

34 Then Jacob, giving signs of grief, put on haircloth, and went on weeping for his son day after day.

35 And all his sons and all his daughters came to give him comfort, but he would not be comforted, saying with weeping, I will go down to the underworld to my son. So great was his father's sorrow for him.

36 And in Egypt the men of Midian gave him for a price to Potiphar, a captain of high position in Pharaoh's house.