Genesis 37-41

American Standard Version

37 And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. ² These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto their father. ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him ^[a]a coat of many colors. ⁴ And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren; and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

⁵ And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. ⁶ And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: ⁷ for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves came round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. ⁸ 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. ⁹ And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me. ¹⁰ And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? ¹¹ And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind.

¹² And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. ¹³ And Israel said unto Joseph, Are not thy brethren feeding the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. ¹⁴ And he said to him, Go now, see whether it is well with thy brethren, and well with the flock; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. ¹⁵ And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: 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 are feeding the flock. ¹⁷ And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

¹⁸ And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. ¹⁹ And they said one to another, Behold, this ^[b]dreamer cometh. ²⁰ Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become 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 unto them, Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him: that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. ²³ And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him; ²⁴ and they took him, and cast him into the pit: and 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 was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing ^[c]spicery and ^[d]balm and ^[e]myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. ²⁶ And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? ²⁷ Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened unto him. ²⁸ And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.

²⁹ And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. ³⁰ And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? ³¹ And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood; ³² and they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, This have we found: know now whether it is thy son’s coat or not. ³³ And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces. ³⁴ And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon 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 he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him. ³⁶ And the ^[f]Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the ^[g]captain of the guard.

38 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ² And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her. ³ And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. ⁴ And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. ⁵ And she yet again bare a son, and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. ⁶ And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar. ⁷ And Er, Judah’s first-born, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah slew him. ⁸ And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother. ⁹ And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. ¹⁰ And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and he slew him also. ¹¹ Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown up; for he said, Lest he also die, like his brethren. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

¹² And in process of time Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³ And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep. ¹⁴ And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee: for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? ¹⁷ And he said, I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? ¹⁸ And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. ²⁰ And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not. ²¹ Then he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the ^[h]prostitute, that was at Enaim by the wayside? And they said, There hath been no prostitute here. ²² And he returned to Judah, and said, I have not found her; and also the men of the place said, There hath been no prostitute here. ²³ And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be put to shame: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

²⁴ And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. ²⁵ When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff. ²⁶ And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She is more righteous than I, forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more. ²⁷ And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. ²⁸ And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. ²⁹ And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, ^[i]Wherefore hast thou made a breach for thyself? therefore his name was called ^[j]Perez. ³⁰ And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zerah.

39 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, that had brought him down thither. ² And Jehovah was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. ³ And his master saw that Jehovah was with him, and that Jehovah made all that he did to prosper in his hand. ⁴ And Joseph found favor in his sight, and he ministered unto him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. ⁵ And it came to pass from the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that Jehovah blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of Jehovah was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. ⁶ And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and ^[k]he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was comely, and well-favored. ⁷ And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. ⁸ But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master ^[l]knoweth not what is with me in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand: ⁹ he is not greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? ¹⁰ And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. ¹¹ And it came to pass about this time, that he went into the house to do his work; and there was none of the men of the house there within. ¹² And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. ¹³ And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, ¹⁴ that she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us: he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: ¹⁵ and it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled, and got him out. ¹⁶ And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home. ¹⁷ And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, whom thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: ¹⁸ and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled out.

¹⁹ And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. ²⁰ And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. ²¹ But Jehovah was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²² And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. ²³ The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand, because Jehovah was with him; and that which he did, Jehovah made it to prosper.

40 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. ² And Pharaoh was wroth against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. ³ And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. ⁴ And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto them: and they continued a season in ward. ⁵ And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. ⁶ And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, they were sad. ⁷ And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in ward in his master’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sad to-day? ⁸ And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray you.

⁹ And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; ¹⁰ and in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and its blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: ¹¹ and Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. ¹² And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; ¹³ within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and restore thee unto thine office: and thou shalt give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. ¹⁴ But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: ¹⁵ for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.

¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head: ¹⁷ and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked food for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. ¹⁸ And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: the three baskets are three days; ¹⁹ within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. ²⁰ And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and the head of the chief baker among his servants. ²¹ And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand: ²² but he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. ²³ Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.

41 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the ^[m]river. ² And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, well-favored and fat-fleshed; and they fed in the reed-grass. ³ And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. ⁴ And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. ⁵ And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of grain came up upon one stalk, ^[n]rank and good. ⁶ And, behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. ⁷ And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. ⁸ And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the ^[o]magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

⁹ Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I ^[p]do remember my faults this day: ¹⁰ Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker: ¹¹ and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. ¹² And there was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. ¹³ And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; ^[q]me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. ¹⁵ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it. ¹⁶ And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. ¹⁷ And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink of the river: ¹⁸ and, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well-favored; and they fed in the reed-grass: ¹⁹ and, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: ²⁰ and the lean and ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: ²¹ and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke. ²² And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up upon one stalk, full and good: ²³ and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: ²⁴ and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears: and I told it unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.

²⁵ And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: what God is about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh. ²⁶ The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. ²⁷ And the seven lean and ill-favored kine that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be seven years of famine. ²⁸ That is the thing which I spake unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do he hath showed unto Pharaoh. ²⁹ Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: ³⁰ and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; ³¹ and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous. ³² And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. ³³ Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. ³⁵ And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. ³⁶ And the food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

³⁷ And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. ³⁸ And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is? ³⁹ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou: ⁴⁰ thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people ^[r]be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. ⁴¹ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. ⁴² And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of ^[s]fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; ⁴³ and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, ^[t]Bow the knee: and he set him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷ And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. ⁴⁸ And he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. ⁴⁹ And Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left off numbering; for it was without number. ⁵⁰ And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bare unto him. ⁵¹ And Joseph called the name of the first-born ^[u]Manasseh: For, said he, God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house. ⁵² And the name of the second called he ^[v]Ephraim: For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. ⁵³ And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to an end. ⁵⁴ And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said: and there was famine in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵ And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. ⁵⁶ And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the store-houses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷ And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was sore in all the earth.