1Jacó habitou na terra de Canaã, onde seu pai tinha vivido como estrangeiro.2Esta é a história da família de Jacó: Quando José tinha dezessete anos, pastoreava os rebanhos com os seus irmãos. Ajudava os filhos de Bila e os filhos de Zilpa, mulheres de seu pai; e contava ao pai a má fama deles.3Ora, Israel gostava mais de José do que de qualquer outro filho, porque lhe havia nascido em sua velhice; por isso mandou fazer para ele uma túnica longa[1].4Quando os seus irmãos viram que o pai gostava mais dele do que de qualquer outro filho, odiaram-no e não conseguiam falar com ele amigavelmente.5Certa vez, José teve um sonho e, quando o contou a seus irmãos, eles passaram a odiá-lo ainda mais.6“Ouçam o sonho que tive”, disse-lhes.7“Estávamos amarrando os feixes de trigo no campo, quando o meu feixe se levantou e ficou em pé, e os seus feixes se ajuntaram ao redor do meu e se curvaram diante dele.”8Seus irmãos lhe disseram: “Então você vai reinar sobre nós? Quer dizer que você vai nos governar?” E o odiaram ainda mais, por causa do sonho e do que tinha dito.9Depois teve outro sonho e o contou aos seus irmãos: “Tive outro sonho, e desta vez o sol, a lua e onze estrelas se curvavam diante de mim”.10Quando o contou ao pai e aos irmãos, o pai o repreendeu e lhe disse: “Que sonho foi esse que você teve? Será que eu, sua mãe, e seus irmãos viremos a nos curvar até o chão diante de você?”11Assim seus irmãos tiveram ciúmes dele; o pai, no entanto, refletia naquilo.
Vendido pelos Irmãos
12Os irmãos de José tinham ido cuidar dos rebanhos do pai, perto de Siquém,13e Israel disse a José: “Como você sabe, seus irmãos estão apascentando os rebanhos perto de Siquém. Quero que você vá até lá”. “Sim, senhor”, respondeu ele.14Disse-lhe o pai: “Vá ver se está tudo bem com os seus irmãos e com os rebanhos, e traga-me notícias”. Jacó o enviou quando estava no vale de Hebrom. Mas José se perdeu quando se aproximava de Siquém;15um homem o encontrou vagueando pelos campos e lhe perguntou: “Que é que você está procurando?”16Ele respondeu: “Procuro meus irmãos. Pode me dizer onde eles estão apascentando os rebanhos?”17Respondeu o homem: “Eles já partiram daqui. Eu os ouvi dizer: ‘Vamos para Dotã’ ”. Assim José foi em busca dos seus irmãos e os encontrou perto de Dotã.18Mas eles o viram de longe e, antes que chegasse, planejaram matá-lo.19“Lá vem aquele sonhador!”, diziam uns aos outros.20“É agora! Vamos matá-lo e jogá-lo num destes poços, e diremos que um animal selvagem o devorou. Veremos então o que será dos seus sonhos.”21Quando Rúben ouviu isso, tentou livrá-lo das mãos deles, dizendo: “Não lhe tiremos a vida!”22E acrescentou: “Não derramem sangue. Joguem-no naquele poço no deserto, mas não toquem nele”. Rúben propôs isso com a intenção de livrá-lo e levá-lo de volta ao pai.23Chegando José, seus irmãos lhe arrancaram a túnica longa,24agarraram-no e o jogaram no poço, que estava vazio e sem água.25Ao se assentarem para comer, viram ao longe uma caravana de ismaelitas que vinha de Gileade. Seus camelos estavam carregados de especiarias, bálsamo e mirra, que eles levavam para o Egito.26Judá disse então a seus irmãos: “Que ganharemos se matarmos o nosso irmão e escondermos o seu sangue?27Vamos vendê-lo aos ismaelitas. Não tocaremos nele, afinal é nosso irmão, é nosso próprio sangue[2]”. E seus irmãos concordaram.28Quando os mercadores ismaelitas de Midiã se aproximaram, seus irmãos tiraram José do poço e o venderam por vinte peças de prata aos ismaelitas, que o levaram para o Egito.29Quando Rúben voltou ao poço e viu que José não estava lá, rasgou suas vestes30e, voltando a seus irmãos, disse: “O jovem não está lá! Para onde irei agora?”31Então eles mataram um bode, mergulharam no sangue a túnica de José32e a mandaram ao pai com este recado: “Achamos isto. Veja se é a túnica de teu filho”.33Ele a reconheceu e disse: “É a túnica de meu filho! Um animal selvagem o devorou! José foi despedaçado!”34Então Jacó rasgou suas vestes, vestiu-se de pano de saco e chorou muitos dias por seu filho.35Todos os seus filhos e filhas vieram consolá-lo, mas ele recusou ser consolado, dizendo: “Não! Chorando descerei à sepultura[3] para junto de meu filho”. E continuou a chorar por ele.36Nesse meio-tempo, no Egito, os midianitas venderam José a Potifar, oficial do faraó e capitão da guarda.
1Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. (Gn 36:7)2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. (1 Sm 2:23)3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.[1] (Gn 37:23; Gn 37:32; Gn 44:20)4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.5Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.6He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed:7Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Gn 42:6; Gn 42:9; Gn 43:26; Gn 44:14)8His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.9Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” (Gn 35:18; Gn 37:7; Gn 37:9)11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. (Lc 2:19; Lc 2:51; At 7:9)
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. (Gn 33:18)13And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”14So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. (Gn 13:18; Gn 35:27)15And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?”16“I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.”17And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. (2 Rs 6:13)18They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. (Sl 37:12; Sl 37:32)19They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.20Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.[2] Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” (Gn 37:26)21But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” (Gn 42:22)22And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. (Gn 37:29)23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. (Gn 37:3)24And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. (Jr 38:6; Lm 3:53)25Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. (Gn 37:28; Gn 37:36; Gn 39:1; Gn 43:11; Jó 6:19; Is 21:13; Jr 8:22; Jr 46:11)26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? (Gn 37:20)27Come, 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. (1 Sm 18:17)28Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels[3] of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. (Gn 37:36; Gn 45:4; Jz 8:22; Jz 8:24; Sl 105:17; At 7:9)29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes (Gn 44:13; Nm 14:6; 2 Sm 1:11; 2 Sm 3:31; Jó 1:20)30and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” (Gn 42:13; Gn 42:32; Gn 42:36; Gn 44:31; Jr 31:15; Lm 5:7)31Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. (Gn 37:23)32And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.”33And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” (Gn 37:20; Gn 44:28)34Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.35All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. (Gn 42:38; Gn 44:29; Gn 44:31; 2 Sm 12:17)36Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. (Gn 37:25; Gn 37:28; Gn 39:1; Gn 40:3; Gn 41:10; Gn 41:12)