1
And at the revolution of the year the sons of Ya’aqov journeyed from Shekhem, and they came to Chevron, to their father Yitschaq, and they lived there, but their flocks and herds they fed daily in Shekhem, for there was there in those days good and fat pasture, and Ya’aqov and his sons and all their household lived in the valley of Chevron.
2
And it was in those days, in that year, being the hundred and sixth year of the life of Ya’aqov, in the tenth year of Ya’aqov's coming from Padan-aram, that Le’ah the wife of Ya’aqov died; she was fifty-one years old when she died in Chevron.
3
And Ya’aqov and his sons buried her in the cave of the field of Makhpelah, which is in Chevron, which Avraham had bought from the children of Heth, for the possession of a burial place.
4
And the sons of Ya’aqov lived with their father in the valley of Chevron, and all the inhabitants of the land knew their strength and their fame went throughout the land.
5
And Yoseph the son of Ya’aqov, and his brother Binyamin, the sons of Rachel, the wife of Ya’aqov, were yet young in those days, and did not go out with their brethren during their battles in all the cities of the Emoriym.
6
And when Yoseph saw the strength of his brethren, and their greatness, he praised them and extolled them, but he ranked himself greater than them, and extolled himself above them; and Ya’aqov, his father, also loved him more than any of his sons, for he was a son of his old age, and through his love toward him, he made him a coat of many colors.
7
And when Yoseph saw that his father loved him more than his brethren, he continued to exalt himself above his brethren, and he brought to his father evil reports concerning them.
8
And the sons of Ya’aqov seeing the whole of Yoseph's conduct toward them, and that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him all the days.
9
And Yoseph was seventeen years old, and he was still magnifying himself above his brethren, and thought of raising himself above them.
10
At that time he dreamed a dream, and he came to his brothers and told them his dream, and he said to them, I dreamed a dream, and behold we were all binding sheaves in the field, and my sheaf rose and placed itself upon the ground and your sheaves surrounded it and bowed down to it.
11
And his brethren answered him and said to him, What means this dream that you did dream? do you imagine in your heart to reign or rule over us?
12
And he still came, and told the thing to his father Ya’aqov, and Ya’aqov kissed Yoseph when he heard these words from his mouth, and Ya’aqov blessed Yoseph.
13
And when the sons of Ya’aqov saw that their father had blessed Yoseph and had kissed him, and that he loved him exceedingly, they became jealous of him and hated him the more.
14
And after this Yoseph dreamed another dream and related the dream to his father in the presence of his brethren, and Yoseph said to his father and brethren, Behold I have again dreamed a dream, and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.
15
And his father heard the words of Yoseph and his dream, and seeing that his brethren hated Yoseph on account of this matter, Ya’aqov therefore rebuked Yoseph before his brethren on account of this thing, saying, What means this dream which you have dreamed, and this magnifying yourself before your brethren who are older than you are?
16
Do you imagine in your heart that I and your mother and your eleven brethren will come and bow down to you, that you speak these things?
17
And his brethren were jealous of him on account of his words and dreams, and they continued to hate him, and Ya’aqov reserved the dreams in his heart.
18
And the sons of Ya’aqov went one day to feed their father's flock in Shekhem, for they were still herdsmen in those days; and while the sons of Ya’aqov were that day feeding in Shekhem they delayed, and the time of gathering in the cattle was passed, and they had not arrived.
19
And Ya’aqov saw that his sons were delayed in Shekhem, and Ya’aqov said within himself, Peradventure the people of Shekhem have risen up to fight against them, therefore they have delayed coming this day.
20
And Ya’aqov called Yoseph his son and commanded him, saying, Behold your brethren are feeding in Shekhem this day, and behold they have not yet come back; go now therefore and see where they are, and bring me word back concerning the welfare of your brethren and the welfare of the flock.
21
And Ya’aqov sent his son Yoseph to the valley of Chevron, and Yoseph came for his brothers to Shekhem, and could not find them, and Yoseph went about the field which was near Shekhem, to see where his brothers had turned, and he missed his road in the wilderness, and knew not which way he should go.
22
And an mal’akh of Yahuah found him wandering in the road toward the field, and Yoseph said to the mal’akh of Yahuah, I seek my brethren; have you not heard where they are feeding? and the mal’akh of Yahuah said to Yoseph, I saw your brethren feeding here, and I heard them say they would go to feed in Dothan.
23
And Yoseph listened to the voice of the mal’akh of Yahuah, and he went to his brethren in Dothan and he found them in Dothan feeding the flock.
24
And Yoseph advanced to his brethren, and before he had come near to them, they had resolved to slay him.
25
And Shim’on said to his brethren, Behold the man of dreams is coming to us this day, and now therefore come and let us kill him and cast him in one of the pits that are in the wilderness, and when his father shall seek him from us, we will say an evil beast has devoured him.
26
And Re’uven heard the words of his brethren concerning Yoseph, and he said to them, You should not do this thing, for how can we look up to our father Ya’aqov? Cast him into this pit to die there, but stretch not forth a hand upon him to spill his blood; and Re’uven said this in order to deliver him from their hand, to bring him back to his father.
27
And when Yoseph came to his brethren he sat before them, and they rose upon him and seized him and struck him to the earth, and stripped the coat of many colors which he had on.
28
And they took him and cast him into a pit, and in the pit there was no water, but serpents and scorpions. And Yoseph was afraid of the serpents and scorpions that were in the pit. And Yoseph cried out with a loud voice, and Yahuah hid the serpents and scorpions in the sides of the pit, and they did no harm to Yoseph.
29
And Yoseph called out from the pit to his brethren, and said to them, What have I done to you, and in what have I sinned? why do you not fear Yahuah concerning me? am I not of your bones and flesh, and is not Ya’aqov your father, my father? why do you do this thing to me this day, and how will you be able to look up to our father Ya’aqov?
30
And he continued to cry out and call to his brethren from the pit, and he said, O Yehudah, Shim’on, and Levi, my brethren, lift me up from the place of darkness in which you have placed me, and come this day to have compassion on me, you children of Yahuah, and sons of Ya’aqov my father. And if I have sinned to you, are you not the sons of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’aqov? if they saw an orphan they had compassion over him, or one that was hungry, they gave him bread to eat, or one that was thirsty, they gave him water to drink, or one that was naked, they covered him with garments!
31
And how then will you withhold your pity from your brother, for I am of your flesh and bones, and if I have sinned to you, surely you will do this on account of my father!
32
And Yoseph spoke these words from the pit, and his brethren could not listen to him, nor incline their ears to the words of Yoseph, and Yoseph was crying and weeping in the pit.
33
And Yoseph said, O that my father knew, this day, the act which my brothers have done to me, and the words which they have this day spoken to me.
34
And all his brethren heard his cries and weeping in the pit, and his brethren went and removed themselves from the pit, so that they might not hear the cries of Yoseph and his weeping in the pit.