1 And at the turn of the year, the sons of Ya’aqoḇ journeyed from Sheḵem and they came to Ḥeḇron, to their father Yitsḥaq, and they dwelt there. But their flocks and herds they fed daily in Sheḵem, for there was in those days good and rich pasture there, and Ya’aqoḇ and his sons and all their household dwelt in the valley of Ḥeḇron.
2 And it came to be in those days, in that year, being the hundred and sixth year of the life of Ya’aqoḇ, in the tenth year of Ya’aqoḇ’s coming from Paddan Aram, that Lĕ’ah the wife of Ya’aqoḇ died. She was fifty-one years old when she died in Ḥeḇron.
3 And Ya’aqoḇ and his sons buried her in the cave of the field of Maḵpĕlah, which is in Ḥeḇron, which Aḇraham had bought from the children of Ḥĕth, for the possession of a burial place.
4 And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ dwelt with their father in the valley of Ḥeḇron, and all the inhabitants of the land knew their strength and the report of them went throughout the land.
5 And Yosĕph son of Ya’aqoḇ, and his brother Binyamin, the sons of Raḥĕl, the wife of Ya’aqoḇ, were still young in those days, and did not go out with their brothers during their battles in all the cities of the Amorites.
6 And when Yosĕph saw the strength of his brothers, and their might, he praised them and exalted them, but he ranked himself greater than them, and exalted himself above them. And Ya’aqoḇ, 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 long robe.
7 And when Yosĕph saw that his father loved him more than his brothers, he continued to exalt himself above his brothers, and he brought evil reports to his father concerning them.
8 And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ seeing the whole of Yosĕph’s conduct toward them, and that their father loved him more than any of them, hated him and could not speak peaceably to him all the days.
9 And Yosĕph was seventeen years old, and he was still extolling himself above his brothers, 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 see, we were all binding sheaves in the field, and my sheaf rose and placed itself on the ground, and your sheaves surrounded it and bowed down to it.”
11 And his brothers answered him and said to him, “What does this dream mean that you dreamed? Do you think in your heart to reign or rule over us?”
12 And he even came, and told the matter to his father Ya’aqoḇ, and Ya’aqoḇ kissed Yosĕph when he heard these words from his mouth, and Ya’aqoḇ baraḵ Yosĕph.
13 And when the sons of Ya’aqoḇ saw that their father had baraḵ Yosĕph and had kissed him, and that he loved him exceedingly, they became jealous of him and hated him the more.
14 And after this Yosĕph dreamed another dream and related the dream to his father in the presence of his brothers. And Yosĕph said to his father and brothers, “Look, I have again dreamed a dream, and see, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
15 And his father heard the words of Yosĕph and his dream, and seeing that his brothers hated Yosĕph because of this matter, Ya’aqoḇ therefore rebuked Yosĕph before his brothers because of this matter, saying, “What does this dream mean which your have dreamed, and this magnifying of yourself before your brothers who are older than you?
16 “Do you think in your heart that I and your mother and your eleven brothers will come and bow down to you, that you speak these words?”
17 And his brothers were jealous of him because of his words and dreams, and they continued to hate him, but Ya’aqoḇ kept the dreams in his heart.
18 And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ went one day to feed their father’s flock in Sheḵem, for they were still herdsmen in those days. And while the sons of Ya’aqoḇ were feeding in Sheḵem that day they delayed, and the time of gathering in the cattle was passed, and they had not arrived.
19 And Ya’aqoḇ saw that his sons were delayed in Sheḵem, and Ya’aqoḇ said within himself, “Maybe the people of Sheḵem have risen up to fight against them, therefore they have delayed coming this day.”
20 And Ya’aqoḇ called Yosĕph his son and commanded him, saying, “Look, your brothers are feeding in Sheḵem this day, and see, they have not yet come back. Go now therefore and see where they are, and bring me word back concerning the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock.”
21 And Ya’aqoḇ sent his son Yosĕph to the valley of Ḥeḇron, and Yosĕph came for his brothers to Sheḵem, and could not find them. And Yosĕph went about the field which was near Sheḵem, to see where his brothers had turned, and he lost his way in the wilderness, and did not know which way he should go.
22 And a messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 found him wandering in the way toward the field, and Yosĕph said to the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “I seek my brothers; have you not heard where they are feeding?” And the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Yosĕph, “I saw your brothers feeding here, and I heard them say they would go to feed in Dothan.”
23 And Yosĕph listened to the voice of the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and he went to his brothers in Dothan, and he found them in Dothan feeding the flock.
24 And Yosĕph advanced to his brothers, but before he had come near to them, they had resolved to slay him.
25 And Shim’on said to his brothers, “Look, the man of dreams is coming to us this day. And now therefore come and let us kill him and throw him into 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’uḇĕn heard the words of his brothers concerning Yosĕph, and he said to them, “You should not do this matter, for how can we look up to our father Ya’aqoḇ? Throw him into this pit to die there, but do not stretch out a hand on him to spill his blood!” And Re’uḇĕn said this in order to deliver him from their hand, to bring him back to his father.
27 And when Yosĕph came to his brothers he sat before them, and they rose upon him and seized him and struck him to the earth, and stripped the long robe 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 Yosĕph was afraid of the serpents and scorpions that were in the pit. And Yosĕph cried out with a loud voice, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 hid the serpents and scorpions in the sides of the pit, and they did no harm to Yosĕph.
29 And Yosĕph called out from the pit to his brothers, and said to them, “What have I done to you, and in what have I sinned? Why do you not fear 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 concerning me? Am I not of your flesh and bones, and is not Ya’aqoḇ your father, my father? Why do you do this matter to me this day, and how will you be able to look up to our father Ya’aqoḇ?”
30 And he continued to cry out and call to his brothers from the pit, and he said, “O Yahuḏah, Shim’on, and Lĕwi, my brothers, lift me up from the place of darkness in which you have put me, and come this day to have compassion on me, you children of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and sons of Ya’aqoḇ my father. And if I have sinned toward you, are you not the sons of Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Ya’aqoḇ? If they saw an orphan they had compassion on 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 toward you, indeed will you do this because of my father?”
32 And Yosĕph spoke these words from the pit, but his brothers would not listen to him, nor incline their ears to the words of Yosĕph. And Yosĕph was crying and weeping in the pit.
33 And Yosĕph said, “O that my father knew, this day, the deed which my brothers have done to me, and the words which they have spoken to me this day.”
34 And all his brothers heard his cries and weeping in the pit, and his brothers went and removed themselves from the pit, so that they might not hear the cries of Yosĕph and his weeping in the pit.