Jakob bosatte seg i Kanaan, det landet hvor hans far hadde bodd som fremmed.

Jacob settled in the land where his father had sojourned, the land of Canaan.

Dette er historien om Jakobs slekt: Josef, sytten år gammel, var sammen med sine brødre og gjette flokken. Han var ung og var med sønnene til Bilha og Zilpa, hans fars hustruer. Josef brakte deres onde rykte til sin far.

This is the account of Jacob: Joseph, a seventeen-year-old youth, was shepherding the flock with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father.

Israel elsket Josef mer enn alle sine andre sønner, fordi han var en sønn av hans alderdom, og han laget en vakker kjortel til ham.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the child of his old age, and he made him a robe of many colors.

Da brødrene så at deres far elsket Josef mest, hatet de ham og kunne ikke snakke vennlig til ham.

But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all of them, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

Josef hadde en drøm og fortalte det til sine brødre. De hate ham enda mer.

One time Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.

Han sa til dem: "Hør, jeg ber dere, på denne drømmen som jeg har hatt.

Joseph said to them, "Please listen to this dream I had.

Vi bandt kornbånd ute på marken, og plutselig reiste mitt kornbånd seg og sto oppreist, mens deres bånd sirklet rundt og bøyde seg for min."

"We were binding sheaves in the field when suddenly my sheaf stood up and remained upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine."

Brødrene sa til ham: "Skal du virkelig bli konge over oss? Eller skal du virkelig herske over oss?" Og de hatet ham enda mer for hans drømmer og for hva han sa.

His brothers said to him, "Do you really think you will reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him even more for his dreams and his words.

Josef hadde enda en drøm som han fortalte til sine brødre: "Se, jeg drømte en ny drøm. Solen, månen og elleve stjerner bøyde seg for meg."

Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. He said, "Look, I had another dream, and this time the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

Han fortalte også drømmen til sin far og sine brødre, og hans far irettesatte ham og sa: "Hva er denne drømmen du har hatt? Skal jeg, din mor og dine brødre virkelig komme og bøye oss ned til jorden for deg?"

When he told the dream to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, asking, "What kind of dream is this that you have had? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to the ground before you?"

Hans brødre ble misunnelige på ham, men hans far holdt saken i minne.

His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

En dag dro brødrene av sted for å gjete deres fars flokk i Sikem.

Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem.

Israel sa til Josef: "Er ikke dine brødre i Sikem og gjeter? Kom, jeg vil sende deg til dem." Josef svarte: "Her er jeg."

Israel said to Joseph, "Aren’t your brothers shepherding the flock at Shechem? Go, and I will send you to them." Joseph replied, "Here I am."

Da sa Israel: "Gå og se om det står bra til med brødrene dine og flokken, og kom tilbake til meg med en rapport." Så sendte han Josef fra Hebrons dal, og Josef dro til Sikem.

So Israel said to him, "Go now and see if everything is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me back a report." Then he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and Joseph went to Shechem.

En mann fant ham mens han vandret omkring på marken, og mannen spurte ham: "Hva leter du etter?"

A man found him wandering in the field and asked him, "What are you looking for?"

Josef svarte: "Jeg leter etter brødrene mine. Kan du fortelle meg hvor de gjeter?"

He replied, "I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are shepherding."

Mannen svarte: "De har reist videre herfra. Jeg hørte dem si: 'La oss dra til Dotan.'" Så gikk Josef etter brødrene og fant dem i Dotan.

The man said, "They have moved on from here, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

Da de så ham på avstand, la de planer om å drepe ham før han kom nær dem.

They saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they conspired to kill him.

De sa til hverandre: "Se, den drømmeren kommer.

They said to one another, "Look, here comes the dreamer!"

Kom, la oss drepe ham og kaste ham i en av brønnene. Vi kan si at et villdyr har slukt ham. La oss få se hva det blir av drømmene hans da!"

Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a wild animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams."

Men da Ruben hørte dette, ønsket han å redde ham fra deres hender og sa: "La oss ikke ta livet av ham."

But Reuben heard this and tried to rescue him from their hands. He said, "Let us not take his life."

Ruben sa: "Spill ikke blod. Kast ham i denne brønnen i ørkenen, men legg ikke hånd på ham." Han ønsket å redde ham og bringe ham tilbake til sin far.

Reuben also said to them, "Do not shed any blood. Throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him." He said this intending to rescue him from their hands in order to return him to his father.

Da Josef kom til brødrene, tok de av ham kjortelen, den vakre kjortelen han hadde på seg.

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing.

De grep ham og kastet ham i brønnen. Brønnen var tom, det var ikke vann i den.

Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Så satte de seg ned for å spise. Da de løftet øynene, så de en karavane med ismaelitter på vei fra Gilead. Kameler bar krydder, balsam og myrrha, og de var på vei til Egypt.

As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm, and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

Juda sa til sine brødre: "Hva tjener det til at vi dreper vår bror og dekker over blodet hans?

Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

Kom, la oss selge ham til ismaelittene, så legger vi ikke hånd på ham. Han er jo vår bror, vårt eget kjød." Brødrene hørte på ham.

Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.

Da midianittiske handelsfolk kom forbi, dro de Josef opp fra brønnen og solgte ham for tjue sjekel sølv til ismaelittene. De tok Josef med til Egypt.

When the Midianite merchants passed by, they pulled Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

Da Ruben vendte tilbake til brønnen og så at Josef ikke var der, rev han klærne sine i sorg.

When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.

Han gikk tilbake til sine brødre og sa: "Gutten er borte! Hva skal jeg gjøre nå?"

He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone! What am I going to do?"

De tok Josefs kjortel, slaktet en geitebukk og dyppet kjortelen i blodet.

Then they took Joseph's tunic, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.

Deretter sendte de den vakre kjortelen til sin far og sa: "Vi har funnet dette. Vær så snill å undersøke om det er din sønns kjortel."

They sent the ornate tunic to their father and said, "We found this. Please examine it to see whether it is your son's tunic or not."

Han undersøkte den og sa: "Det er min sønns kjortel! Et vilt dyr har sikkert slukt ham. Josef er revet i stykker.”

He recognized it and said, "It is my son's tunic! A wild animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces."

Jakob rev klærne sine, kledde seg i sekkestrie og sørget over sin sønn i mange dager.

Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son for many days.

Alle hans sønner og døtre kom for å trøste ham, men han nektet å la seg trøste. Han sa: "Jeg vil sørge over min sønn inntil jeg går ned til graven." Og hans far gråt over ham.

All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, "I will go down to Sheol mourning my son." And his father wept for him.

I mellomtiden hadde midianittene solgt Josef til Potifar, en embetsmann hos Farao, hoffsjefen.

Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard.