Chapter Overview
Jacob (No wait… Israel (No no, Jacob, really)) has a son he loves. He gives him a coat and Jacob starts getting a swelled head due to some dreams he has. His brothers hate him and then toss him into a pit. Thinking a little further ahead, they sell him into slavery and pretend that he was eaten by some animal. Jacob is inconsolable due to this.
Additional Notes
This is a great chapter if you’re looking for bad decisions. Why did they do any of this? Did anyone think more than 2 minutes ahead?
Chapter 37: Beginning of the Musical
AKA: Do You Want to Sell Your Brother?
- And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
- These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
- Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
- And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
- And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
- And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
- For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
- 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.
- And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
- 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?
- And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
- And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
- And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
- And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
- And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
- And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
- 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.
- And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
- And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
- Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
- And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
- And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.
- And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
- And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
- And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
- And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
- Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
- Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
- And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
- And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
- And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
- And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.
- And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
- And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
- 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 into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
- And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.
- Didn’t his father LIVE in Canaa, just like AbramHam did?
- Thankfully, this one doesn’t kick off a genealogy like I feared it might.
- Sounds like favoritism to me. Also, note the inconsistent, random name change again.
- Doesn’t quite seem like a measured response.
- Must have been a good dream
- Don’t do it!
- Yeah, telling people that they should bow down to you really doesn’t go over well.
- Dudes, chill, it’s literally just a dream. If Joseph is the youngest, let him dream.
- Sounds like he has a big opinion of himself.
- At least he’s mostly chill about it. Just says no.
- So… doesn’t care?
- aight.
- Gwan, git to work!
- Just wants Jaseph to check up on the others.
- Random dude shows up.
- Talking to strangers is a good thing, kids!
- How does this guy know where to find them anyways? This sounds like as convenient a plot device as any.
- Killing your brother seems a little much for him having big dreams.
- And now they decide to mock him.
- Again with wanting to kill him. Are we supposed to emulate this thinking in our day to day life? It IS in the bible afterall…
- Finally, a voice of reason.
- This is confusingly worded. Reuben wants to toss him in a pit so Reuben can come back later and free Joseph.
- How rude!
- At least he didn’t get wet.
- Sounds like a plot device to me.
- There’s a reasonable question. I think I found the Chaotic Neutral one of the party.
- Or maybe he’s Chaotic evil? I’m not sure. Could be Neutral evil…
- Is this worth more than Jesus because of the time period? Jesus was sold for 30 “pieces of silver” later.
- Oh no, if only he could have anticipated his brothers wanting to get rid of Joseph somehow…
- Did they not think this through? Just tell Reuben that something fell in the pit and ate Joseph.
- Seems a bit dramatic.
- I’m pretty sure the way that they phrase this would light off warning bells to anyone.
- nom nom nom
- He’s saddened by the loss… if only the brothers could have seen this coming! Who knew death caused sorrow? Also, looks like he’s being called Jacob again.
- Dang dude, you have a lot of life ahead of you. You’ll get over it.
- mmkay.