Génesis 37

1Habitó Jacob en la tierra de las peregrinaciones de su padre, en la tierra de Canaán.

2He aquí la historia de Jacob. Cuando José tenía diez y siete años, apacentaba con sus hermanos los rebaños, y por ser todavía joven, estaba con los hijos de Bilhá y los hijos de Silfá, mujeres de su padre; y dio José noticia de la mala fama que ellos tenían.

3Israel amaba a José más que a todos sus hermanos, por ser el hijo de su vejez; y le había hecho un traje talar.

4Viendo, pues, sus hermanos que su padre le amaba más que a todos sus hermanos, cobraron tal odio contra él que no podían hablarle en paz.

5Tuvo José un sueño, que contó a sus hermanos, por lo cual le odiaron más todavía.

6Les dijo: “Escuchad este sueño que he soñado.

7Estábamos atando gavillas en el campo, y vi cómo se levantaba mi gavilla y se mantenía derecha, mientras que vuestras gavillas la rodeaban, y se postraban ante mi gavilla.”

8Le dijeron sus hermanos: “¿Quieres acaso reinar sobre nosotros o dominarnos por completo?” De modo que le odiaron aún más a causa de sus sueños y sus palabras.

9Tuvo, además otro sueño, y lo contó a sus hermanos diciendo: “Mirad, he tenido otro sueño más: el sol y la luna y once estrellas se postraban delante de mí.”

10Lo contó a su padre y a sus hermanos, por lo cual su padre le reprendió, diciendo: “¿Qué sueño es este que has soñado? ¿Debemos acaso venir, yo y tu madre y tus hermanos, y postrarnos en tierra delante de ti?”

11Y sus hermanos le tenían envidia, mas su padre reflexionaba sobre lo sucedido.

12Los hermanos de José fueron a apacentar los rebaños de su padre en Siquem,

13y dijo Israel a José: “¿No están tus hermanos pastoreando en Siquem? Ven, que te enviaré a donde ellos están.” Le respondió: “Heme aquí.”

14Y dijo: “Anda, y ve cómo están tus hermanos y cómo se halla el ganado, y tráeme noticias.” Así le envió desde el valle de Hebrón, y (José) se fue a Siquem.

15Y cuando andaba errante por el campo le encontró un hombre, el cual le preguntó: “¿Qué estás buscando?”

16Contestó: “Busco a mis hermanos; dime por favor, dónde están pastoreando.”

17Dijo el hombre; “Se han ido de aquí, pues les oí decir: ‘Vamos a Dotain’.” Con esto se marchó José en busca de sus hermanos, y los halló en Dotain.

18Cuando ellos le vieron desde lejos, ya antes que llegase a ellos, buscaron cómo matarle dolosamente,

19diciéndose uno a otro: “Mirad, ahí viene ese soñador.

20Vamos a matarle y arrojarle en una de estas cisternas; y diremos que una fiera lo ha devorado; entonces veremos qué será de sus sueños.”

21Rubén, que oyó esto, trató de librarlo de sus manos, diciendo: “No le quitemos la vida.”

22Y los exhortó Rubén: “No derraméis sangre; arrojadlo en esta cisterna que está en el desierto, mas no pongáis en él la mano”, (esto decía) para librarlo de su mano, a fin de devolverlo a su padre.

23Con todo, cuando José llegó a sus hermanos, le despojaron de su túnica, el traje talar que traía puesto;

24y tomándolo lo arrojaron en la cisterna. La cisterna estaba vacía, no había agua en ella.

25Después se sentaron a comer, y levantando los ojos vieron una caravana de ismaelitas que venía de Galaad, y cuyos camellos llevaban especias y bálsamo y resina para transportarlos a Egipto.

26Entonces dijo Judá a sus hermanos: “¿Qué ganaremos con matar a nuestro hermano y ocultar su sangre?

27Vamos, vendámoslo a los ismaelitas y no pongamos en él nuestra mano; pues es nuestro hermano, carne nuestra.” Sus hermanos estaban de acuerdo,

28y cuando pasaron los mercaderes madianitas, sacaron a José, alzándole de la cisterna. Y vendieron a José por veinte piezas de plata a los ismaelitas, que le llevaron a Egipto.

29Cuando Rubén volvió a la cisterna y vio que José no estaba en la cisterna, rasgó sus vestidos,

30y volviéndose a sus hermanos, les dijo: “El niño no aparece; ahora, ¿adónde voy yo?”

31Mas ellos tomaron la túnica de José, degollaron un macho cabrío, empaparon la túnica en la sangre,

32y enviaron el traje talar a su padre, diciendo: “Esto hemos hallado; comprueba, pues, si es o no la túnica de tu hijo.”

33Y él la reconoció y dijo: “Es la túnica de mi hijo; una fiera lo ha devorado. Despedazado, despedazado ha sido José.”

34Y rasgó Jacob sus vestidos, puso un saco sobre sus lomos e hizo duelo por su hijo muchos días.

35Todos sus hijos y todas sus hijas vinieron a consolarle; mas él no quiso ser consolado, sino que dijo: “Por tristeza bajaré adonde está mi hijo, al scheol.” Así lo lloró su padre.

36Los madianitas le vendieron en Egipto a Putifar, eunuco del Faraón, jefe de la guardia.

1Habitavit autem Jacob in terra Chanaan, in qua pater suus peregrinatus est.

2Et hæ sunt generationes ejus: Joseph cum sedecim esset annorum, pascebat gregem cum fratribus suis adhuc puer: et erat cum filiis Balæ et Zelphæ uxorum patris sui: accusavitque fratres suos apud patrem crimine pessimo.

3Israël autem diligebat Joseph super omnes filios suos, eo quod in senectute genuisset eum: fecitque ei tunicam polymitam.

4Videntes autem fratres ejus quod a patre plus cunctis filiis amaretur, oderant eum, nec poterant ei quidquam pacifice loqui.

5Accidit quoque ut visum somnium referret fratribus suis: quæ causa majoris odii seminarium fuit.

6Dixitque ad eos: Audite somnium meum quod vidi:

7putabam nos ligare manipulos in agro: et quasi consurgere manipulum meum, et stare, vestrosque manipulos circumstantes adorare manipulum meum.

8Responderunt fratres ejus: Numquid rex noster eris? aut subjiciemur ditioni tuæ? Hæc ergo causa somniorum atque sermonum, invidiæ et odii fomitem ministravit.

9Aliud quoque vidit somnium, quod narrans fratribus, ait: Vidi per somnium, quasi solem, et lunam, et stellas undecim adorare me.

10Quod cum patri suo, et fratribus retulisset, increpavit eum pater suus, et dixit: Quid sibi vult hoc somnium quod vidisti? num ego et mater tua, et fratres tui adorabimus te super terram?

11Invidebant ei igitur fratres sui: pater vero rem tacitus considerabat.

12Cumque fratres illius in pascendis gregibus patris morarentur in Sichem,

13dixit ad eum Israël: Fratres tui pascunt oves in Sichimis: veni, mittam te ad eos. Quo respondente,

14Præsto sum, ait ei: Vade, et vide si cuncta prospera sint erga fratres tuos, et pecora: et renuntia mihi quid agatur. Missus de valle Hebron, venit in Sichem:

15invenitque eum vir errantem in agro, et interrogavit quid quæreret.

16At ille respondit: Fratres meos quæro: indica mihi ubi pascant greges.

17Dixitque ei vir: Recesserunt de loco isto: audivi autem eos dicentes: Eamus in Dothain. Perrexit ergo Joseph post fratres suos, et invenit eos in Dothain.

18Qui cum vidissent eum procul, antequam accederet ad eos, cogitaverunt illum occidere:

19et mutuo loquebantur: Ecce somniator venit:

20venite, occidamus eum, et mittamus in cisternam veterem: dicemusque: Fera pessima devoravit eum: et tunc apparebit quid illi prosint somnia sua.

21Audiens autem hoc Ruben, nitebatur liberare eum de manibus eorum, et dicebat:

22Non interficiatis animam ejus, nec effundatis sanguinem: sed projicite eum in cisternam hanc, quæ est in solitudine, manusque vestras servate innoxias: hoc autem dicebat, volens eripere eum de manibus eorum, et reddere patri suo.

23Confestim igitur ut pervenit ad fratres suos, nudaverunt eum tunica talari et polymita:

24miseruntque eum in cisternam veterem, quæ non habebat aquam.

25Et sedentes ut comederent panem, viderunt Ismaëlitas viatores venire de Galaad, et camelos eorum portantes aromata, et resinam, et stacten in Ægyptum.

26Dixit ergo Judas fratribus suis: Quid nobis prodest si occiderimus fratrem nostrum, et celaverimus sanguinem ipsius?

27melius est ut venundetur Ismaëlitis, et manus nostræ non polluantur: frater enim et caro nostra est. Acquieverunt fratres sermonibus illius.

28Et prætereuntibus Madianitis negotiatoribus, extrahentes eum de cisterna, vendiderunt eum Ismaëlitis, viginti argenteis: qui duxerunt eum in Ægyptum.

29Reversusque Ruben ad cisternam, non invenit puerum:

30et scissis vestibus pergens ad fratres suos, ait: Puer non comparet, et ego quo ibo?

31Tulerunt autem tunicam ejus, et in sanguine hædi, quem occiderant, tinxerunt:

32mittentes qui ferrent ad patrem, et dicerent: Hanc invenimus: vide utrum tunica filii tui sit, an non.

33Quam cum agnovisset pater, ait: Tunica filii mei est: fera pessima comedit eum, bestia devoravit Joseph.

34Scissisque vestibus, indutus est cilicio, lugens filium suum multo tempore.

35Congregatis autem cunctis liberis ejus ut lenirent dolorem patris, noluit consolationem accipere, sed ait: Descendam ad filium meum lugens in infernum. Et illo perseverante in fletu,

36Madianitæ vendiderunt Joseph in Ægypto Putiphari eunucho Pharaonis, magistro militum.

1And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan wherein his father sojourned.

2And these are his generations: Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, being but a boy: and he was with the sons of Bala and of Zelpha his father’s wives: and he accused his brethren to his father of a most wicked crime.

3Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of divers colours.

4And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

5Now it fell out also that he told his brethren a dream, that he had dreamed: which occasioned them to hate him the more.

6And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed.

7I thought we were binding sheaves in the field: and my sheaf arose as it were, and stood, and your sheaves standing about, bowed down before my sheaf.

8His brethren answered: Shalt thou be our king? or shall we be subject to thy dominion? Therefore this matter of his dreams and words ministered nourishment to their envy and hatred.

9He dreamed also another dream, which he told his brethren, saying: I saw in a dream, as it were the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars worshipping me.

10And when he had told this to his father and brethren, his father rebuked him, and said: What meaneth this dream that thou hast dreamed? shall I and thy mother, and thy brethren worship thee upon the earth?

11His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.

12And when his brethren abode in Sichem feeding their father’s flocks,

13Israel said to him: Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered:

14I am ready: he said to him: Go, and see if all things be well with thy brethren, and the cattle: and bring me word again what is doing. So being sent from the vale of Hebron, he came to Sichem:

15And a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought.

16But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the flocks.

17And the man said to him: They are departed from this place: for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothain. And Joseph went forward after his brethren, and found them in Dothain.

18And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought to kill him.

19And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.

20Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit: and we will say: Some evil beast hath devoured him: and then it shall appear what his dreams avail him:

21And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, and said:

22Do not take away his life, nor shed his blood: but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and keep your hands harmless: now he said this, being desirous to deliver him out of their hands and to restore him to his father.

23And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours:

24And cast him into an old pit, where there was no water.

25And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ismaelites on their way coming from Galaad, with their camels, carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh to Egypt.

26And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood?

27It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites, and that our hands be not defiled: for he is our brother and our flesh. His brethren agreed to his words.

28And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into Egypt.

29And Ruben, returning to the pit, found not the boy:

30And rending his garments he went to his brethren, and said: The boy doth not appear and whither shall I go?

31And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed:

32Sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son’s coat, or not.

33And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son’s coat, an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph.

34And tearing his garments, he put on sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time.

35And all his children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow, he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell, mourning. And whilst he continued weeping,

36The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.