Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem had violated their sister Dinah.

They said to them, "We cannot give our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace to us.

The young man did not delay in doing what they asked because he wanted Jacob's daughter Dinah badly. (Now he was more important than anyone in his father's household.)

Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised.

If we do so, won't their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let's consent to their demand, so they will live among us."

In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and went to the unsuspecting city and slaughtered every male.

They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem's house, and left.

They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields.

They captured as plunder all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought ruin on me by making me a foul odor among the inhabitants of the land -- among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!"

So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem

and they started on their journey. The surrounding cities were afraid of God, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, Rachel went into labor -- and her labor was hard.

because they had too many possessions to be able to stay together and the land where they had settled was not able to support them because of their livestock.

chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the Edomites.

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated Joseph and were not able to speak to him kindly.

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

Then his brothers asked him, "Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?" They hated him even more because of his dream and because of what he said.

He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are grazing their flocks."

The man said, "They left this area, for I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

Now Joseph's brothers saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

They said to one another, "Here comes this master of dreams!

When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore.

Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.)

When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt.

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

Then they brought the special tunic to their father and said, "We found this. Determine now whether it is your son's tunic or not."

He asked the men who were there, "Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?" But they replied, "There has been no cult prostitute here."

While they were bringing her out, she sent word to her father-in-law: "I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong." Then she said, "Identify the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong."

The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph's care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing.

The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. They spent some time in custody.

When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed.

They told him, "We both had dreams, but there is no one to interpret them." Joseph responded, "Don't interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me."

for I really was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon."

seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds.

Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river.

Then Pharaoh summoned Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh.

Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds.

Then seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows as these in all the land of Egypt!

When they had eaten them, no one would have known that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up.

The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent seven years of famine.

They should gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh's authority they should store up grain so the cities will have food, and they should preserve it.

Pharaoh had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, and they cried out before him, "Kneel down!" So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, "Where do you come from?" They answered, "From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food."

Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

But they exclaimed, "No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food!

They replied, "Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, and one is no longer alive."

But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then your words will be verified and you will not die." They did as he said.

They said to one other, "Surely we're being punished because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress has come on us!"

(Now they did not know that Joseph could understand them, for he was speaking through an interpreter.)

So they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.

He said to his brothers, "My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!" They were dismayed; they turned trembling one to another and said, "What in the world has God done to us?"

They returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all the things that had happened to them, saying,

When they were emptying their sacks, there was each man's bag of money in his sack! When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were afraid.

When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Return, buy us a little more food."

They replied, "The man questioned us thoroughly about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' So we answered him in this way. How could we possibly know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"

So the men took these gifts, and they took double the money with them, along with Benjamin. Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph's house. They said, "We are being brought in because of the money that was returned in our sacks last time. He wants to capture us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys!"

So they approached the man who was in charge of Joseph's household and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.

They said, "My lord, we did indeed come down the first time to buy food.

The servant in charge brought the men into Joseph's house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave food to their donkeys.

They got their gifts ready for Joseph's arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were to have a meal there.

When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought inside, and they bowed down to the ground before him.

He asked them how they were doing. Then he said, "Is your aging father well, the one you spoke about? Is he still alive?"

"Your servant our father is well," they replied. "He is still alive." They bowed down in humility.

They set a place for him, a separate place for his brothers, and another for the Egyptians who were eating with him. (The Egyptians are not able to eat with Hebrews, for the Egyptians think it is disgusting to do so.)

They sat before him, arranged by order of birth, beginning with the firstborn and ending with the youngest. The men looked at each other in astonishment.

He gave them portions of the food set before him, but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk.

He instructed the servant who was over his household, "Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack.

They had not gone very far from the city when Joseph said to the servant who was over his household, "Pursue the men at once! When you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil?

They answered him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!

They all tore their clothes! Then each man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

So Judah and his brothers came back to Joseph's house. He was still there, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" His brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him.

Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me," so they came near. Then he said, "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them, "As you travel don't be overcome with fear."

So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.

They told him, "Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!" Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them.

But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob's spirit revived.

Jacob and all his descendants took their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they went to Egypt.

Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph to accompany him to Goshen. So they came to the land of Goshen.

The men are shepherds; they take care of livestock. They have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.'

Joseph went and told Pharaoh, "My father, my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen."

Pharaoh said to Joseph's brothers, "What is your occupation?" They said to Pharaoh, "Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did."

Then they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to live as temporary residents in the land. There is no pasture for your servants' flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen."

The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best region of the land. They may live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any highly capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock."

Joseph collected all the money that could be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan as payment for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's palace.

So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for their horses, the livestock of their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. He got them through that year by giving them food in exchange for livestock.

When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We cannot hide from our lord that the money is used up and the livestock and the animals belong to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our bodies and our land.

But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

They replied, "You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor, and we will be Pharaoh's slaves."

Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number.

"Now, as for your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine just as Reuben and Simeon are.

Any children that you father after them will be yours; they will be listed under the names of their brothers in their inheritance.

Joseph said to his father, "They are the sons God has given me in this place." His father said, "Bring them to me so I may bless them."

the Angel who has protected me from all harm -- bless these boys. May my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow into a multitude on the earth."

O my soul, do not come into their council, do not be united to their assembly, my heart, for in their anger they have killed men, and for pleasure they have hamstrung oxen.

The archers will attack him, they will shoot at him and oppose him.

The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the eternal mountains or the desirable things of the age-old hills. They will be on the head of Joseph and on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah; and there I buried Leah.