Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Bible stories for children » The beautiful coat
Jacob continued to live in the land they were occupying, where his father had journeyed in the territory of Canaan. This is a record of Jacob's descendants. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was helping his brothers tend their flocks. He was a young man at that time, as were the children of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. But Joseph would come back and tell his father that his brothers were doing bad things. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his brothers, since he was born to him in his old age, so he had made a richly-embroidered tunic for him. read more.
When Joseph's brothers realized that their father loved him more than all of his brothers, they hated him so much that they were unable to speak politely to him. Right about this time, Joseph had a dream and then told it to his brothers. As a result, his brothers hated him all the more! "Let me tell you about this dream that I had!" he said. "We were tying sheaves together out in the middle of the fields, when all of a sudden, my sheaf stood up erect! And then your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf!" At this, his brothers replied, "Do you really think you're going to rule us or lord it over us?" So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his interpretations of them. But then he had another dream, and he proceeded to tell his brothers about that one, too. "I had another dream," he said. "The sun, moon, and eleven of the stars were bowing down before me!" When Joseph told his father about this, his father rebuked him and asked him, "What kind of dream is that? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come to you and bow down to the ground in front of you?" As a result, his brothers became more envious of him. But his father kept thinking about all of this. Some time later, his brothers left to tend their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel instructed Joseph, "Your brothers are tending the flock in Shechem. Come here, because I'm going to send you to them." "Here I am!" he responded. "Go and see how things are with your brothers," Israel ordered him. "And see how things are with the flock. Bring back a report for me." Then he sent Joseph from the valley of Hebron. When Joseph reached Shechem, a man found him wandering around in a field. So the man asked him, "What are you looking for?" "I'm searching for my brothers," he responded. "Tell me, where are they tending the flock?" "They've already left," the man answered. "I heard them saying that they were headed to Dothan." So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there. Now as soon as they saw him approaching from a distance, before he arrived they plotted together to kill him. "Look!" they said. "Here comes the Dream Master! Come on! Let's kill him and toss him into one of the cisterns. Then we'll report that some wild animal devoured him and wait to see what becomes of his dreams!" When Reuben heard about it, he tried to save Joseph from their plot. "Let's not do any killing," Reuben told them. "And no blood shedding, either. Instead, let's toss him into this cistern that's way out here in the wilderness. But don't lay a hand on him." (Reuben intended to free Joseph and return him to his father.) As it was, when Joseph arrived where his brothers were, they stripped off the tunic that Jacob had given him that is, the richly-embroidered tunic that he was wearing. They grabbed him and tossed him into the cistern, but the cistern was empty. (There was no water in it.) After this, while they were seated, eating their food, they looked around and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead with camels carrying spices, balm, and myrrh for sale down in Egypt. Then Judah suggested to his brothers, "Where's the profit in just killing our brother and shedding his blood? Come on! Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites! That way, we won't have laid our hands on him. After all, he's our brother, our own flesh." So Judah's brothers listened to him. As the Midianite merchants were passing through, they extracted Joseph from the cistern and sold Joseph for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who then took Joseph down to Egypt. Later, when Reuben returned to the cistern, Joseph wasn't there! In mounting panic, he tore his clothes, returned to his brothers, and shouted, "He's not there! Now what? Where am I to go?" So they took Joseph's coat, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. Then they stretched out the richly-embroidered tunic to dry, and brought it to their father. "We've found this," they reported. "Look at it and see if this is or isn't your son's tunic." Examining it, he cried out, "It's my son's tunic! A wild animal has no doubt torn Joseph to pieces." So Jacob tore his clothes, dressed himself in sackcloth, and then mourned many days for his son.
When Joseph's brothers realized that their father loved him more than all of his brothers, they hated him so much that they were unable to speak politely to him. Right about this time, Joseph had a dream and then told it to his brothers. As a result, his brothers hated him all the more! "Let me tell you about this dream that I had!" he said. "We were tying sheaves together out in the middle of the fields, when all of a sudden, my sheaf stood up erect! And then your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf!" At this, his brothers replied, "Do you really think you're going to rule us or lord it over us?" So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his interpretations of them. But then he had another dream, and he proceeded to tell his brothers about that one, too. "I had another dream," he said. "The sun, moon, and eleven of the stars were bowing down before me!" When Joseph told his father about this, his father rebuked him and asked him, "What kind of dream is that? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come to you and bow down to the ground in front of you?" As a result, his brothers became more envious of him. But his father kept thinking about all of this. Some time later, his brothers left to tend their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel instructed Joseph, "Your brothers are tending the flock in Shechem. Come here, because I'm going to send you to them." "Here I am!" he responded. "Go and see how things are with your brothers," Israel ordered him. "And see how things are with the flock. Bring back a report for me." Then he sent Joseph from the valley of Hebron. When Joseph reached Shechem, a man found him wandering around in a field. So the man asked him, "What are you looking for?" "I'm searching for my brothers," he responded. "Tell me, where are they tending the flock?" "They've already left," the man answered. "I heard them saying that they were headed to Dothan." So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there. Now as soon as they saw him approaching from a distance, before he arrived they plotted together to kill him. "Look!" they said. "Here comes the Dream Master! Come on! Let's kill him and toss him into one of the cisterns. Then we'll report that some wild animal devoured him and wait to see what becomes of his dreams!" When Reuben heard about it, he tried to save Joseph from their plot. "Let's not do any killing," Reuben told them. "And no blood shedding, either. Instead, let's toss him into this cistern that's way out here in the wilderness. But don't lay a hand on him." (Reuben intended to free Joseph and return him to his father.) As it was, when Joseph arrived where his brothers were, they stripped off the tunic that Jacob had given him that is, the richly-embroidered tunic that he was wearing. They grabbed him and tossed him into the cistern, but the cistern was empty. (There was no water in it.) After this, while they were seated, eating their food, they looked around and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead with camels carrying spices, balm, and myrrh for sale down in Egypt. Then Judah suggested to his brothers, "Where's the profit in just killing our brother and shedding his blood? Come on! Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites! That way, we won't have laid our hands on him. After all, he's our brother, our own flesh." So Judah's brothers listened to him. As the Midianite merchants were passing through, they extracted Joseph from the cistern and sold Joseph for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who then took Joseph down to Egypt. Later, when Reuben returned to the cistern, Joseph wasn't there! In mounting panic, he tore his clothes, returned to his brothers, and shouted, "He's not there! Now what? Where am I to go?" So they took Joseph's coat, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. Then they stretched out the richly-embroidered tunic to dry, and brought it to their father. "We've found this," they reported. "Look at it and see if this is or isn't your son's tunic." Examining it, he cried out, "It's my son's tunic! A wild animal has no doubt torn Joseph to pieces." So Jacob tore his clothes, dressed himself in sackcloth, and then mourned many days for his son.
Bilhah » Rachael's servant » Bears children by jacob
Laban also gave his woman servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maidservant.
Verse Concepts
Rachel responded, "Here's my handmaid Bilhah. Go have sex with her. She can bear children on my knees so I can have children through her." So Rachel gave Jacob her woman servant Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob had sex with her.
This is a record of Jacob's descendants.
Verse Concepts
Concubinage » Laws concerning » Called wives
This is a record of Jacob's descendants.
Verse Concepts
when her husband got up and went after her, intending to speak lovingly to her in order to win her back. He took with him his young man servant and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father's house to see him, her father was happy to have met him. The young woman's father (that is, his father-in-law) made him stay there for three days while they ate and drank during his visit there. On the fourth day, they got up early that morning, and the descendant of Levi got ready to leave. Then the young woman's father-in-law told him, "Fortify yourself by eating some food before you go."
Talebearer » Instances of » Joseph
This is a record of Jacob's descendants.
Verse Concepts
Zilpah » Mother of gad and asher by jacob
Leah's servant Zilpah's sons were Gad and Asher. These were Jacob's sons who were born to him while he lived in Paddan-aram.
This is a record of Jacob's descendants.
Verse Concepts
When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing children, she took her woman servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah's servant Zilpah bore a son to Jacob, and Leah exclaimed, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad. read more.
Later, Leah's servant Zilpah bore a second son for Jacob. She said, "How happy I am, because women will call me happy!" So she named him Asher.
Later, Leah's servant Zilpah bore a second son for Jacob. She said, "How happy I am, because women will call me happy!" So she named him Asher.
These were all sons from Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah. She bore these sixteen children for Jacob.
Verse Concepts