Read Parshat Vayeshev in English

And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, being still a lad even with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought evil report of them unto their father.

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 to 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 came round about, and bowed down 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 to his brethren, and said: “Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down 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 to thee to the earth?'

And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind.

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 now, see whether it is well with thy brethren, and well with the flock; and bring me back word.’’ 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 are feeding the flock.’’

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 they saw him afar off, and 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 one of the pits, and we will say: An evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’’

And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand; and said: “Let us not take his life.’’

And Reuben said unto them: “Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him'--that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colours that was on him;

and they took him, and cast him into the 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 caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and ladanum, 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 Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh.’’ And his brethren hearkened unto him.

And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels 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 as for me, whither shall I go?'

And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, 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 is thy son's coat or not.’’

And he knew it, and said: “It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.’’

And Jacob rent his garments, 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: “Nay, but I will go down to the grave to my son mourning.’’ And his father wept for him.

And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard.

And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her.

And she conceived, and bore a son; and he called his name Er.

And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she called his name Onan.

And she yet again bore a son, and called his name Shelah; and he was at Chezib, when she bore him.

And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar.

And Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him.

And Judah said unto Onan: “Go in unto thy brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother.’’

And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and it came to pass when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother.

And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of the Lord; and He slew him also.

Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law: “Remain a widow in thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown up'; for he said: “Lest he also die, like his brethren.’’ And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

And in process of time Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

And it was told Tamar, saying: “Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep.’’

And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the entrance of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife.

When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face.

And he turned unto her by the way, and said: “Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee'; for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said: “What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?'

And he said: “I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock.’’ And she said: “Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?'

And he said: “What pledge shall I give thee?' And she said: “Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand.’’ And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand; but he found her not.

Then he asked the men of her place, saying: “Where is the harlot, that was at Enaim by the wayside?' And they said: “There hath been no harlot here.’’

And he returned to Judah, and said: “I have not found her; and also the men of the place said: There hath been no harlot here.’’

And Judah said: “Let her take it, lest we be put to shame; behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.’’

And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying: “Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover, behold, she is with child by harlotry.’’ And Judah said: “Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.’’

When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: “By the man, whose these are, am I with child'; and she said: “Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff.’’

And Judah acknowledged them, and said: “She is more righteous than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son.’’ And he knew her again no more.

And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying: “This came out first.’’

And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold his brother came out; and she said: “Wherefore hast thou made a breach for thyself?' Therefore his name was called Perez.

And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand; and his name was called Zerah. {S}

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, that had brought him down thither.

And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

And Joseph found favour in his sight, and he ministered unto him. And he appointed him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

And it came to pass from the time that he appointed him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field.

And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and, having him, he knew not aught save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was of beautiful form, and fair to look upon.

And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said: “Lie with me.’’

But he refused, and said unto his master's wife: “Behold, my master, having me, knoweth not what is in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand;

he is not greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?'

And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

And it came to pass on a certain day, when he went into the house to do his work, and there was none of the men of the house there within,

that she caught him by his garment, saying: “Lie with me.’’ And he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,

that she called unto the men of her house, and spoke unto them, saying: “See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice.

And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled, and got him out.’’

And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.

And she spoke unto him according to these words, saying: “The Hebrew servant, whom thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me.

And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled out.’’

And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke unto him, saying: “After this manner did thy servant to me'; that his wrath was kindled.

And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison.

But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him; and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their Lord the king of Egypt.

And Pharaoh was wroth against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.

And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.

And the captain of the guard charged Joseph to be with them, and he ministered unto them; and they continued a season in ward.

And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.

And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, they were sad.

And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his master's house, saying: “Wherefore look ye so sad to-day?'

And they said unto him: “We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it.’’ And Joseph said unto them: “Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray you.’’

And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him: “In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;

and in the vine were three branches; and as it was budding, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes,

and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.’’

And Joseph said unto him: “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days;

within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and restore thee unto thine office; and thou shalt give Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.

But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.

For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.’’

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph: “I also saw in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head;

and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked food for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.’’

And Joseph answered and said: “This is the interpretation thereof: the three baskets are three days;

within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.’’

And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and the head of the chief baker among his servants.

And he restored the chief butler back unto his butlership; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him.