Study Desk

When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place; the name of his city was Avith.

When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.

When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the River reigned in his place.

When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, in the land of Canaan.

This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, was taking care of the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was a son born to him late in life, and he made a special tunic for him.

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.

Then he had another dream, and told it to his brothers. "Look," he said. "I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, "What is this dream that you had? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?"

His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said.

When his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem,

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.

Come now, let's kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild animal ate him. Then we'll see how his dreams turn out!"

When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph from their hands, saying, "Let's not take his life!"

Reuben continued, "Don't shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him." (Reuben said this so he could rescue Joseph from them and take him back to his father.)

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

Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?