Weekly Torah Readings: Vayeishev
(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)
Vayeishev
37.1. And Jacob settled in the land of his father’s sojourning, in the land of Canaan. 2. These are the descendants of Jacob. Joseph, seventeen years old, was tending the flock with his brothers and he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought to his father very evil reports about them. 3. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age and he made him a long tunic. 4. And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
Joseph’s Dream
37:5. And Joseph dreamed a dream and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more. 6. And he said to them, “Listen, now, to this dream which I have dreamed. 7. For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field and then my sheaf rose and also stood upright. Then, behold, your sheaves stood all around, and paid homage to my sheaf.” 8. And his brothers said to him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed have dominion over us?” And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. 9. And he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars paid homage to me.” 10. And he told his father and his brothers. His father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to you to the earth?” 11. And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the saying in his heart.
37:12. And his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come and I shall send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14. And he said to him, “Please, go, see whether it be well with your brothers and well with the flock and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron and he came to Shechem.
37:15. And a certain man found him and, behold, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him saying, “What are you looking for?” 16. And he said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding their flocks.” 17. And the man said, “They have gone from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. 18. And when they saw him from afar, and before he came near them they conspired against him to slay him. 19. And they said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer is coming. 20. Come now therefore and let us slay him and cast him into some pit and we will say, ‘Some awful beast has devoured him.’ Then we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21. And Reuben heard it and he delivered him from their hands and said, “Let us not kill him.” 22. And Reuben said to them, “Do not pour out blood! Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness and do not lay a hand on him,” so he might get him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. 23. And it was when Joseph had come to his brothers that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, his long tunic that was on him. 24. And they took him and put him in a pit, and the pit was empty, with no water in it.
37:25. And they sat down to eat bread and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites had come from Gilead with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26. And Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? 27. Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh.” And his brothers heeded him. 28. Then the Midianites, merchantmen, passed by and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
37:29. And Reuben returned to the pit and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit and he tore his clothes. 30. And he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! And I – where will I go?” 31. And they took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32. And they sent the long tunic and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Now do you know whether or not it is your son’s tunic?” 33. And he knew it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An awful beast has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.” 34. And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave mourning for my son.” Thus his father wept for him.
37:36. And the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, captain of the guard.
Judah & Tamar
38.1. And it happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shua, and he took her and went in to her. 3. And she conceived and bore a son and he called his name Er. 4. And she conceived again and bore a son and she called his name Onan. 5. And she yet again conceived and bore a son and called his name Shelah, and he was at Chezib when she bore him. 6. And Judah took a wife, whose name was Tamar, for Er his firstborn. 7. And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was bad in the sight of the LORD* and the LORD* slew him. 8. And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her and raise up seed for your brother.” 9. And Onan knew that the seed would not be his and it was when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. 10. And what he did displeased the LORD*, so He slew him also. 11. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow at your father’s house until my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest perhaps he die also, like his brothers.”
Then Tamar went and lived in her father’s house. 12. And in process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife died and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13. And Tamar was told, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14. And she put her widow’s garments off from her, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself and sat in an open place, which is on the road to Timnah, for she saw that Shelah had grown and she was not given to him for a wife. 15. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot because she had covered her face.16. And he turned to her along the way and said, “Come on now, let me come in to you.” For he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” 17. And he said, “I shall send a lamb from the flock.” And she said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?” 18. And he said, “What pledge will I give you?” And she said, “Your signet, your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” And he gave them to her and came in to her, and she conceived by him.
38:19. Then she got up and went away and set aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood. 20. And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her. 21. Then he asked the men of that place saying, “Where is the harlot who was openly by the wayside?” And they said, “There was no harlot in this place.”
22. And he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her, and also the men of the place said, ‘There was no harlot in this place.’” 23. And Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, so we won’t be shamed. Look, I sent this kid and you have not found her.”
38:24. And it was about three months later that it was told Judah saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot and also, behold, she is with child by harlotry.” And Judah said, “Bring her forth and let her be burned.” 25. When she was brought forth, she went to her father-in-law saying, “By the man whose these are, I am with child.” And she said, “Discern, now, whose these are; the signet, cord, and staff.” 26. And Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I because I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not go in to know her again. 27. And it happened at the time of her travail that there were twins in her womb. 28. And it was, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread saying, “This one came out first.” 29. And it happened as he drew back his hand that, behold, his brother came out and she said, “How vigorously you have broken forth!” Therefore his name was called Perez (Perets). 30. And afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand and his name was called Zerah.
Joseph in Egypt
39.1. And Joseph was brought down to Egypt and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there. 2. And the LORD* was with Joseph and he was a successful man and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3. And his master saw that the LORD* was with him, and that the LORD* made all that he did to succeed in his hand. 4. And Joseph found favor in his sight, and he served him and he made him an overseer over his house, and he put everything he had into his hand. 5. And it was from the time that he had made 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. 6. And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand and he did not know anything he had, except the bread which he ate. And Joseph was good looking and well favored.
Potiphar’s Wife
39:7. And it happened after these things that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and she said, “Lie with me.” 8. But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9. There is no one greater in this house than I; neither has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10. And it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not pay heed to her, to lie with her, to be with her.
39:11. And there was a day that Joseph went into the house for his work and none of the men of the house was inside. 12. And she caught him by his garment saying, “Lie with me.” And he left his garment in her hand and fled and got himself out. 13. And it happened, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and was gone, 14. she called to the men of her house and spoke to them saying, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me and I cried with a loud voice. 15. And it was, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried that he left his garment with me and fled, and got himself out.” 16. And she put his garment by her until his master came home. 17. And she spoke to him according to these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you have brought to us came in to me to mock me. 18. And it was, as I lifted up my voice and cried that he left his garment with me and fled outside.” 19. And it happened, when his master heard the words of his wife, which he spoke to him saying, “Your servant did after this manner to me” that his wrath was kindled. 20. Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in the prison.
39:21. But the LORD* was with Joseph and showed him loving kindness, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners in the prison, and whatever they did there, he accomplished. 23. The keeper of the prison did not look after anything that was under his hand, because the LORD* was with him, and the LORD* made everything he did succeed.
Dream Interpretations in Prison
40.1. And it was after these things that the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and the baker sinned against their master, the king of Egypt. 2. And Pharaoh was very angry with two of his officers, the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers. 3. And he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. 4. And the captain of the guard put Joseph over them and he ministered to them, and they continued a season in custody.
40:5. And each of them dreamed a dream, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt who were bound in the prison. 6. And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked upon them and, behold, they were sad.
40:7. And he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the ward of his master’s house saying, “Why do look you so sad today?” 8. And they said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Now tell them to me.” 9. And the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was before me. 10. And in the vine were three branches and it was as though it budded, and its blossoms shot forth and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. 11. And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” 12. And Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation. The three branches are three days. 13. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when you were his cupbearer. 14. But when things go well with you, think about me and show kindness to me, I pray you, and mention me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this house. 15. For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.”
40:16. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I too was in my dream and, behold, I had three baskets of white bread on my head. 17. And in the uppermost basket there was all manner of Pharaoh’s food and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.” 18. And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days. 19. Yet within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh from off you.” 20. And that happened on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and of the chief baker among his servants. 21. And he restored the chief cupbearer to be his cupbearer again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. 22. But he hanged the chief baker as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Next week’s Torah reading: Mikeits