Jacob, meanwhile, had settled in the land of Chanaan, where his father lived a wanderer’s life before him;

Habitavit autem Jacob in terra Chanaan, in qua pater suus peregrinatus est.

And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan wherein his father sojourned.

and this is the record of Jacob’s line. By now, Joseph was sixteen years old, and helped his brethren to feed the flocks, young though he was. He worked with the sons of his father’s wives, Bala and Zelpha; and against these brothers of his he told his father ill tales.

Et hæ sunt generationes ejus: Joseph cum sedecim esset annorum, pascebat gregem cum fratribus suis adhuc puer: et erat cum filiis Balæ et Zelphæ uxorum patris sui: accusavitque fratres suos apud patrem crimine pessimo.

And these are his generations: Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, being but a boy: and he was with the sons of Bala and of Zelpha his father’s wives: and he accused his brethren to his father of a most wicked crime.

Among his children, Jacob loved Joseph best, as old men love the sons old age has brought them; and he dressed him in a coat that was all embroidery.

Israël autem diligebat Joseph super omnes filios suos, eo quod in senectute genuisset eum: fecitque ei tunicam polymitam.

Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of divers colours.

Whereupon his brethren, who saw that he was his father’s favourite, bore him a grudge, and never had a good word for him.

Videntes autem fratres ejus quod a patre plus cunctis filiis amaretur, oderant eum, nec poterant ei quidquam pacifice loqui.

And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

They hated him the more, when he recounted to them a dream of his;

Accidit quoque ut visum somnium referret fratribus suis: quæ causa majoris odii seminarium fuit.

Now it fell out also that he told his brethren a dream, that he had dreamed: which occasioned them to hate him the more.

Listen, he said, to this dream I have had.

Dixitque ad eos: Audite somnium meum quod vidi:

And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed.

I dreamt that we were all binding sheaves in a field, and my sheaf seemed to lift itself up and stand erect, while all your sheaves stood about it and did reverence to mine.

putabam nos ligare manipulos in agro: et quasi consurgere manipulum meum, et stare, vestrosque manipulos circumstantes adorare manipulum meum.

I thought we were binding sheaves in the field: and my sheaf arose as it were, and stood, and your sheaves standing about, bowed down before my sheaf.

What, said his brethren, art thou to be our king? Are we to be thy subjects? So this talk about his dream fed the fires of their envious anger.

Responderunt fratres ejus: Numquid rex noster eris? aut subjiciemur ditioni tuæ? Hæc ergo causa somniorum atque sermonum, invidiæ et odii fomitem ministravit.

His brethren answered: Shalt thou be our king? or shall we be subject to thy dominion? Therefore this matter of his dreams and words ministered nourishment to their envy and hatred.

Then he had another dream which he disclosed to his brethren; In this dream of mine, he said, it seemed to me that the sun and the moon and eleven stars did reverence to me.

Aliud quoque vidit somnium, quod narrans fratribus, ait: Vidi per somnium, quasi solem, et lunam, et stellas undecim adorare me.

He dreamed also another dream, which he told his brethren, saying: I saw in a dream, as it were the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars worshipping me.

When he reported this to his father and his brethren, his father said, in reproof, What means this dream of thine? Must I and thy mother and thy brethren bow down to earth before thee?

Quod cum patri suo, et fratribus retulisset, increpavit eum pater suus, et dixit: Quid sibi vult hoc somnium quod vidisti? num ego et mater tua, et fratres tui adorabimus te super terram?

And when he had told this to his father and brethren, his father rebuked him, and said: What meaneth this dream that thou hast dreamed? shall I and thy mother, and thy brethren worship thee upon the earth?

So his brethren eyed him with jealousy, while his father pondered over the story in silence.

Invidebant ei igitur fratres sui: pater vero rem tacitus considerabat.

His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.

One day, when his brethren were away at Sichem, feeding their father’s flocks,

Cumque fratres illius in pascendis gregibus patris morarentur in Sichem,

And when his brethren abode in Sechem feeding their father’s flocks,

Israel said to him, Thy brethren are pasturing the sheep at Sichem; I have an errand for thee there. And when Joseph answered,

dixit ad eum Israël: Fratres tui pascunt oves in Sichimis: veni, mittam te ad eos. Quo respondente,

Israel said to him: Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered:

I am here, at thy command, he said to him, Go and see whether all is well with thy brethren, and with the flock, then come back and tell me their news. So he set out from Hebron valley and reached Sichem,

Præsto sum, ait ei: Vade, et vide si cuncta prospera sint erga fratres tuos, et pecora: et renuntia mihi quid agatur. Missus de valle Hebron, venit in Sichem:

I am ready: he said to him: Go, and see if all things be well with thy brethren, and the cattle: and bring me word again what is doing. So being sent from the vale of Hebron, he came to Sichem:

where a stranger found him wandering on the open plain, and asked what was his errand.

invenitque eum vir errantem in agro, et interrogavit quid quæreret.

And a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought.

I am looking for my brethren, he said; Canst thou tell me where they are feeding their flocks?

At ille respondit: Fratres meos quæro: indica mihi ubi pascant greges.

But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the flocks.

They have left this part, the man answered; I heard them say, Let us go to Dothain. So Joseph went on in search of his brethren, and it was at Dothain he found them.

Dixitque ei vir: Recesserunt de loco isto: audivi autem eos dicentes: Eamus in Dothain. Perrexit ergo Joseph post fratres suos, et invenit eos in Dothain.

And the man said to him: They are departed from this place: for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothain. And Joseph went forward after his brethren, and found them in Dothain.

Before he came up to them, they caught sight of him in the distance, and began plotting against his life.

Qui cum vidissent eum procul, antequam accederet ad eos, cogitaverunt illum occidere:

And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought to kill him.

They said to one another, Here comes the dreamer;

et mutuo loquebantur: Ecce somniator venit:

And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.

how if we kill him, and throw his body into a dry well? We can pretend he has fallen a prey to some wild beast. Now we shall see what good these dreams of his can do him!

venite, occidamus eum, et mittamus in cisternam veterem: dicemusque: Fera pessima devoravit eum: et tunc apparebit quid illi prosint somnia sua.

Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit: and we will say: Some evil beast hath devoured him: and then it shall appear what his dreams avail him:

Upon this, Ruben began scheming to save Joseph from their violence; No, he said,

Audiens autem hoc Ruben, nitebatur liberare eum de manibus eorum, et dicebat:

And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, and said:

do not take his life, there must be no bloodshed. Throw him down into this well here, far from all help, and so keep clear of any murderous act. His meaning was to rescue Joseph out of their hands, and restore him safe to his father.

Non interficiatis animam ejus, nec effundatis sanguinem: sed projicite eum in cisternam hanc, quæ est in solitudine, manusque vestras servate innoxias: hoc autem dicebat, volens eripere eum de manibus eorum, et reddere patri suo.

Do not take away his life, nor shed his blood: but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and keep your hands harmless: now he said this, being desirous to deliver him out of their hands and to restore him to his father.

As soon, then, as Joseph reached his brethren, they stripped him of his long, embroidered coat,

Confestim igitur ut pervenit ad fratres suos, nudaverunt eum tunica talari et polymita:

And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours:

and threw him into a disused well, which had no water left in it.

miseruntque eum in cisternam veterem, quæ non habebat aquam.

And cast him into an old pit, where there was no water.

And now, as they sat down to take their meal, they saw a company of Ismaelites mounted on camels, who were on their way from Galaad to Egypt, with a load of spices, balm, and myrrh.

Et sedentes ut comederent panem, viderunt Ismaëlitas viatores venire de Galaad, et camelos eorum portantes aromata, et resinam, et stacten in Ægyptum.

And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ismaelites on their way coming from Galaad, with their camels, carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh to Egypt.

Whereupon Juda said to his brethren, What shall we gain by killing our brother, and concealing his murder?

Dixit ergo Judas fratribus suis: Quid nobis prodest si occiderimus fratrem nostrum, et celaverimus sanguinem ipsius?

And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood?

Far better sell him to these Ismaelites, and keep our hands clean of crime; remember that he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. His brethren fell in with the plan;

melius est ut venundetur Ismaëlitis, et manus nostræ non polluantur: frater enim et caro nostra est. Acquieverunt fratres sermonibus illius.

It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites, and that our hands be not defiled: for he is our brother and our flesh. His brethren agreed to his words.

so, when the merchants from Madian passed by, they dragged Joseph up out of the well, and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to these Ismaelites, who carried him off with them to Egypt.

Et prætereuntibus Madianitis negotiatoribus, extrahentes eum de cisterna, vendiderunt eum Ismaëlitis, viginti argenteis: qui duxerunt eum in Ægyptum.

And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into Egypt.

In vain did Ruben go back to the well, there was no sign of Joseph there.

Reversusque Ruben ad cisternam, non invenit puerum:

And Ruben, returning to the pit, found not the boy:

For grief he tore his garments, then he went back to his brethren, crying, The boy is not to be seen; what is left for me? Where can I betake myself now?

et scissis vestibus pergens ad fratres suos, ait: Puer non comparet, et ego quo ibo?

And rending his garments he went to his brethren, and said: The boy doth not appear and whither shall I go?

Meanwhile, they killed a goat, and dipped Joseph’s coat in its blood;

Tulerunt autem tunicam ejus, et in sanguine hædi, quem occiderant, tinxerunt:

And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed:

then they sent a message to their father, We have found this coat; satisfy thyself, whether it is thy son’s or not.

mittentes qui ferrent ad patrem, et dicerent: Hanc invenimus: vide utrum tunica filii tui sit, an non.

Sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son’s coat, or not.

And their father recognized it, It is my son’s coat, he said; past doubt, some wild thing has devoured him, my son Joseph, the prey of a wild beast!

Quam cum agnovisset pater, ait: Tunica filii mei est: fera pessima comedit eum, bestia devoravit Joseph.

And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son’s coat, an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph.

And he tore his garments, and put on sackcloth; and long he mourned for his son.

Scissisque vestibus, indutus est cilicio, lugens filium suum multo tempore.

And tearing his garments, he put on sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time.

Vainly did all his children conspire to solace their father’s grief; he would admit no consolation. I will go down mourning, he said, to keep my son company in the grave; and would not dry his tears.

Congregatis autem cunctis liberis ejus ut lenirent dolorem patris, noluit consolationem accipere, sed ait: Descendam ad filium meum lugens in infernum. Et illo perseverante in fletu,

And all his children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow, he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell, mourning. And whilst he continued weeping,

Meanwhile, the Madianites had sold Joseph in Egypt, to Putiphar, one of Pharao’s courtiers, and captain of his guard.

Madianitæ vendiderunt Joseph in Ægypto Putiphari eunucho Pharaonis, magistro militum.

The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.