The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

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

And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.

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:

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

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.

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

And cast him into an old pit where there was not water.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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

At that time Juda went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Odollamite, named Hiras.

And he saw there the daughter of a man of Chanaan, called Sue: and taking her to wife, he went in unto her.

And she conceived, and bore a son, and called his name Her.

And conceiving again, she bore a son, and called him Onan.

She bore also a third: whom she called Sela. After whose birth, she ceased to bear any more.

And Juda took a wife for Her, his first born, whose name was Thamar.

And Her, the first born of Juda, was wicked in the sight of the Lord: and was slain by him.

Juda, therefore, said to Onan his son: Go in to thy brother's wife and marry her, that thou mayst raise seed to thy brother.

He knowing that the children should not be his, when he went in to his brother's wife, he spilled his seed upon the ground, lest children should be born in his brother's name.

And therefore the Lord slew him, because he did a detestable thing:

Wherefore Juda said to Thamar his daughter-in-law: Remain a widow in thy father's house, till Sela my son grow up: for he was afraid lest he also might die, as his brethren did. She went her way, and dwelt in her father's house.

And after many days were past: the daughter of Sue the wife of Juda died: and when he had taken comfort after his mourning, he went up to Thamnas, to the shearers of his sheep, he and Hiras the Odollamite, the shepherd of his flock.

And it was told Thamar that her father-in-law was come up to Thamnas to shear his sheep.

And she put off the garments of her widowhood, and took a veil: and changing her dress, sat in the cross way, that leadeth to Thamnas: because Sela was grown up, and she had not been married to him.

When Juda saw her, he thought she was a harlot: for she had covered her face, lest she should be known.

And going to her, he said: Suffer me to lie with thee: for he knew her not to be his daughter-in-law. And she answered: What wilt thou give me to enjoy my company?

He said: I will send thee a kid out of the flock. And when she said again: I will suffer what thou wilt, if thou give me a pledge, till thou send what thou promisest.

Juda said: What wilt thou have for a pledge? She answered: Thy ring and bracelet, and the staff which thou holdest in thy hand. The woman therefore at one copulation conceived.

And she arose and went her way: and putting off the apparel which she had taken, put on the garments of her widowhood.

And Juda sent a kid by his shepherd, the Odollamite, that he might receive the pledge again, which he had given to the woman: but he, not finding her,

Asked the men of that place: Where is the woman that sat in the cross way? And when they all made answer: There was no harlot in this place,

He returned to Juda, and said to him: I have not found her; moreover, the men of that place said to me, that there never sat a harlot there.

Juda said: Let her take it to herself, surely she cannot charge us with a lie, I sent the kid which I promised: and thou didst not find her.

And behold, after three months, they told Juda, saying: Thamar, thy daughter-in-law, hath played the harlot, and she appeareth to have a big belly. And Juda said: Bring her out that she may be burnt.

But when she was led to execution, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: By the man, to whom these things belong, I am with child. See whose ring, and bracelet, and staff this is.

But he acknowledging the gifts, said: She is juster than I: because I did not give her to Sela, my son. However he knew her no more.

And when she was ready to be brought to bed, there appeared twins in her womb: and in the very delivery of the infants, one put forth a hand, whereon the midwife tied a scarlet thread, saying:

This shall come forth the first.

But he drawing back his hand, the other came forth: and the woman said: Why is the partition divided for thee? and therefore called his name Phares.

Afterwards his brother came out, on whose hand was the scarlet thread: and she called his name Zara.

And Joseph was brought into Egypt, and Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, chief captain of the army, an Egyptian, bought him of the Ismaelites, by whom he was brought.

And the Lord was with him, and he was a prosperous man in all things: and he dwelt in his master's house:

Who knew very well that the Lord was with him, and made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

And Joseph found favour in the sight of his master, and ministered to him: and being set over all by him, he governed the house committed to him, and all things that were delivered to him:

And the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian for Joseph's sake, and multiplied all his substance, both at home and in the fields.

Neither knew he any other thing, but the bread which he ate. And Joseph was of a beautiful countenance, and comely to behold.

And after many days, his mistress cast her eyes on Joseph, and said: Lie with me.

But he in no wise consenting to that wicked act said to her: Behold, my master hath delivered all things to me, and knoweth not what he hath in his own house:

Neither is there any thing which is not in my power, or that he hath not delivered to me, but thee, who art his wife; how then can I do this wicked thing, and sin against my God?

With such words as these day by day, both the woman was importunate with the young man, and he refused the adultery.

Now it happened on a certain day, that Joseph went into the house, and was doing some business, without any man with him:

And she catching the skirt of his garment, said: Lie with me. But he leaving the garment in her hand, fled, and went out.

And when the woman saw the garment in her hands, and herself disregarded,

She called to her the men of her house, and said to them: See, he hath brought in a Hebrew, to abuse us: he came in to me, to lie with me; and when I cried out,

And he heard my voice, he left the garment that I held, and got him out.

For a proof therefore of her fidelity, she kept the garment, and shewed it to her husband when he returned home:

And said: The Hebrew servant, whom thou hast brought, came to me to abuse me.

And when he heard me cry, he left the garment which I held, and fled out.

His master hearing these things, and giving too much credit to his wife's words, was very angry,

And cast Joseph into the prison, where the king's prisoners were kept, and he was there shut up.

But the Lord was with Joseph, and having mercy upon him gave him favour in the sight of the chief keeper of the prison:

Who delivered into his hand all the prisoners that were kept in custody: and whatsoever was done, was under him.

Neither did he himself know any thing, having committed all things to him: for the Lord was with him, and made all that he did to prosper.

After this, it came to pass, that two eunuchs, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, offended their lord.

And Pharao being angry with them, (now the one was chief butler, the other chief baker,)

He sent them to the prison of the commander of the soldiers, in which Joseph also was prisoner.

But the keeper of the prison delivered them to Joseph, and he served them. Some little time passed, and they were kept in custody.

And they both dreamed a dream the same night, according to the interpretation agreeing to themselves:

And when Joseph was come into them in the morning, and saw them sad,

He asked them, saying: Why is your countenance sadder today than usual?

They answered: We have dreamed a dream, and there is nobody to interpret it to us. And Joseph said to them: Doth not interpretation belong to God? Tell me what you have dreamed:

The chief butler first told his dream: I saw before me a vine,

On which were three branches, which by little and little sent out buds, and after the blossoms brought forth ripe grapes:

And the cup of Pharao was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into the cup which I held, and I gave the cup to Pharao.

Joseph answered: This is the interpretation of the dream: The three branches, are yet three days:

After which Pharao will remember thy service, and will restore thee to thy former place: and thou shalt present him the cup according to thy office, as before thou was wont to do.

Only remember me when it shall be well with thee, and do me this kindness: to put Pharao in mind to take me out of this prison:

For I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here without any fault was cast into the dungeon.

The chief baker seeing that he had wisely interpreted the dream, said: I also dreamed a dream, That I had three baskets of meal upon my head:

And that in one basket which was uppermost, I carried all meats that are made by the art of baking, and that the birds ate out of it.

Joseph answered: This is the interpretation of the dream: The three baskets, are yet three days:

After which Pharao will take thy head from thee, and hang thee on a cross, and the birds shall tear thy flesh.

The third day after this was the birthday of Pharao: and he made a great feast for his servants, and at the banquet remembered the chief butler, and the chief baker.

And he restored the one to his place, to present him the cup:

The other he hanged on a gibbet, that the truth of the interpreter might be shewn.

But the chief butler, when things prospered with him, forgot his interpreter.

After two years Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood by the river,

Out of which came up seven kine, very beautiful and fat: and they fed in marshy places.

Other seven also came up out of the river, ill-favoured, and lean fleshed: and they fed on the very bank of the river, in green places:

And they devoured them, whose bodies were very beautiful and well conditioned. So Pharao awoke.

He slept again, and dreamed another dream: Seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk full and fair: