The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And the man said, they are departed hece: for I heard them say, Let vs goe vnto Dothan. Then went Ioseph after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

And when they sawe him a farre off, euen before he came at them, they conspired against him for to slay him.

For they sayd one to another, Behold, this dreamer commeth.

Come now therefore, and let vs slay him, and cast him into some pitte, and wee will say, A wicked beast hath deuoured him: then wee shall see, what will come of his dreames.

But when Reuben heard that, he deliuered him out of their handes, and saide, Let vs not kill him.

Also Reuben saide vnto them, Shed not blood, but cast him into this pitte that is in the wildernesse, and lay no hande vpon him. Thus he said, that he might deliuer him out of their hand, and restore him to his father againe.

Now when Ioseph was come vnto his brethren, they stript Ioseph out of his coate, his particoloured coate that was vpon him.

And they tooke him, and cast him into a pit, and the pit was emptie, without water in it.

Then they sate them downe to eate bread: and they lift vp their eyes and looked, and behold, there came a companie of Ishmeelites from Gilead, and their camels laden with spicerie, and balme, and myrrhe, and were going to cary it downe into Egypt.

Then Iudah said vnto his brethren, What auaileth it, if we slay our brother, though wee keepe his blood secret?

Come and let vs sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our handes be vpon him: for he is our brother and our flesh: and his brethren obeyed.

Then the Midianites marchant men passed by, and they drewe foorth, and lift Ioseph out of the pit, and solde Ioseph vnto the Ishmeelites for twentie pieces of siluer: who brought Ioseph into Egypt.

Afterwarde Reuben returned to the pit, and beholde, Ioseph was not in the pit: then he rent his clothes,

And returned to his brethren, and said, The childe is not yonder, and I, whither shall I goe?

And they tooke Iosephs coate, and killed a kidde of the goates, and dipped the coate in the blood.

So they sent that particoloured coat, and they brought it vnto their father, and saide, This haue we founde: see nowe, whether it be thy sonnes coate, or no.

Then he knewe it and said, It is my sonnes coate: a wicked beast hath deuoured him: Ioseph is surely torne in pieces.

And Iaakob rent his clothes, and put sackecloth about his loynes, and sorowed for his sonne a long season.

Then all his sonnes and all his daughters rose vp to comfort him, but he woulde not be comforted, but said, Surely I will go downe into the graue vnto my sonne mourning: so his father wept for him.

And the Midianites solde him into Egypt vnto Potiphar an Eunuche of Pharaohs, and his chiefe stewarde.

And at that time Iudah went downe from his brethren, and turned in to a man called Hirah an Adullamite.

And Iudah sawe there the daughter of a man called Suah a Canaanite: and he tooke her to wife, and went in vnto her.

So she conceiued and bare a sonne, and he called his name Er.

And she conceiued againe, and bare a sonne, and she called his name Onan.

Moreouer she bare yet a sonne, whome she called Shelah: and Iudah was at Chezib when she bare him.

Then Iudah tooke a wife to Er his first borne sonne whose name was Tamar.

Now Er the first borne of Iudah was wicked in the sight of the Lord: therefore the Lord slewe him.

Then Iudah said to Onan, Goe in vnto thy brothers wife, and do the office of a kinsman vnto her, and raise vp seede vnto thy brother.

And Onan knewe that the seede should not be his: therefore when he went in vnto his brothers wife, he spilled it on the grounde, least he should giue seede vnto his brother.

And it was wicked in the eyes of the Lord, which he did: wherefore he slewe him also.

Then said Iudah to Tamar his daughter in lawe, Remaine a widowe in thy fathers house, till Shelah my sonne growe vp (for he thought thus, Least he die as well as his brethren.) So Tamar went and dwelt in her fathers house.

And in processe of time also the daughter of Shuah Iudahs wife dyed. Then Iudah, when he had left mourning, went vp to his sheepe sherers to Timnah, he, and his neighbour Hirah the Adullamite.

And it was tolde Tamar, saying, beholde, thy father in lawe goeth vp to Timnah, to shere his sheepe.

Then she put her widowes garments off from her, and couered her with a vaile, and wrapped her selfe, and sate downe in Pethah-enaim, which is by the way to Timnah, because she sawe that Shelah was growen, and she was not giuen vnto him to wife.

When Iudah sawe her, he iudged her an whore: for she had couered her face.

And he turned to the way towardes her, and saide, Come, I pray thee, let me lie with thee. (for he knewe not that she was his daughter in lawe) And she answered, What wilt thou giue me for to lie with me?

Then said he, I will sende thee a kid of the goates from the flocke. and she said, Well, if thou wilt giue me a pledge, till thou sende it.

Then he saide, What is the pledge that I shall giue thee? And she answered, Thy signet, and thy cloke, and thy staffe that is in thine hande. So he gaue it her, and lay by her, and she was with childe by him.

Then she rose, and went and put her vaile from her and put on her widowes raiment.

Afterwarde Iudah sent a kid of the goates by the hande of his neighbour the Adullamite, for to receiue his pledge from the womans hand: but he found her not.

Then asked he the men of that place, saying, Where is ye whore, that sate in Enaim by the way side? And they answered, There was no whore here.

He came therefore to Iudah againe, and said, I can not finde her, and also the men of the place said, There was no whore there.

Then Iudah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: beholde, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

Now after three moneths, one tolde Iudah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the whore, and lo, with playing the whore, she is great with childe. Then Iudah saide, Bring ye her foorth and let her be burnt.

When she was brought foorth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, vnto whom these things pertaine, am I with childe: and saide also, Looke, I pray thee, whose these are, the seale, and the cloke, and the staffe.

Then Iudah knewe them, and said, She is more righteous then I: for she hath done it because I gaue her not to Shelah my sonne. So he lay with her no more.

Now, when the time was come that she should be deliuered, beholde, there were twinnes in her wombe.

And when she was in trauell, the one put out his hand: and the midwife tooke and bound a red threde about his hand, saying, This is come out first.

But when he plucked his hand backe againe, loe, his brother came out, and the midwife said, How hast thou broken the breach vpon thee? and his name was called Pharez.

And afterward came out his brother that had the red threde about his hande, and his name was called Zarah.

Now Ioseph was brought downe into Egypt: and Potiphar an Eunuche of Pharaohs (and his chiefe stewarde an Egyptian) bought him at the hande of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him thither.

And the Lord was with Ioseph, and he was a man that prospered and was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

And his master sawe that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that hee did to prosper in his hande.

So Ioseph founde fauour in his sight, and serued him: and he made him ruler of his house, and put all that he had in his hand.

And from that time that he had made him ruler ouer his house and ouer all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Iosephs sake: and the blessing of the Lord was vpon all that he had in the house, and in the fielde.

Therefore he left all that he had in Iosephs hand, and tooke accompt of nothing, that was with him, saue onely of the bread, which he did eate. And Ioseph was a faire person, and well fauoured.

Nowe therefore after these thinges, his masters wife cast her eyes vpon Ioseph, and saide, Lye with me.

But he refused and said to his masters wife, Beholde, my master knoweth not what he hath in the house with me, but hath committed all that he hath to mine hande.

There is no man greater in this house then I: neither hath he kept any thing from me, but only thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickednes and so sinne against God?

And albeit she spake to Ioseph day by day, yet he hearkened not vnto her, to lye with her, or to be in her company.

Then on a certaine day Ioseph entred into the house, to doe his businesse: and there was no man of the houshold in the house:

Therefore she caught him by his garmet, saying, Sleepe with me: but he left his garment in her hand and fled, and got him out.

Nowe when she sawe that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled out,

She called vnto the men of her house, and tolde them, saying, Beholde, he hath brought in an Ebrewe vnto vs to mocke vs: who came in to me for to haue slept with me: but I cryed with a loude voyce.

And when he heard that I lift vp my voice and cryed, he left his garment with me, and fled away, and got him out.

So she layde vp his garment by her, vntill her lord came home.

Then she tolde him according to these words, saying, The Ebrew seruat, which thou hast brought vnto vs, came in to me, to mocke me.

But assoone as I lift vp my voyce and cried, he left his garment with me, and fled out.

Then when his master heard the wordes of his wife, which she tolde him, saying, After this maner did thy seruant to me, his anger was kindled.

And Iosephs master tooke him and put him in prison, in the place, where the kings prisoners lay bounde: and there he was in prison.

But the Lord was with Ioseph, and shewed him mercie, and got him fauour in the sight of the master of the prison.

And the keeper of the prison committed to Iosephs hande all the prisoners that were in the prison, and whatsoeuer they did there, that did he.

And the keeper of the prison looked vnto nothing that was vnder his hande, seeing that the Lord was with him: for whatsoeuer he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

And after these things, the butler of the King of Egypt and his baker offended their lorde the King of Egypt.

And Pharaoh was angrie against his two officers, against the chiefe butler, and against the chiefe baker.

Therefore he put them in ward in his chiefe stewardes house, in the prison and place where Ioseph was bound.

And the chiefe steward gaue Ioseph charge ouer them, and he serued them: and they continued a season in warde.

And they both dreamed a dreame, eyther of them his dreame in one night, eche one according to the interpretation of his dreame, both the butler and the baker of the King of Egypt, which were bounde in the prison.

And when Ioseph came in vnto them in the morning, and looked vpon them, beholde, they were sad.

And he asked Pharaohs officers, that were with him in his masters warde, saying, Wherefore looke ye so sadly to day?

Who answered him, We haue dreamed, eche one a dreame, and there is none to interprete the same. Then Ioseph saide vnto them, Are not interpretations of God? tell them me nowe.

So the chiefe butler tolde his dreame to Ioseph, and said vnto him, In my dreame, behold, a vine was before me,

And in the vine were three branches, and as it budded, her flowre came foorth: and the clusters of grapes waxed ripe.

And I had Pharaohs cup in mine hande, and I tooke the grapes, and wrung the into Pharaohs cup, and I gaue the cup into Pharaohs hand.

Then Ioseph sayde vnto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three braunches are three dayes.

Within three dayes shall Pharaoh lift vp thine head, and restore thee vnto thine office, and thou shalt giue Pharaohs cup into his hand after the olde maner, when thou wast his butler.

But haue me in remembrance with thee, when thou art in good case, and shew mercie, I pray thee, vnto me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring me out of this house.

For I was stollen away by theft out of the land of the Ebrewes, and here also haue I done nothing, wherefore they should put mee in the dungeon.

And when the chiefe baker sawe that the interpretation was good, hee saide vnto Ioseph, Also mee thought in my dreame that I had three white baskets on mine head.

And in the vppermost basket there was of all maner baken meates for Pharaoh: and the birdes did eate them out of the basket vpon mine head.

Then Ioseph answered, and saide, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three dayes:

Within three dayes shall Pharaoh take thine head from thee, and shall hang thee on a tree, and the birdes shall eate thy flesh from off thee.

And so the third day, which was Pharaohs birthday, hee made a feast vnto all his seruants: and hee lifted vp the head of the chiefe butler, and the head of the chiefe baker among his seruants.

And he restored the chiefe butler vnto his butlershippe, who gaue the cup into Pharaohs hande,

But he hanged the chiefe baker, as Ioseph had interpreted vnto them.

Yet the chiefe butler did not remember Ioseph, but forgate him.

And two yeeres after, Pharaoh also dreamed, and beholde, he stoode by a riuer,

And loe, there came out of the riuer seuen goodly kine and fatfleshed, and they fedde in a medowe:

And loe, seuen other kine came vp after the out of the riuer, euill fauoured and leane fleshed, and stoode by the other kine vpon the brinke of the riuer.

And the euilfauoured and leane fleshed kine did eate vp the seuen welfauoured and fatte kine: so Pharaoh awoke.