Gen 30:24, Gen 37, Gen 39, 46:20, Gen 48, Num 2:18-19, 26:35-37 | ESV | STEP | And she called his name Joseph , saying , May the Lord add to me another son !

Genesis 30:24

24 And she called his name Joseph, ^{▼▼ Joseph means May he add, and sounds like the Hebrew for taken away} saying, ^b“May the Lord add to me another son!”

Genesis 37

Joseph’s Dreams

1 Jacob lived in ^cthe land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought ^da bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was ^ethe son of his old age. And he made him ^fa robe of many colors. ^{▼▼See Septuagint, Vulgate; or (with Syriac) a robe with long sleeves. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain; also verses 23, 32} 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, ^hmy sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and ⁱbowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and ^jyour mother and your brothers indeed come ^kto bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And ^lhis brothers were jealous of him, ^mbut his father kept the saying in mind.

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near ⁿShechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of ^oHebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to ^pDothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at ^qDothan.

18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them ^rthey conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, ^slet us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. ^{▼▼Or cisterns; also verses 22, 24} Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when ^uReuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”— ^vthat he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, ^wthe robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and ^xthrew him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a ^ycaravan of ^zIshmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing ^aagum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it ^abif we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and ^aclet not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then ^adMidianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and ^aesold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels ^{▼▼A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams} of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he ^agtore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy ^ahis gone, and I, where shall I go?” 31 Then they took ^aiJoseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. ^ajA fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters ^akrose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, ^alI shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile ^amthe Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, ^anthe captain of the guard.

Genesis 39

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and ^aoPotiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, ^aphad bought him from the ^aqIshmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 ^arThe Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord ^ascaused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph ^atfound favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house ^auand put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house ^avfor Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.

Now Joseph was ^awhandsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and ^axhe has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and ^aysin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he ^azwould not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 ^bashe caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”

19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and ^bbput him into the ^bcprison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But ^bdthe Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love ^beand gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison ^bfput Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because ^bgthe Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

Genesis 46:20

20 And ^bhto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of ^biOn, bore to him.

Genesis 48

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

1 After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, ^bj“God Almighty ^{▼▼Hebrew El Shaddai} appeared to me at ^blLuz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you ^bmfor an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your ^bntwo sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, ^boare mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow ^bpRachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance ^{▼▼Or about two hours’ distance} to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, ^br“They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that ^bsI may bless them.” 10 Now ^btthe eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, ^buand he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, ^bv“I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 14 ^bwAnd Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, ^bxcrossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,

“The God ^bybefore whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16 ^bzthe angel who has ^caredeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let ^cbmy name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them ^ccgrow into a multitude ^{▼▼Or let them be like fish for multitude} in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father ^celaid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, ^cf“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, ^cghis younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude ^{▼▼Hebrew fullness} of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
^ci‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but ^cjGod will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to ^ckyou rather than to your brothers one mountain slope ^{▼▼Or one portion of the land; Hebrew shekem, which sounds like the town and district called Shechem} that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”

Numbers 2:18-19

18 “On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies, the chief of the people of Ephraim being Elishama the son of Ammihud, 19 his company as listed being 40,500.

Numbers 26:35-37

35 These are the sons of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the clan of the Becherites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites. 36 And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites. 37 These are the clans of the sons of Ephraim as they were listed, ^cm32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their clans.