The Life of Joseph
Joseph's story from his brothers' betrayal and slavery in Egypt to his rise to power, the family's reconciliation, and Jacob's final blessings.
14 chapters · read each one, then take its quiz
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Sign in to start- 1Genesis 37: Joseph Sold by His Brothers
Jacob favors Joseph and gives him a special robe, and Joseph's dreams of his family bowing to him deepen his brothers' hatred. When Joseph visits them in the fields, they throw him into a pit and sell him to traders bound for Egypt, deceiving Jacob that a wild animal killed him.
- 2Genesis 38: Judah and Tamar
Judah marries a Canaanite woman, and after his sons Er and Onan die for their wickedness, he withholds his third son from their widow Tamar. Disguised as a prostitute, Tamar conceives by Judah, who admits she is more righteous than he, and she bears twins, Perez and Zerah.
- 3Genesis 39: Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
In Egypt, Joseph serves Potiphar, and the Lord makes everything he does prosper. Joseph refuses the repeated advances of Potiphar's wife as a sin against God, but she falsely accuses him and he is thrown into prison, where the Lord is with him and gives him favor.
- 4Genesis 40: Joseph Interprets the Prisoners' Dreams
In prison Joseph meets Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker, who each have a troubling dream. Joseph says interpretations belong to God and explains that the cupbearer will be restored and the baker executed within three days. Both come true, but the cupbearer forgets Joseph.
- 5Genesis 41: Joseph Rises to Power in Egypt
Pharaoh dreams of seven fat and seven thin cows, and the cupbearer remembers Joseph. Joseph explains that God is revealing seven years of plenty followed by seven of famine. Pharaoh sets Joseph over all Egypt, and he stores grain and has two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
- 6Genesis 42: Joseph's Brothers Come to Egypt
Famine drives ten of Joseph's brothers to Egypt to buy grain, and they bow before him without recognizing him. Joseph accuses them of spying, keeps Simeon, and demands that they bring Benjamin. The brothers see their trouble as punishment for what they did to Joseph.
- 7Genesis 43: The Second Journey with Benjamin
As the famine continues, Judah pledges his own life for Benjamin's safety, and Jacob reluctantly lets him go. Joseph receives the brothers, releases Simeon, and hosts them at a feast, where he is overcome with emotion at seeing Benjamin and gives him five times as much food.
- 8Genesis 44: Joseph's Silver Cup
Joseph has his silver cup hidden in Benjamin's sack, then has the brothers pursued and brought back. When Joseph says Benjamin must remain as his slave, Judah pleads for his father's sake and offers himself as a slave in Benjamin's place, showing how the brothers have changed.
- 9Genesis 45: Joseph Reveals Himself
Overcome, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and tells them not to be distressed, since God sent him ahead to preserve life. He sends them back to bring Jacob and their families to Egypt, and Jacob's spirit revives when he learns Joseph is still alive.
- 10Genesis 46: Jacob Moves to Egypt
At Beersheba, God tells Jacob not to be afraid of going down to Egypt, promising to make him a great nation there and bring him back. The chapter lists the seventy members of Jacob's family who go to Egypt, and Jacob and Joseph are reunited in Goshen with tears.
- 11Genesis 47: Jacob Blesses Pharaoh and the Famine Deepens
Joseph presents his father and brothers to Pharaoh, who gives them the land of Goshen, and Jacob blesses Pharaoh. As the famine worsens, Joseph acquires Egypt's money, livestock, and land for Pharaoh, and Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan.
- 12Genesis 48: Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
When Jacob is ill, Joseph brings his sons, and Jacob adopts Ephraim and Manasseh as his own. Crossing his hands, he gives the greater blessing to the younger Ephraim, invoking the God who shepherded him, and promises that God will bring Joseph's family back to Canaan.
- 13Genesis 49: Jacob Blesses His Sons
On his deathbed, Jacob gathers his twelve sons and speaks of each one's future. Reuben, Simeon, and Levi are rebuked, Judah is promised the scepter until the ruler comes, and Joseph is richly blessed. Jacob then gives instructions for his burial and dies.
- 14Genesis 50: The Death of Joseph
Joseph mourns Jacob and buries him in Canaan with a great procession. His brothers fear revenge, but Joseph assures them that God turned the harm they intended into good. Before dying, Joseph foretells that God will bring Israel back to Canaan and asks that his bones be carried there.