Genesis 37

1 And Jacob lived in the land where his father had lived as a stranger — in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph was seventeen years old, shepherding the sheep with his brothers — he was young, with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives — and Joseph brought back to Israel their father a bad report of them. 3 Now Jacob loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors. [a] 4 And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his sons, they hated him, and could not speak a peaceable word to him. 5 Then Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brothers, 6 and he said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed. 7 I thought we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field — and my sheaf rose and stood upright, and your sheaves turned around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 And his brothers said to him, “Are you really going to reign over us? Are you really going to be lord over us?” And they hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his father and his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream: the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 And his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers really come and bow to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers envied him — but his father kept the saying in mind.

12 Now his brothers had gone to pasture their father’s sheep at Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Look — here I am.” 14 And Israel said to him, “Go and see whether your brothers and the sheep are well, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man found him wandering in the field, and the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 And he said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me — where are they pasturing?” 17 And the man said to him, “They have moved on from here, for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. 18 They spotted him from far off, before he came near them — and they plotted wickedly to kill him. 19 Each said to his brother, “Look — here comes that dreamer. 20 Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits, and we will say a savage wild animal devoured him — and then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.” 21 But Reuben heard it and rescued him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into one of these pits in the wilderness, but do not lay your hands on him” — so that he might rescue him from their hands and restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of the coat of many colors that he wore, 24 and took him and threw him into the pit. And the pit was empty — it had no water. 25 Then they sat down to eat bread. And lifting up their eyes, they looked — and there were Ishmaelite travelers coming from Gilead, their camels loaded with spices and resin and myrrh, on their way down to Egypt. 26 And Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and hide his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, and let our hands not be on him — for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened. 28 And when the Midianite merchants passed by, they drew Joseph up out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of gold. And they brought Joseph down to Egypt. [b]

29 When Reuben returned to the pit and did not see Joseph in it, he tore his clothes, 30 and went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone — and I, where am I to go now?” 31 Then they took Joseph’s coat, killed a young goat, and stained the coat with the blood. 32 And they sent the coat of many colors and brought it to their father, and said, “We found this. Tell whether it is your son’s coat or not.” 33 And he recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s coat! A savage wild animal has devoured him — a wild animal has carried Joseph off!” 34 And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and his daughters gathered to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, saying, “I will go down to my son mourning — down to Hades.” And his father wept for him. [c] 36 And the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt — to Potiphar, the eunuch of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. [d]