Genesis 37:12-36
12Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. 13And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in aShechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “1I will go.” 14Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of aHebron, and he came to Shechem.
15And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “1What are you seeking?” 16And he said, “I am seeking my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.” 17Then the man said, “They have journeyed from here; for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to aDothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
18And they saw him from a distance, and before he came close to them, they aplotted against him to put him to death. 19Then they said to one another, “1Here comes this dreamer! 20“So now, come and let us kill him and cast him into one of the pits; and awe will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!” 21But aReuben heard this and delivered him out of their hands and said, “Let us not strike down his life.” 22Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not put forth your hands against him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands to return him to his father. 23Now it happened, when Joseph 1reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his 2tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; 24and they took him and cast him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
25And they sat down to eat 1a meal. Then they lifted up their eyes and saw, and behold, a caravan of aIshmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing 2,baromatic gum and 3,cbalm and 4myrrh, going to bring them down to Egypt. 26And Judah said to his brothers, “What gain is it that we kill our brother and acover up his blood? 27“aCome and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened. 28Then some aMidianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit and bsold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 1twenty shekels of silver. Thus cthey brought Joseph into Egypt.
29Then Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he atore his garments. 30Then he returned to his brothers and said, “aThe boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?” 31So athey took Joseph’s tunic and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood; 32and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please recognize it—whether it is your son’s tunic or not.” 33And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. aA wild beast has devoured him; bJoseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 34So Jacob atore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will ago down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. 36Meanwhile, the 1Midianites asold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.