Chapter 37
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His brothers went to shepherd their father's flock at Shechem.
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Israel said to Joseph, "Aren't your brothers pasturing the flocks in Shechem? Go, and I will send you to them." He said to him, "Here I am."
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He said to him, "Go now and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me back word." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
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A man found him there wandering in the field. The man asked, "What are you seeking?"
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He said, "I'm seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are, friends."
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The man said, "They have departed from here, for I heard them saying, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" And Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
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They saw him from a distance, and before he could come near them, they conspired against him to put him to death.
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They said to one another, "Look, this Baal of the Dreams is coming."
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Now come, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits, and let us say, 'A wild animal, an evil one, has devoured him.' And we will see what will become of his dreams.
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Reuben heard it and rescued him from their hands. He said, "Let us not strike a soul."
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Reuben said to them, "Do not pour out blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him." This was in order to deliver him from their hands and return him to his father.
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When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic—the tunic of stripes that was on him.
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They took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
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They sat down to eat bread. They lifted their eyes and saw. And behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery, balm, and myrrh, going down to Egypt.
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Judah said to his brothers, "What gain will it be if we kill our brother and cover his blood?"
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Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites so that our hand shall not be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers listened.
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And Midianite merchants passed by, and they pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit. And they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt.
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Reuben returned to the pit, and there Joseph was not in the pit, and he tore his garments.
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He returned to his brothers and said, "The child is gone, and I, where shall I go?"
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And they took Joseph’s tunic and slaughtered a male goat. And they dipped the tunic in the blood.
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And they sent the coat of many colors and brought it to their father. And they said, "This we have found. Please recognize whether it is your son’s coat or not."
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He recognized it and said, "It is my son's tunic—a fierce beast has devoured him. Joseph is torn, torn!"
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And Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned over his son many days.
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All his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "For I will go down to my son mourning to Sheol." And his father wept for him.
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And the Midianites sold him to Egypt, to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.