1And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings , in the land of Canaan . 2These are the generations of Jacob . Joseph , being seventeen years old , was feeding the flock with his brethren; and he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah , and with the sons of Zilpah , his father ’s wives: and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto their father . 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children , because he was the son of his old age : and he made him a coat of many colors. 4And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren; and they hated him , and could not speak peaceably unto him . 5And Joseph dreamed a dream , and he told it to his brethren: and they hated him yet the more . 6And he said unto them , Hear , I pray you , this dream which I have dreamed : 7for , behold , we were binding sheaves in the field , and , lo , my sheaf arose , and also stood upright ; and , behold , your sheaves came round about , and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8And his brethren said to him , Shalt thou indeed reign over us ? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us ? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams , and for his words . 9And he dreamed yet another dream , and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold , I have dreamed yet a dream ; and , behold , the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me . 10And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him , and said unto him , What is this dream that thou hast dreamed ? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11And his brethren envied him ; but his father kept the saying in mind.
Joseph Sent to His Brothers
12And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem . 13And Israel said unto Joseph , Are not thy brethren feeding the flock in Shechem ? come , and I will send thee unto them . And he said to him , Here am I . 14And he said to him , Go now , see whether it is well with thy brethren, and well with the flock ; and bring me word again . So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron , and he came to Shechem . 15And a certain man found him , and , behold , he was wandering in the field : and the man asked him , saying, What seekest thou ? 16And he said, I am seeking my brethren: tell me , I pray thee , where they are feeding the flock . 17And the man said , They are departed hence ; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan . And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan . 18And they saw him afar off , and before he came near unto them , they conspired against him to slay him . 19And they said one to another, Behold , this dreamer cometh. 20Come now therefore , and let us slay him , and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured him : and we shall see what will become of his dreams . 21And Reuben heard it , and delivered him out of their hand , and said , Let us not take his life . 22And Reuben said unto them , Shed no blood ; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness , but lay no hand upon him : that he might deliver him out of their hand , to restore him to his father.
Joseph Sold into Slavery
23And it came to pass , when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat , the coat of many colors that was on him ; 24and they took him , and cast him into the pit: and the pit was empty , there was no water in it . 25And they sat down to eat bread : and they lifted up their eyes and looked , and , behold , a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead , with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh , going to carry it down to Egypt . 26And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood ? 27Come , and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites , and let not our hand be upon him ; for he is our brother, our flesh . And his brethren hearkened unto him . 28And there passed by Midianites , merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver . And they brought Joseph into Egypt . 29And Reuben returned unto the pit; and , behold , Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 30And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not ; and I, whither shall I go ? 31And they took Joseph ’s coat , and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood ; 32and they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father , and said, This have we found : know now whether it is thy son ’s coat or not . 33And he knew it , and said, It is my son ’s coat : an evil beast hath devoured him ; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces . 34And Jacob rent his garments , and put sackcloth upon his loins , and mourned for his son many days . 35And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him ; but he refused to be comforted ; and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning . And his father wept for him . 36And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar , an officer of Pharaoh ’s, the captain of the guard .