Joseph’s Brothers Sell Him as a Slave and He Is Taken to the Country of Egypt

37:12-36

12 Sometime after that, Joseph’s brothers took their father’s flocks of sheep and goats to graze in the fields near the city of Shechem. 13 Then one day Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are tending our flocks near the city of Shechem. Get ready so that I can send you to them.” Joseph responded, “I’m ready to go.” 14 Then Israel told him, “Please go and check on how your brothers and the flocks are doing. Then report back to me what you find out.” So Israel sent him on his way from their home in the valley near the city of Hebron, and Joseph traveled to the city of Shechem. 15 When he arrived there, a man saw him searching around in the nearby fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 He replied, “I am looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are tending their flocks?” 17 The man answered, “They were here and then left, but I overheard them say that they were going to the town of Dothan.”

So Joseph followed his brothers and caught up with them near the town of Dothan. 18 But they saw him while he was still some distance away, and before he reached them, they made plans to kill him. 19 They said to each other about him, “Look, here comes that expert dreamer! 20 Come on, let’s kill him and throw his body into one of the pits here. Then we can tell people that a vicious animal ate him up, and we will watch if his dreams come true!”

21 But Reuben heard their plan, so he tried to rescue Joseph from them by urging them, “We should not kill him.” 22 Then he continued, “You must not take his life. Instead put him into this pit here in the desert, but you must not harm him.” Reuben was planning to rescue Joseph from them and take him back home to their father.

23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they took hold of him and ripped off the colorful robe that he was wearing. 24 Then they grabbed him and put him into the pit. The pit was empty and completely dry inside.

25 Then some of Joseph’s brothers sat down to eat a meal. While they were eating, they looked around and noticed that a large group of Ishmaelite traders was traveling toward them from the region of Gilead. Their camels were loaded with expensive spices, healing salve, and incense that they were taking down to the country of Egypt to sell there. 26 So Judah urged to his brothers, “We will not gain anything by killing our brother and trying to hide it! 27 Instead, come on, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders over there so that we will not be guilty of harming him. After all, he is a member of our family, our own brother.” Judah’s brothers agreed with him. 28 So when the Midianite (that is, Ishmaelite) traders came by them, some of Joseph’s brothers pulled Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. Then the Ishmaelites took him to the country of Egypt.

29 Later Reuben came back to the pit, and he was shocked to see that Joseph was not there! So he tore his clothes to show distress. 30 Then he went to his brothers and exclaimed to them, “Joseph is gone! Now I do not know what to do!” 31 So Joseph’s brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in the goat’s blood.

32 Then they had someone take the colorful robe back to their father and say to him for them, “We found this robe. Please look at it to see whether or not it is your son’s.” 33 Jacob recognized the robe and exclaimed, “This is my son Joseph’s robe! Clearly a fierce animal has torn him to bits and eaten him up!” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes in grief, put on mourning clothes, and for many days he mourned that his son had died. 35 All Jacob’s sons and daughters came to him and tried to console him, but he did not let them comfort him. Instead he said to them, “No, I will continue to mourn for my son until I die and go down to be with him in the afterworld.” So Joseph’s father continued to mourn for him.

36 Meanwhile, in the country of Egypt, the Midianite traders sold Joseph to Potiphar, who was an officer under Pharaoh the king of Egypt; he was the captain over the palace guards.