1 Now Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the family history of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was taking care of the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a long-sleeved robe. 4 And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more. 6 And he said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have dreamed: 7 Now look, we were tying sheaves in the field, and look, my sheaf rose up and also stood upright; and look, your sheaves came around and bowed down to my sheaf!”
8 And his brothers asked him, “Are you really going to be king over us? Are you really going to rule over us?” And they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of his words. 9 And he had yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look! I have dreamed yet another dream, and look! The sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me!” 10 And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come to bow ourselves down to you to the ground?” 11 And his brothers resented him, but his father kept thinking about the words.
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And Joseph said to him, “Here I am.”
14 And Israel said to him, “Please go see how your brothers are doing, and how the flock is doing; and come back and tell me.” So he sent him out from Hebron Valley, and he arrived at Shechem. 15 And a man found him, and look, he was wandering around in the countryside. And the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 And he said, “I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”
17 And the man said, “They have left here, but I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dotan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dotan. 18 And they saw him far away. And before he had gotten near them they made a plan against him to kill him. 19 And they said to one another, “Look! That dreamer is coming! 20 Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the wells, and we’ll say, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we'll see what will become of his dreams!”
21 And Reuben heard it, and he tried to rescue him out of their hand and said, “Let’s not take his life.” 22 So Reuben said to them, “Don’t spill any blood. Throw him into this well that is in the backcountry, but don't lay a hand on him,” because he planned to rescue him out of their hands, in order to return him to his father. 23 And it was, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his robe, the long-sleeved robe that was on him; 24 and they took him and threw him into the well. And the well was empty. There was no water in it.
25 And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted up their eyes and looked, and there, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gile’ad, with their camels carrying spices and balm and myrrh, going in order to bring it down to Egypt. 26 Now Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites! And don’t let our hand be on him, since he is our brother, our flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 And some Midianite men who were traders passed by, and they pulled up Joseph and lifted him out of the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver. And the traders took Joseph to Egypt.
29 Then Reuben went back to the well and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the well, and he tore his clothes. 30 And he went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! And I, where will I go?” 31 So they took Joseph’s robe, and killed a male goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the long-sleeved robe and had it brought to their father and said, “We found this. Please check if it is your son’s robe or not.”
33 And he recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s robe. A wild animal has eaten him! Joseph has surely been ripped apart!” 34 And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his waist and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Indeed I will go down to the grave to my son, mourning.” And his father cried for him. 36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.