And Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers — he was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives — and Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a robe of many pieces.
And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.
And Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brothers — and they hated him still more.
And he said to them, “Hear, please, this dream that I have dreamed:
look, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field — and look, my sheaf rose and even stood upright; and look, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
And his brothers said to him, “Will you really reign over us? Will you really rule us?” And they hated him still more, for his dreams and for his words.
And he dreamed yet another dream, and recounted it to his brothers: “Look, I have dreamed another dream — and look, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowing down to me.”
And he recounted 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? Shall we really come — I and your mother and your brothers — to bow down to you to the ground?”
And his brothers were jealous of him; but his father kept the matter in mind.
Joseph Sold into Egypt
And his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem.
And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing at Shechem? Come, let me send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”
And he said to him, “Go, please — see whether it is well with your brothers and well with the flock, and bring me back word.” And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
And a man found him — and look, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
And he said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing.”
And the man said, “They have moved on from here, for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
And they saw him from far off — and before he came near them, they plotted against him, to put him to death.
And they said to one another, “Look, this master of dreams is coming.
Now come, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits, and we will say a vicious animal has devoured him — and we shall see what becomes of his dreams.”
And Reuben heard, and he delivered him from their hand. And he said, “Let us not strike his life.”
And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him” — so that he might deliver him from their hand, to return him to his father.
And it happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his robe — the robe of many pieces that was on him —
and they took him and threw him into the pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
And they sat down to eat bread. And they lifted up their eyes and looked — and look, a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels carrying spices and balm and myrrh, going down to bring them to Egypt.
And Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover his blood?
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be on him — for he is our brother, our flesh.” And his brothers listened.
And Midianite men, traders, passed by; and they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt.
And Reuben returned to the pit — and look, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his garments,
and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone — and I, where am I to go?”
Jacob Mourns Joseph
And they took Joseph’s robe, and slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in the blood.
And they sent the robe of many pieces and brought it to their father, and said, “We found this. Identify it, please — is it your son’s robe, or not?”
And he recognized it and said, “My son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph is surely torn to pieces.”
And Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
And all his sons and all his daughters rose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and said, “No — I will go down to my son, mourning, to Sheol.” And his father wept for him.
And the Midianites sold him into Egypt, to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
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