Genesis 37:18-28 ▼

18 Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.

20 “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.

22 “Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe— the robe of many colors he was wearing—

24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.

25 And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.

28 So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.