Genesis 37:20-36 ▼

20 and now, come, and we slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and have said, An evil beast has devoured him; and we see what his dreams are.”

21 And Reuben hears, and delivers him out of their hand, and says, “Let us not strike the life”;

22 and Reuben says to them, “Shed no blood; cast him into this pit which [is] in the wilderness, and do not put forth a hand on him,” in order to deliver him out of their hand, to bring him back to his father.

23 And it comes to pass, when Joseph has come to his brothers, that they strip Joseph of his coat, the long coat which [is] on him,

24 and take him and cast him into the pit, and the pit [is] empty, there is no water in it.

25 And they sit down to eat bread, and they lift up their eyes, and look, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, and their camels carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh, going to take [them] down to Egypt.

26 And Judah says to his brothers, “What gain when we slay our brother, and have concealed his blood?

27 Come, and we sell him to the Ishmaelites, and our hands are not on him, for he [is] our brother—our flesh”; and his brothers listen.

28 And Midianite merchantmen pass by and they draw out and bring up Joseph out of the pit, and sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they bring Joseph into Egypt.

29 And Reuben returns to the pit, and behold, Joseph is not in the pit, and he tears his garments,

30 and he returns to his brothers and says, “The boy is not, and I—to where am I going?”

31 And they take the coat of Joseph, and slaughter a kid of the goats, and dip the coat in the blood,

32 and send the long coat, and they bring [it] to their father, and say, “We have found this; please discern whether it [is] your son’s coat or not.”

33 And he discerns it and says, “My son’s coat! An evil beast has devoured him; torn—Joseph is torn!”

34 And Jacob tears his raiment, and puts sackcloth on his loins, and becomes a mourner for his son many days,

35 and all his sons and all his daughters rise to comfort him, and he refuses to comfort himself, and says, “For I go down to my son mourning, to Sheol,” and his father weeps for him.

36 And the Midianites have sold him to Egypt, to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, head of the executioners.