Genesis 37:18-35

181When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they 2plotted against him to put him to death. 19They said to one another, “3Here comes this dreamer! 20Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and 4we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!” 21But 5Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not 6take his life.” 22Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him”--that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. 23So it came about, when Joseph 7reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his 8tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; 24and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

25Then they sat down to eat 9a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of 10Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing 1112aromatic gum and 1314balm and 15myrrh, 16on their way to bring them down to Egypt. 26Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and 17cover up his blood? 2718Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28Then some 19Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and 20sold 21him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus 22they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he 23tore his garments. 30He returned to his brothers and said, “24The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?” 31So 25they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood; 32and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please 26examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.” 33Then he 27examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. 28A wild beast has devoured him; 29Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 34So Jacob 30tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will 31go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.