37:12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 37:13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers 3 are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” 4 Joseph replied. 5 37:14 So Jacob 6 said to him, “Go now and check on 7 the welfare 8 of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob 9 sent him from the valley of Hebron.
37:15 When Joseph reached Shechem, 10 a man found him wandering 11 in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell 12 me where they are grazing their flocks.” 37:17 The man said, “They left this area, 13 for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers 14 saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 37:19 They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams! 15 37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild 16 animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” 17
37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph 18 from their hands, 19 saying, 20 “Let’s not take his life!” 21 37:22 Reuben continued, 22 “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” 23 (Reuben said this 24 so he could rescue Joseph 25 from them 26 and take him back to his father.)
37:23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him 27 of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; 28 there was no water in it.)
37:25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up 29 and saw 30 a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. 31 37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, 32 for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. 33 37:28 So when the Midianite 34 merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled 35 him 36 out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites 37 then took Joseph to Egypt.
37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! 38 He tore his clothes, 37:30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?” 37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, 39 and dipped the tunic in the blood. 37:32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father 40 and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! 41 Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, 42 and mourned for his son many days. 37:35 All his sons and daughters stood by 43 him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” 44 So Joseph’s 45 father wept for him.
37:36 Now 46 in Egypt the Midianites 47 sold Joseph 48 to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. 49