Joseph, his father's favorite, dreams that his family will bow to him, and his brothers hate him for it. They sell him to traders bound for Egypt and tell Jacob a wild animal killed him.
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger , in the land of Canaan .
2 These are the generations of Jacob . Joseph , being seventeen years old , was feeding the flock with his brethren ; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah , and with the sons of Zilpah , his father's wives : and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report .
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children , because he was the son of his old age : and he made him a coat of many colours .
4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren , they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream , and he told it his brethren : and they hated him yet the more .
6 And he said unto them, Hear , I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed :
7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field , and, lo, my sheaf arose , and also stood upright ; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about , and made obeisance to my sheaf .
8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams , and for his words .
9 And he dreamed yet another dream , and told it his brethren , and said , Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 And he told it to his father , and to his brethren : and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed ? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth ?
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying .
12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem .
13 And Israel said unto Joseph , Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem ? come , and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
14 And he said to him, Go , I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren , and well with the flocks ; and bring me word again . So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron , and he came to Shechem .
15 And a certain man found him , and, behold, he was wandering in the field : and the man asked him , saying , What seekest thou?
16 And he said , I seek my brethren : tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
17 And the man said , They are departed hence ; for I heard them say , Let us go to Dothan . And Joseph went after his brethren , and found them in Dothan .
18 And when they saw him afar off , even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19 And they said one to another , Behold, this dreamer cometh .
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit , and we will say , Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams .
21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands ; and said , Let us not kill him.
22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood , but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness , and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands , to deliver him to his father again .
23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren , that they stript Joseph out of his coat , his coat of many colours that was on him;
24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit : and the pit was empty , there was no water in it.
25 And they sat down to eat bread : and they lifted up their eyes and looked , and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh , going to carry it down to Egypt .
26 And Judah said unto his brethren , What profit is it if we slay our brother , and conceal his blood ?
27 Come , and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites , and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh . And his brethren were content .
28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen ; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit , and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver : and they brought Joseph into Egypt .
29 And Reuben returned unto the pit ; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit ; and he rent his clothes .
30 And he returned unto his brethren , and said , The child is not; and I, whither shall I go ?
31 And they took Joseph's coat , and killed a kid of the goats , and dipped the coat in the blood ;
32 And they sent the coat of many colours , and they brought it to their father ; and said , This have we found : know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.
33 And he knew it , and said , It is my son's coat ; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces .
34 And Jacob rent his clothes , and put sackcloth upon his loins , and mourned for his son many days .
35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted ; and he said , For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning . Thus his father wept for him.
36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar , an officer of Pharaoh's , and captain of the guard .