They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes.
Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.”
Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.”
Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;
and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.
They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him.
Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Joseph into Egypt.
Reuben returned to the pit; and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?”
They took Joseph’s coat, and killed a male goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.
They took the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, whether it is your son’s coat or not.”
He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s coat. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”
Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning.” His father wept for him.
The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.