Joseph Sold into Egypt

Jacob dwelt in the land of Canaan and favored Joseph above his other sons, providing him with a tunic of many colors (Genesis 37:1-3). Joseph reported two dreams to his family: one where his brothers' sheaves bowed to his, and another where the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed to him. These accounts caused his brothers to hate him and his father to rebuke him, though Jacob kept the matter in mind. Jacob later sent Joseph from the Valley of Hebron to check on his brothers who were pasturing flocks near Shechem. A man found Joseph wandering in a field and informed him the brothers had moved to Dothan (Genesis 37:15-17).

When the brothers saw Joseph approaching Dothan, they conspired to kill him and cast him into a pit, intending to say a wild beast devoured him. Reuben intervened, suggesting they shed no blood but instead cast him into a pit in the wilderness, intending to deliver Joseph back to Jacob later. When Joseph arrived, they stripped him of his tunic and cast him into an empty pit that contained no water. While sitting to eat, they saw a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead with camels bearing spices and balm (Genesis 37:23-25). Judah proposed selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites rather than killing him, noting he was their brother and their flesh.

The brothers drew Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the Midianite traders for twenty pieces of silver. Reuben, who was absent during the sale, returned to the pit and rent his clothes upon finding Joseph gone. The brothers then killed a kid of the goats and dipped Joseph's tunic in the blood. They brought the tunic to Jacob, who identified it and concluded a wild beast had torn Joseph to pieces. Jacob rent his clothes and mourned for his son many days, refusing to be comforted by his family, while the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh (Genesis 37:33-36).