37 ¹² Joseph's brothers went to mind their father's flocks in Shechem. 37 ¹³ Israel said to him, 'Your brothers are minding the flocks in Shechem; come, I will send you to them', and he said, 'I am ready.' 37 ¹⁴ He said to him, 'Go and see if all is well with your brothers and the sheep, and bring me back word.' So he sent off Joseph from the vale of Hebron and he came to Shechem. 37 ¹⁵ A man met him wandering in the open country and asked him what he was looking for. He replied, 37 ¹⁶ 'I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are minding the flocks.' 37 ¹⁷ The man said, 'They have gone' away from here; I heard them speak of going to Dothan.' So Joseph followed his brothers and he found them in Dothan. 37 ¹⁸ They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 37 ¹⁹ They said to each other, 'Here comes that dreamer. 37 ²⁰ Now is our chance; let us kill him and throw him into one of these pits and say that a wild beast has devoured him. Then we shall see what will come of his dreams.' 37 ²¹ When Reuben heard, he came to his rescue, urging them not to take his life. 37 ²² 'Let us have no bloodshed', he said. 'Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do him no bodily harm.' He meant to save him from them so as to restore him to his father. 37 ²³ When Joseph came up to his brothers, they stripped him of the long, sleeved robe which he was wearing, 37 ²⁴ took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty and had no water in it.

37 ²⁵ Then they sat down to eat some food and, looking up, they saw an Ishmaelite caravan coming in from Gilead on the way down to Egypt, with camels carrying gum tragacanth and balm and myrrh. 37 ²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, 'What shall we gain by killing our brother and concealing his death? 37 ²⁷ Why not sell him to the Ishmaelites? Let us do him no harm, for he is our brother, our own flesh and blood'; and his brothers agreed with him. 37 ²⁸ Meanwhile some Midianite merchants passed by and drew Joseph up out of the pit. They sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, and they brought Joseph to Egypt.

37 ²⁹ When Reuben went back to the pit, Joseph was not there. He rent his clothes 37 ³⁰ and went back to his brothers and said, 'The boy is not there. Where can I go?' 37 ³¹ Joseph's brothers took his robe, killed a goat and dipped it in the goat's blood. 37 ³² Then they tore the robe, the long, sleeved robe, brought it to their father and said, 'Look what we have found. Do you recognize it? Is this your son's robe or not?' 37 ³³ Jacob did recognize it, and he replied, 'It is my son's robe. A wild beast has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces.' 37 ³⁴ Jacob rent his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned his son for a long time. 37 ³⁵ His sons and daughters all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, 'I will go to my grave mourning for my son.' Thus Joseph's father wept for him. 37 ³⁶ Meanwhile the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's eunuchs, the captain of the guard Or executioner.