² This is the account^(A) of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph,^(B) a young man of seventeen,^(C) was tending the flocks^(D) with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah^(E) and the sons of Zilpah,^(F) his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report^(G) about them.

¹⁸ But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.^(A)

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe^(A) he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern.^(B) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites^(C) coming from Gilead.^(D) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm^(E) and myrrh,^(F) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.^(G)

²⁶ Judah^(H) said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?^{(I) 27} Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,^(J) our own flesh and blood.^(K)” His brothers agreed.

²⁸ So when the Midianite^(L) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern^(M) and sold^(N) him for twenty shekels^[a] of silver^(O) to the Ishmaelites,^(P) who took him to Egypt.^(Q)

³⁶ Meanwhile, the Midianites^[a](A) sold Joseph^(B) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.^(C)