³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was ^(A)the son of his old age. And he made him ^(B)a robe of many colors.^{[a] 4} But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

⁵ Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: ⁷ Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, ^(C)my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and ^(D)bowed down to my sheaf.” ⁸ His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, ^(A)the robe of many colors that he wore. ²⁴ And they took him and ^(B)threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a ^(C)caravan of ^(D)Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing ^(E)gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. ²⁶ Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it ^(F)if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? ²⁷ Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and ^(G)let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. ²⁸ Then ^(H)Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and ^(I)sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels^[a] of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

³¹ Then they took ^(A)Joseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. ³² And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not.” ³³ And he identified it and said, “It is my son's robe. ^(B)A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” ³⁴ Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ All his sons and all his daughters ^(C)rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, ^(D)I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.