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

¹⁹ “Here comes that dreamer!^(B)” they said to each other. ²⁰ “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns^(C) and say that a ferocious animal^(D) devoured him.^(E) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”^(F)

²¹ When Reuben^(G) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.^{(H) 22} “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern^(I) here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.^(J)

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe^(K) he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern.^(L) 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^(M) coming from Gilead.^(N) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm^(O) and myrrh,^(P) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.^(Q)

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