³ Now Israel^(A) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,^(B) because he had been born to him in his old age;^(C) and he made an ornate^[a] robe^(D) for him.^{(E) 4} When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him^(F) and could not speak a kind word to him.

⁵ Joseph had a dream,^(G) and when he told it to his brothers,^(H) they hated him all the more.^{(I) 6} He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ⁷ We were binding sheaves^(J) of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”^(K)

⁸ His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?”^(L) And they hated him all the more^(M) because of his dream and what he had said.

¹⁷ “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.^(A)’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. ¹⁸ But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.^(B)

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

²¹ When Reuben^(H) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.^{(I) 22} “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern^(J) 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.^(K)

¹⁷ “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.^(A)’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. ¹⁸ But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.^(B)

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

²¹ When Reuben^(H) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.^{(I) 22} “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern^(J) 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.^(K)