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

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

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

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

²⁸ So when the Midianite^(U) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern^(V) and sold^(W) him for twenty shekels^[a] of silver^(X) to the Ishmaelites,^(Y) who took him to Egypt.^(Z)