² These are the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought ^(A)a bad report of them to their father. ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was ^(B)the son of his old age. And he made him ^(C)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.

¹⁷ And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to ^(A)Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at ^(B)Dothan.

¹⁸ They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them ^(C)they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹ They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. ²⁰ Come now, ^(D)let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.^[a] Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” ²¹ But when ^(E)Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” ²² And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—^(F)that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. ²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, ^(G)the robe of many colors that he wore. ²⁴ And they took him and ^(H)threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.