Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

Jacob lived in the land where his ancestors had been strangers, in the land of Canaan. Joseph was seventeen years old when he started taking care of the flock with his brothers. He was also looking after the flocks belonging to their father's wives, Bilhah and Zilpah.

Israel loved Joseph more than all his other children because he was the son of his old age. So Israel made him a special coat with many colors. When his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than them, they started to hate him and couldn't talk to him nicely.

Joseph had a dream and shared it with his brothers, which only made them hate him even more. He said, "Listen to this: we were working in the field and binding sheaves when my sheaf stood up and your sheaves surrounded mine, bowing down." His brothers asked, "Are you going to rule over us? Are you really going to be our boss?" They hated Joseph even more because of his dream.

Joseph had another dream and told his brothers about it. He said, "Look, I've had another dream: the sun, moon, and eleven stars were all bowing down to me." When their father heard about this, he rebuked Joseph, saying, "What's with these dreams of yours? Will my wife, your mother, and our entire family come and bow down to you?" His brothers became even more jealous.

His brothers went to take care of the flocks in Shechem. Israel told Joseph, "Why don't you go check on your brothers in Shechem and make sure they're doing okay?" So he sent him out from Hebron Valley to Shechem.

While walking through a field, someone asked Joseph what he was looking for. He said, "I'm searching for my brothers; where are they taking care of their flocks?" The man replied that they had already left for Dothan. So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

When his brothers saw him coming from a distance, they began to plot against him, planning to kill him. They said, "Here comes the dreamer." One of them suggested, "Come on, let's get rid of him and throw him into that empty pit over there. We'll tell our father he was eaten by a wild animal, and we can see what becomes of his dreams."

Reuben heard their plan and intervened, saying, "Don't kill him; just throw him into this pit instead." Reuben told them to leave Joseph alone so he could rescue him later and return him to their father.

When Joseph approached his brothers, they ripped off his special coat with many colors. They threw him into the empty pit without water. Meanwhile, Judah suggested, "Why should we kill our own brother? What good would it do us to cover up his blood?" He proposed selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites instead.

Midianite traders happened to pass by and pulled Joseph out of the pit. They sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, taking him to Egypt. Reuben came back to the pit but found that Joseph was gone; he tore his clothes in grief and didn't know what to do next.

His brothers took Joseph's special coat, killed a goat, dipped the coat in its blood, and sent it to their father. They told Jacob, "We've found this; is it your son's coat or not?" Their father recognized it immediately and said, "This is my son's coat! A wild beast must have torn him apart!"

Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned for his son for many days. His other children tried to comfort him, but he refused to be consoled. He said, "I'll go down to the grave mourning because I won't see my son again." He wept uncontrollably.

The Midianites sold Joseph into Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's top officials and captain of the guard.