And he said to him, "Go now, see whether it be well with thy brethren,
and well with the flock; and bring me word again."
So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a
certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and
the man asked him, saying, "What seekest thou?"
And he said, "I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they are
feeding the flock."
And the man said, "They are departed hence: for I heard them say, 'Let
us go to Dothan.'"
And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And they
saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired
against him to slay him. And they said one to another, "Behold, this
dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him
into one of the pits, and we will say, 'An evil beast hath devoured
him': and we shall see what will become of his dreams."
And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they
stript Joseph of his coat, the long garment with sleeves that was on
him; and they took him, and cast him into the pit: and the pit was
empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread: and
they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a traveling company
of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and
balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his
brethren, "What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his
blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our
hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh."
And his brethren hearkened unto him. And they drew and lifted Joseph out
of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of
silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt. And they took Joseph's coat,
and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood; and they brought
it to their father; and said, "This have we found; know now whether it
be thy son's coat or not."
And he knew it, and said, "It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath
devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces." And Jacob rent
his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son
many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort
him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, "For I will go down to
the grave to my son mourning." And his father wept for him.
=Sec.20. Joseph's Faithfulness= (Gen. 39:1-6)
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of
Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand
of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither.
And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in
the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord
was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his
hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he ministered unto him:
and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into
his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he made him overseer in
his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the
Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was
upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. And he left all
that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught that was with him
save the bread which he did eat.
=Sec.21. Joseph in Prison= (Gen. 39:17-23)
But Potiphar's wife spoke false words concerning Joseph, and she said
unto her husband, "The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us,
came in unto me to mock me: and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice
and cried, that he fled out."
And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which
she spake unto him, saying, "After this manner did thy servant to me,"
that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him
into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he
was there in the prison.
But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him
favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the
prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the
prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper
of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand, because
the Lord was with him; and that which he did, the Lord made it to
prosper.