Jacob had 12 sons, of whom Reuben was the oldest; Joseph and Benjamin,
the sons of Rachel, were the youngest. Joseph was feeding the flocks
with his brothers, and he brought evil report of them unto their father.
Now, Jacob loved him more than his other sons, and he made him a long
garment. The brothers who saw this hated him, and could not speak
peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his
brothers: We were binding sheaves in the field, and your sheaves bowed
down to my sheaf. And he dreamed another dream and told it: The sun and
the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me. Then his brothers said to
him: Shalt thou indeed reign over us? And they hated him yet more. And
his father rebuked him and said: What is this dream, thou hast dreamed?
Shall I and thy mother and thy brothers come to bow down ourselves to
thee? But his father kept the saying in his mind.
Once, when the other sons were feeding the flocks in Shechem, Jacob said
to Joseph: Go now, see whether it is well with thy brothers and the
flock. And Joseph went. When they saw him afar off, they said: Behold,
this dreamer cometh, let us slay him, and we shall see what will become
of his dreams. But Reuben, who wished to deliver him, said: Shed no
blood, but cast him into this pit. And Joseph came to his brothers, and
they stripped him of his coat and cast him into the pit, which was
empty. And they sat down to eat; and some merchants came with their
camels bearing spices and balsam to Egypt. Judah said: Let us sell him
to these merchants, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our
brother. And they sold him for 20 pieces of silver. Reuben had meanwhile
been away. When he returned to the pit, and Joseph was not there, he
went to his brothers and said: The child is not there, and I, whither
shall I go? They then killed a he-goat and dipped the coat in the blood,
and sent it to their father and said: This have we found; know now
whether it is thy son’s coat? And he knew it and said: It is my son’s
coat; an evil beast has devoured him. And he mourned for his son many
days, wept and would not be comforted. (Gen. 37.)