37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph 4 from their hands, 5 saying, 6 “Let’s not take his life!” 7 37:22 Reuben continued, 8 “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” 9 (Reuben said this 10 so he could rescue Joseph 11 from them 12 and take him back to his father.)
37:23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him 13 of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; 14 there was no water in it.)
37:25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up 15 and saw 16 a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. 17 37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, 18 for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. 19 37:28 So when the Midianite 20 merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled 21 him 22 out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites 23 then took Joseph to Egypt.
37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! 24 He tore his clothes, 37:30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?” 37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, 25 and dipped the tunic in the blood. 37:32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father 26 and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! 27 Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, 28 and mourned for his son many days. 37:35 All his sons and daughters stood by 29 him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” 30 So Joseph’s 31 father wept for him.
37:36 Now 32 in Egypt the Midianites 33 sold Joseph 34 to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. 35