Study Desk

Jacob continued to live in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived,

and this is the story of Jacob's family. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, took care of the sheep and goats with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's concubines. He brought bad reports to his father about what his brothers were doing.

Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he had been born to him when he was old. He made a long robe with full sleeves for him.

When his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than he loved them, they hated their brother so much that they would not speak to him in a friendly manner.

One time Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.

"Do you think you are going to be a king and rule over us?" his brothers asked. So they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of what he said about them.

Then Joseph had another dream and told his brothers, "I had another dream, in which I saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me."

He also told the dream to his father, and his father scolded him: "What kind of a dream is that? Do you think that your mother, your brothers, and I are going to come and bow down to you?"

Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept thinking about the whole matter.

His father told him, "Go and see if your brothers are safe and if the flock is all right; then come back and tell me." So his father sent him on his way from Hebron Valley. Joseph arrived at Shechem

The man said, "They have already left. I heard them say that they were going to Dothan." So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

Come on now, let's kill him and throw his body into one of the dry wells. We can say that a wild animal killed him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams."

"Just throw him into this well in the wilderness, but don't hurt him." He said this, planning to save him from them and send him back to his father.

When Joseph came up to his brothers, they ripped off his long robe with full sleeves.

Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up the murder?

Let's sell him to these Ishmaelites. Then we won't have to hurt him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed,

When Reuben came back to the well and found that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes in sorrow.

He returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is not there! What am I going to do?"

He recognized it and said, "Yes, it is his! Some wild animal has killed him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces!"

Jacob tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. He mourned for his son a long time.