Study Desk

Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. He said, "I have had another dream. The sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father spoke sharp words to him, saying, "What is this dream you have had? Will I and your mother and brothers come to bow ourselves down to the ground in front of you?"

Joseph's brothers were jealous of him. But his father thought about what he said.

Then his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

And the man said, "They have moved from here. For I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph followed his brothers and found them at Dothan.

Now come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the deep holes. Then we will say that a wild animal ate him. And we will see what becomes of his dreams!"

Reuben then said, "Do not put him to death. Throw him into this hole here in the desert. But do not lay a hand on him." He wanted to be able to save Joseph and return him to his father.

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they tore off his coat, the coat of many colors that he was wearing.

Judah said to his brothers, "What do we get by killing our brother and covering his blood?

Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him. For he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him.

Then Reuben returned to the hole. When he saw that Joseph was not in the hole, he tore his clothes.

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

So Jacob tore his clothes and dressed in clothes made from hair. He had sorrow for his son many days.

All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him. But he would not be comforted. He said, "I will go down to the grave in sorrow for my son." And his father cried for him.

Judah went away from his brothers at that time. He visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.

There Judah saw a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her as his wife and lived with her.

Judah chose a wife for his first-born son Er. Her name was Tamar.

But Er, Judah's first-born, was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord took his life.

But Onan knew that the children would not be his. So when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground to keep his brother from having children.

What he did was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord took his life also.