Genesis 37:20–28

²⁰Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

²¹When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them. ^lHe said, “Let’s not take his life.” ^m22Reuben also said to them, “Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him”—intending to rescue him from their hands and return him to his father.

²³When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off his robe, the robe of many colors that he had on. ²⁴Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵Then they sat down to eat a meal. ⁿThey looked up, and there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. ^oTheir camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt. ^p

²⁶Then Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,” and they agreed. ²⁸When Midianite ^qtraders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt. ^r