JOSEPH SOLD INTO EGYPT.

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeenyears old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, and the ladwas with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, hisfather's wives; and Joseph brought unto his father their evilreport. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children,because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat ofmany colors. And when his brethren saw that their father lovedhim more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could notspeak peaceably unto him.

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: andthey hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I prayyou, this dream which I have dreamed. For, behold, we werebinding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and alsostood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, andmade obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shaltthou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominionover us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and forhis words.

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren,and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, thesun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. Andhe told it to his father and to his brethren; and his fatherrebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hastdreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come tobow down ourselves to thee to the earth. And his brethren enviedhim; but his father observed the saying.

And his brethren went to feed their father's flock inShechem.

And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near untothem, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said oneto another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now, therefore, andlet us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say,Some evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what willbecome of his dreams. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered himout of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reubensaid unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that isin the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might ridhim out of their hands to deliver him to his father again.

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren,that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colorsthat was on him; and they took him and cast him into a pit; andthe pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down toeat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold,a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camelsbearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down toEgypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if weslay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sellhim to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for heis our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew andlifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to theIshmaelites for twenty pieces of silver; and they brought Josephinto Egypt.

And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, anofficer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.—Genesis xxxvii,2—12, 17-28, 36