In the land of Canaan, there lived a man named Jacob, who had twelve sons. Among them, Joseph was the favored one, loved dearly by his father. Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful, multicolored robe as a sign of his special affection. This favoritism, however, stirred jealousy and resentment in Joseph’s brothers. They grew to hate him and plotted against him.
One day, Joseph had a dream. He saw his brothers’ sheaves of grain bowing down to his. Another dream showed the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing to him. He shared these dreams with his brothers, but instead of admiration, they mocked and despised him even more. Their hatred festered, and they decided to get rid of Joseph.
When the brothers were away tending their flocks, they saw Joseph approaching. They conspired to kill him, but Reuben, one of the brothers, persuaded them to spare his life. Instead, they stripped him of his robe, threw him into a pit, and then sold him to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites. The brothers dipped Joseph’s robe in goat’s blood and presented it to Jacob, pretending that a wild animal had killed him. Jacob mourned deeply for his beloved son, not knowing that Joseph was alive and far away.
Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to Potipar, an officer of Pharaoh. Despite the betrayal and hardship, Joseph’s story was just beginning.