16. So he responded: "I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks."
17. And the man said to him: "They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, 'Let us go to Dothan.' " Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.
18. And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.
19. And they said one to another: "Behold, the dreamer approaches.
20. Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: 'an evil wild beast has devoured him.' And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him."
21. But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:
22. "Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless." But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father.
23. And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,
24. and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.
25. And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.
26. Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: "What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27. It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh." His brothers agreed to his words.
28. And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.
29. And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy.
30. And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, "The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?"
31. Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed,
32. sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: "We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son or not."
33. And when the father acknowledged it, he said: "It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph."
34. And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time.
35. Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father's sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: "I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld." And while he persevered in weeping,