21. When Reuben heard what they said, he saved him from them, telling them, "Let’s not take his life."
22. Reuben said to them, "Don’t spill his blood! Throw him into this desert cistern, but don’t lay a hand on him." He intended to save Joseph from them and take him back to his father.
23. When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s long robe,
24. took him, and threw him into the cistern, an empty cistern with no water in it.
25. When they sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with camels carrying sweet resin, medicinal resin, and fragrant resin on their way down to Egypt.
26. Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain if we kill our brother and hide his blood?