9. Then he had another dream, and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10. When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?”
11. His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said.
12. When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,
13. Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” Joseph replied.
14. So Jacob said to him, “Go now and check on the welfare of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob sent him from the valley of Hebron.
15. When Joseph reached Shechem, a man found him wandering in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16. He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are grazing their flocks.”
17. The man said, “They left this area, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18. Now Joseph’s brothers saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19. They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams!
20. Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!”
21. When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph from their hands, saying, “Let’s not take his life!”
22. Reuben continued, “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” (Reuben said this so he could rescue Joseph from them and take him back to his father.)
23. When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore.
24. Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.)
25. When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt.