Joseph was the Hebrew boy who was sold into Egypt by his brothers and became the great prime minister of Pharaoh. The story of Joseph is powerfully told in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Joseph was the 11th of the 12 sons of Jacob. He was Jacob’s favorite son.
Joseph helped his older brothers tend the flocks in the fields. One day, when he was 17, he appeared among them in a coat with long sleeves. It was the gift of his father. Peasants or herders could not wear such a cloak, because its long sleeves would get in the way. So the cloak was a sign that Joseph was intended for some better occupation. The older brothers were jealous.
One day, when the brothers saw Joseph coming, one of them said, “Let us kill him.” But they agreed to put him in a deep pit without harming him, after taking his beautiful coat.
Later, a band of Ishmaelites appeared. Their camels were carrying spices and precious things from Gilead into Egypt. Judah and some of the other brothers drew Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver. The brothers then killed a goat, tore the coat, stained it with the goat’s blood, and took it to Jacob. They told him a wild beast had destroyed Joseph.
A slave in Egypt.
The band of Ishmaelites carried Joseph to Egypt. There, Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, bought him. Joseph served his master so faithfully that he became overseer of the household. But he offended Potiphar’s wife, because he would not return her desire for him. She had him put into prison. But Joseph soon won the jailer’s confidence and was placed in charge of all the prisoners.
Pharaoh’s chief butler and baker offended their lord, so they were also put in prison. One night they both had strange dreams. Joseph interpreted the dreams correctly for them. Two years later, Pharaoh had two very strange dreams that no one could understand. Then, the butler remembered Joseph. Pharaoh sent for Joseph to come and interpret his dreams. In Pharaoh’s first dream, seven fat cows were grazing in the reeds near the river. Seven lean cows came and devoured the fat cows. In the second dream, seven good ears of grain sprang up, but seven thin ones ate them. Joseph said the dreams meant that there would be seven years of plenty in Egypt, followed by seven years of famine. He advised Pharaoh to choose a wise man to gather the extra food in times of plenty to eat when famine came.
The prime minister.
Pharaoh was so pleased with Joseph’s wisdom that he chose him to oversee the grain storing of all Egypt. For seven years, there were abundant crops. Then came the famine. No grain had been saved in Canaan. Jacob and his family soon needed food. The 10 oldest sons went into Egypt to buy food. They did not recognize Joseph as their brother when they were brought before him because 20 years had passed. But Joseph knew them because the older ones had changed very little. He pretended to think that they were spies and asked them about their home. They said they had another brother, Benjamin. Joseph told them to go get him to prove they spoke the truth. As the brothers left, he ordered their bags to be filled with grain. Joseph kept one brother, Simeon, as a hostage.
When Joseph saw Benjamin, he longed to embrace him and weep for joy. Benjamin was his own brother, the son of Rachel, Joseph’s mother, while the others were all half brothers. But Joseph tested their character before he told them who he was. He found that they were thoughtful of their father and Benjamin. Then, Joseph made himself known to them.
The brothers were ashamed to look at Joseph, but he forgave them for their wickedness. After their happy reunion, he told them to bring their father and families to Egypt, where they would have plenty of food.
Settling his family in Egypt.
At first Jacob could not believe that Joseph still lived and was a ruler in Egypt. But when he saw the wagons sent to carry his family into the new land, he said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him before I die.” So his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren journeyed to the land of Goshen, where Joseph met them.
Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who became the fathers of the two tribes that bore their names. Joseph, his sons, and his brothers were the legendary ancestors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Their story connects the stories of the patriarchs in Genesis and the deliverance in Exodus.
