NHEB(i)
21 But Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hands, and said, "Letʼs not take his life."
22 Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"—that he might deliver him out of their hands, to restore him to his father.
23 It happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his robe, the long ornamented robe that he was wearing.
24 And they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the pit was empty. There was no water in it.)
25 Then they sat down to eat a meal. And they looked up, and look, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh on their way to carry them down to Egypt.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27 Come, and letʼs sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our flesh." And his brothers agreed.
28 So the Midianites merchants passed by, and they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the cistern, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt.
29 And Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph wasnʼt in the cistern; and he tore his clothes.
30 He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone. Now, what am I to do?"
31 They took Josephʼs robe and killed a male goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
32 And they sent the long ornamented robe and they brought it to their father, and said, "We found this. Please examine it to see whether it is your sonʼs robe or not."
33 And he recognized it, and said, "It is my sonʼs robe. A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces."
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Indeed, I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning." And his father wept for him.