²⁰ Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and ^(A)we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!” ²¹ But ^(B)Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not ^[a]take his life.” ²² Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. ²³ So it came about, when Joseph ^[b]reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his ^[c]tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

²⁵ Then they sat down to eat ^[d]a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of ^(C)Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing ^[e](D)aromatic gum and ^[f](E)balm and ^[g]myrrh, ^[h]on their way to bring them down to Egypt. ²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and ^(F)cover up his blood? ^27 (G)Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. ²⁸ Then some ^(H)Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and ^(I)sold ^[i]him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus ^(J)they brought Joseph into Egypt.

²¹ Then they said to one another, “^(A)Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.” ²² Reuben answered them, saying, “^(B)Did I not tell ^[a]you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? ^[b](C)Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”