Genesis 37 records a pivotal moment in the history of Israel. This is the beginning of how Israel winds up in Egypt for 400 years so that God can bring them out in the book of Exodus.

Genesis 37 

And Jacob lived in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, who was seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers; and the youth was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.

4 And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him, and could not speak a kind word to him.

5 Joseph had a dream, and he told his brothers about it and they hated him even more.

6 He said “Please listen to this dream that I had.

7 We were binding sheaves in the field and my sheaf arose and stood upright; and your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

8 And his brother said to him “Will you really reign over us? Will you actually rule over us?” And they hated him even more for his dreams, and for his words.

9 He had another dream, and told his brothers about it, saying “I have had another dream; the sun and the moon and the eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

10 And he told his father and his brothers. But his father rebuked him, and said “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually bow down to the earth before you?

11 His brothers were jealous of him; but his father kept the matter in mind. .

12 His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.

13 Israel said to Joseph “Are your brothers not feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he answered “I will go.” 

14 So he said to him “Go see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron and he came to Shechem.

15 A man found him wandering in the field; and the man asked “What are you looking for?”

16 And he said “I am looking for my brothers: please tell me where they feed their flocks.”

17 The man said “They have departed from here, because I heard them say ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.

18 When they saw him far off, before he got close to them, they conspired against him to kill him.

19 And they said to each other “Behold, this dreamer is coming.

20 Come now, let’s kill  him and throw him into some pit, and we will say ‘Some wild animal has devoured him.’ And we shall see what becomes of his dreams.”

21 When Reuben heard this he rescued him out of their hands. He said “Let’s not kill him.

22 Shed no blood, but throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness but do not lay a hand on him,” intending to rescue him from their hands and return him to his father again.

23 When Joseph came  to his brothers, they stripped him out of his coat, his coat of many colours that he was wearing. 

24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty, there was no water in it. 

25 They sat down to eat bread: when they raised up their eyes and looked, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead with their camels carrying spices, balm and myrrh, on their way down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers “What profit is there if we kill our brother, and cover up his blood?

27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers agreed. 

28 Midianites passed by then, and they lifted Joseph up out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they took Joseph to Egypt.

29 When Reuben returned to the pit, Joseph was not there. And he tore his clothes.

30 He returned to his brethren, and said “The child is gone, what am I going to do?”

31 They took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

32 And they brought the coat of many colors to their father; and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s coat or not?” 

33 He knew that it was, and said “It is my son’s coat; a wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is no doubt torn into pieces.”

34 And Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

35 All of his sons and daughters tried to comfort him but he refused to be comforted, for he said “I will go down into the grave to my son mourning.” So his father wept for him.

36 Meanwhile the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s and captain of the guard.