Quotes About Family

Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.

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

Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.

He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:

“Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements.

Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”

And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.

Some time later, Josephís brothers had gone to pasture their fatherís flocks near Shechem.

Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending you to them.” “I am ready,” Joseph replied.

Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem,

“I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ëLet us go to Dothan.í” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

Now Josephís brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.

“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”

When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—

and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.

Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.

When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,

returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”

Then they took Josephís robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.

They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your sonís robe or not.”