²⁰ So now, come and let us kill him and cast 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 delivered him out of their hands and said, “Let us not strike down his life.” ²² Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not put forth your hands against him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands to return him to his father. ²³ Now it happened, when Joseph ^[a]reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his ^[b]tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; ²⁴ and they took him and cast him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

²⁵ And they sat down to eat ^[c]a meal. Then they lifted up their eyes and saw, and behold, a caravan of ^(C)Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing ^[d](D)aromatic gum and ^[e](E)balm and ^[f]myrrh, going to bring them down to Egypt. ²⁶ And Judah said to his brothers, “What gain is it that we 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. ²⁸ Then some ^(H)Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit and ^(I)sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for ^[g]twenty shekels of silver. Thus ^(J)they brought Joseph into Egypt.

²¹ Then they said to one another, “^(A)Surely we are guilty concerning our brother because we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.” ²² And Reuben answered them, saying, “^(B)Did I not tell you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; yet you would not listen? ^(C)So also his blood, behold, it is required of us.”