Joseph Sold into Slavery
Joseph was a young man who loved God and had big dreams. But his brothers didn’t like him. They were jealous because Joseph was their father Jacob’s favorite son. Jacob had even given Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors.
One day, something happened that changed Joseph’s life forever.
Joseph Goes to Find His Brothers
Joseph’s brothers were out in the fields, taking care of their father’s sheep. Jacob said to Joseph,
“Go and check on your brothers and see if they are doing well.”
Joseph obeyed his father and went to find them. He walked a long way until he finally saw his brothers far off in the distance.
The Brothers’ Plan
When the brothers saw Joseph coming, they became angry.
“Look, here comes the dreamer!” they said. They remembered Joseph’s dreams about them bowing down to him, and it made them even angrier.
One of the brothers said, “Let’s get rid of him! Then we’ll see what happens to his dreams!”
But Joseph’s oldest brother, Reuben, didn’t want to hurt him. He said, “Let’s not kill him. Let’s just throw him into a pit.” Reuben secretly planned to rescue Joseph later and bring him back home.
Joseph is Thrown into a Pit
When Joseph arrived, his brothers grabbed him and took off his special colorful coat. Then, they threw him into a deep, dark pit. Joseph was scared, but his brothers didn’t listen to his cries for help.
The Traders Come
While the brothers were eating, they saw a group of traders traveling to Egypt.
One of the brothers, Judah, had an idea. “Let’s sell Joseph to the traders. That way, we don’t hurt him, and we still get rid of him.”
The brothers agreed. They pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the traders for 20 pieces of silver. The traders tied Joseph up and took him to Egypt.
The Brothers Lie to Jacob
The brothers knew they had to explain to their father why Joseph was missing. So, they took Joseph’s colorful coat, dipped it in goat’s blood, and brought it to Jacob.
When Jacob saw the coat, he cried, “A wild animal has killed my son!” Jacob was heartbroken and wept for many days.
God Was Still with Joseph
Even though Joseph was far away from his family and going through something very hard, God was still with him. God had a plan for Joseph’s life, even in the middle of this sad and scary time.
Lesson
Joseph’s story reminds us that even when bad things happen, God is still in control. He is always with us, no matter where we are or what we’re going through. Trust that God has a plan, even when we don’t understand it.