16. Joseph answered, “I'm looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are?”
17. “They're not here any more,” the man replied. “I overheard them say they were going to Dothan.”Joseph left and found his brothers in Dothan.
18. But before he got there, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him.
19. They said to one another, “Look, here comes the hero of those dreams!
20. Let's kill him and throw him into a pit and say that some wild animal ate him. Then we'll see what happens to those dreams.”
21. Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. “Let's not kill him,” he said.
22. “Don't murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a dry well out here in the desert.” Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.
23. When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fine coat
24. and threw him into a dry well.
25. As Joseph's brothers sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with all kinds of spices that they were taking to Egypt.