Joseph was a kindly young fellow of seventeen, and he did not bear any grudge against his brothers, but talked to them and told them his dreams, as any boy would now-a-days.
But these dreams made his brothers even more angry than their father's love for him, and they hated him.
When people begin to cherish hatred in their hearts, it is not long before it comes out in their actions.
So when Jacob sent Joseph a long journey to see if all was well with his brothers and the flocks, they saw him coming from afar, and began to plan how they could get rid of him and his dreams.
But there was one thing those ten brothers did not think of. They had made a clever plan to murder their brother when he was so far away from home, but they did not remember that their father Jacob's God was Joseph's God as well; and that He was watching over that boy of seventeen, and had a glorious work for him to do by and by.
So God put it into Reuben's heart to advise that Joseph should not be killed, but be put into a pit; intending presently to take his brother back to their father.
But while he was away, a company of merchants came by on camels, and the brothers at once decided to take Joseph out of the pit and sell him as a slave.
When Reuben came back, the camels had passed on their way down to Egypt carrying Joseph with them. The pit was empty, Jacob's darling boy was gone!
And when the cruel sons brought the coat of many colours, all stained with the blood of a kid, Jacob felt sure some evil beast had killed Joseph, and that he should go down to the grave mourning for him.
Do you think those brothers ever had a truly happy moment for years and years?