Joseph Forgives His Brothers

Jacob had twelve sons, and he loved Joseph more than the others. He gave Joseph a special, fancy robe. That made the older brothers jealous, and they wouldn't speak kindly to him.

Joseph had dreams. In one, his brothers' bundles of grain bowed down to his. In another, the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed to him. When Joseph told his brothers, they grew even angrier.

One day Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers, who were far away with the sheep. When they saw him coming, some of them wanted to kill him. Reuben, the oldest, talked them out of it and convinced them to put Joseph into an empty well instead. He planned to rescue him later. They took Joseph's robe and threw him into the dry well.

Then some traders came by on their way to Egypt. Judah said, Let's not hurt him. Let's sell him. So they sold their own brother for twenty pieces of silver. They dipped his robe in goat's blood and showed it to their father, who believed a wild animal had killed Joseph. Jacob cried and cried.

In Egypt, Joseph was a slave and was even put in prison for something he didn't do. But God was with him. God helped Joseph understand dreams, and in time Pharaoh, the king, put Joseph in charge of all Egypt to store up food before a long famine.

When the famine came, Joseph's brothers traveled to Egypt to buy food. They didn't recognize him. After testing them and seeing that they had changed, Joseph sent everyone else out of the room and cried so loudly that people outside heard. He told them who he was. They were terrified!

But Joseph said, Don't be upset with yourselves. God brought me here ahead of you to save many lives. Go and bring our father! Then Joseph hugged his little brother Benjamin, and kissed all his brothers, and they finally talked together.

God can bring good out of even very bad things. And Joseph shows us how to forgive.