Study Desk

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, "Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them." "I'm ready to go," Joseph replied.

When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

"I'm looking for my brothers," Joseph replied. "Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?"

So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph's brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.

Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time.

His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "I will go to my grave mourning for my son," he would say, and then he would weep.

In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar.

Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, "Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother."

But the Lord considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the Lord took Onan's life, too.

Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but no arrangements had been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow's clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.

"Then let her keep the things I gave her," Judah said. "I sent the young goat as we agreed, but you couldn't find her. We'd be the laughingstock of the village if we went back again to look for her."

Judah recognized them immediately and said, "She is more righteous than I am, because I didn't arrange for her to marry my son Shelah." And Judah never slept with Tamar again.

When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins.

When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master's household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar's household for Joseph's sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.

They remained in prison for quite some time, and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them.

And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place.

For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it."

The top basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them from the basket on my head."