012 The Coat of Many Colors - A Bible Story for Children

Genesis 37

Jacob lived in Canaan, and there raised his twelve sons. But of the twelve, Joseph was the one he loved best.

To show his great love for Joseph, Jacob made him a special coat. All the other brothers had coats of plain gray or white or brown, but Joseph's was a splendid coat of many colors.

Often Joseph would go with his brothers to tend the flocks, and sometimes he would come home and tell the bad things his brothers had done. Joseph's brothers hated him for this and also because he was Jacob's favorite. At times they could barely bring themselves to say a kind word to him.

Now one night Joseph had a dream, and the next day he told his brothers about it. "We were tying bundles of grain in the fields," he said. "Then my bundle stood up, and all your bundles made a circle around mine, and bowed down to it."

"Do you think this means you will rule over us?" asked his brothers, and they hated Joseph even more for telling them the dream.

Soon Joseph had another dream.

"Listen to my dream," Joseph said to his father and brothers. "The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down before me."

When they heard this dream, his brothers were furious, and even his father was unhappy. "What kind of foolishness is this?" Jacob asked angrily. "Do you really believe your mother and I and your brothers will bow down before you?"

One day, Jacob said to Joseph, "Your brothers are out feeding the flocks. Go to them, and let me know how they are doing."

Joseph, wearing his special coat, set out to find his brothers. But when they saw him coming, they began plotting against him.

"Look," said one, "the dreamer is coming."

"Let us kill him," said another. "We can throw his body into that deep pit, and tell father a wild beast ate him. That will be the end of his dreams."

But Reuben, the oldest, stopped them, "Do not kill him," he said. "Throw him into the pit if you want--but do not harm him." Then Reuben hurried away, planning to come back later and rescue Joseph from the pit.

The brothers listened to Reuben and decided not to kill Joseph. When Joseph finally arrived and greeted them, they jumped on him, ripped off his wonderful coat, and threw him into the pit.

Then the brothers sat down to eat lunch.

While they sat eating, they noticed a caravan in the distance with goods bound for Egypt. Suddenly Judah had an idea. "What good does it do us if we leave Joseph in this pit?" he asked. "After all, he is our brother. Maybe we can sell him as a slave."

And so, when the next caravan for Egypt passed, the brothers dragged Joseph out of the pit, and sold him for twenty pieces of silver. Then they all headed home with Reuben.

Soon after, Reuben returned to the pit. To his great horror, the pit was empty, and Joseph was not there. Filled with grief, Reuben tore his clothes. "Joseph is gone." he cried to his brothers when he caught up with them. "How can I go home and face our father?"

The brothers were ashamed and afraid to tell their father the truth, so they decided to make up a story to tell Jacob.

They killed a young goat from Jacob's flocks and dipped Joseph's many-colored coat in the blood. Then they brought the bloodstained coat to Jacob, saying, "We found this coat. Do you know whether it is Joseph's?"

"Oh, my son! My son!" Jacob cried. "Nobody had a coat as fine as Joseph's. Some terrible beast must have ripped him to pieces and eaten him!"

Jacob tore his clothes and mourned for many days. No one could comfort him in any way. "There is no happiness for me if Joseph is dead," he wept. "I shall miss him until the day I die."

Category: Children's Bible Stories