Genesis chapters 37 to 45:1-15

1.              Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob (Israel), is the favorite of his father, who gives this son a robe of many colors, and which makes his older brothers angry at him.

2.              One day, Joseph is sent out by his father Israel to see if his older brothers, who are tending to flocks, are well. Seeing their younger brother approaching they decide they will kill him, out of jealousy, soak his many-colored robe in animal blood, and tell their father that Joseph was killed by a wild animal.    

3.              Reuben, one of the brothers, manages to have Joseph sold to a caravan of Ishmaelite traders heading toward Egypt.

4.              Joseph, now in Egypt, is sold to a man named Potiphar, a high ranking Egyptian official, whose wife attempts to entice Joseph into a sexual relationship. Joseph resists and the woman then claims Joseph has attempted to rape her, which ends up with Joseph being placed into prison.

5.              Two others formerly of Pharaoh’s employ, are also in prison, a cupbearer and a baker. Both have dreams, which Joseph interprets. The dream of the cupbearer indicates he will once again be back in pharaoh’s household while the baker, however, will he executed by hanging.

6.              Pharaoh has a dream, and the cupbearer reports that in prison a man did accurately interpret his dream whereupon pharaoh brings Joseph out of prison and tells him of his own dream. Joseph hears the dream and gives its meaning. It is about a severe famine that is coming, and along with that, there is a means also revealed as how to deal with this.

7.              Pharaoh makes Joseph the second most powerful official in Egypt, and who then goes about preparing for the coming famine. When it hits, Egypt is more than weathering the famine and the family of Joseph hears of this and Jacob (Israel) sends ten of his sons to Egypt to buy food. Only the youngest, Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, remains.

8.              Joseph, who interviews his brothers, but without their knowing who he is, creates a situation that would bring his younger brother, Benjamin, to Egypt. And after some complex maneuvering, the goal is achieved, and Joseph and his brother are united.