from the vale of Hebron and came unto Shechem.  There a man found him erring in the field, and asked him what he sought, and he answered:  I seek my brethren, tell me where they feed their flocks.  The man said to him:  They been departed from this place, I heard them say Let us go in to Dothan.  Which then when his brethren saw him come from far, tofore he approached to them they thought to slay him, and spake together saying:  Lo! see the dreamer cometh.  Come and let us slay him and put him into this old cistern.  And we shall say that some wild evil beast hath devoured him, and then shall appear what his dreams shall profit him.  Reuben hearing this, thought for to deliver him from their hands, and said:  Let us not slay him ne shed his blood, but keep your hands undefouled.  This he said, willing to keep him from their hands and render him again to his father.  Anon then as he came they took off his motley coat, and set him into an old cistern that had no water.  As they sat for to eat bread they saw Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, and their camels bringing spices and raisins into Egypt.  Then said Judah to his brethren:  What should it profit us if we slew our brother and shed his blood?  It is better that he be sold to Ishmaelites and our hands be not defouled, he is our own brother and our flesh.  His brethren agreed to his words, and drew him out of the cistern, and sold him to the Midianitish merchants passing forth by to Ishmaelites for thirty pieces of silver, which led him into Egypt.  At this time when he was sold Reuben was not there, but was in another field with his beasts.  And when he returned and came unto the cistern and found not Joseph, he tare his clothes for sorrow, and came to his brethren and said:  The child is not yonder, whither shall I go to seek him?  He had supposed his brethren had slain him in his absence.  They told him what they had done, and took his coat, and besprinkled it with the blood of a kid which they slew, and sent it to their father saying:  See whether this be the coat of thy son or not, this we have found.  Which anon as the father saw it said:  This is my son’s coat, an evil wild beast hath devoured him, some beast hath eaten him; and rent his clothes and did on him a sackcloth, bewailing and sorrowing his son a long time.  All his sons gathered them, together for to comfort their father and assuage his sorrow, but he would take no comfort, but said:  I shall descend to my son into hell for to bewail him there.  And thus, he abiding in sorrow, the Midianites carried Joseph into Egypt, and sold him to Potiphar, eunuch of Pharaoh, master of his knights.

Thus was Joseph led into Egypt, and Potiphar, prince of the host of Pharaoh, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of Ishmaelites.  Our Lord God was always with Joseph, and he was wise, ready, and prosperous in all manner of things.  He dwelled in his lord’s house and pleased so well his lord, that he stood in his grace that he made him upperest and above all other, and betook him the rule and governance of all his house, which well and wisely governed the household and all that he had charge of.  Our Lord blessed the house of Egypt for Joseph’s sake, and multiplied as well in beasts as in fields all his substance.  Joseph was fair of visage and well favored.