It happened when Joseph came to his brothers - they stripped Joseph of his robe, the robe with sleeves that was upon him.  They took him and threw him into the pit; the pit was empty, it had no water in it.  They were reclining to eat bread when they lifted their eyes and saw, behold, a caravan of Arabs was coming from Gilead, their camels bearing gum, resin, and ladanum, on their way to take it to Egypt.  Judah said to his brothers, "What money do we make if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Let's go and sell him to the Arabs...our own hand shouldn't touch him, for he is our brother, our own flesh" - and his brothers accepted this from him.  Midianite traders passed by and pulled Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit; they sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to the Arabs, who brought Joseph to Egypt.  Reuben returned to the pit and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; whereupon he rent his garments.  He returned to his brothers and said, "The youth is not here, and I - where will I go?" They took Joseph's robe, killed a male goat, and dipped the robe in the blood.  They sent the robe with sleeves and had it brought to their father, saying, "We found this; see if it's your son's robe or not."  He recognized it and said, "This is my son's robe! A wild beast has devoured him, Joseph has been killed!" Jacob rent his garments, bound sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son for many days.  All his sons and daughters rose to comfort him, but he refused to accept comfort, saying "No! I will go down in mourning to my son, to Sheol!" - so did his father cry over him.  Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold him to Egypt, to Potifar, Pharaoh's official...the chief executioner. [Gen 37:23-36]