- Jacob, also known as Ya’aqob, settles in Israel and has a favorite son named Yosef. Jacob gives Yosef a special tunic with many colors to show his favoritism. Yosef’s brothers envied him, and their hatred toward him grows when he tells them about his dreams of grandeur.
2. When Jacob sends Yosef to visit his brothers while they are tending their father’s flock, the brothers plan to kill him. Reuben suggests throwing him into a pit, but they ultimately sell him as a slave to some merchants traveling to Egypt. They take Yosef’s tunic and show it to their heartbroken father, who assumes a wild animal attacked Yosef. Jacob begins a 22-year mourning period for his beloved son.
3. Yehuda, one of Yosef’s brothers, marries the daughter of a local merchant and has three children. His first son, Er, marries a woman named Tamar but dies before having children. Yehuda gives his second son Onan to Tamar, but he also dies childless. Yehuda does not give his third child to Tamar, so she tricks him by dressing up as an indecent woman and becomes pregnant after he is with her. Tamar gives birth to twins Zerach and Perets.
4. Yosef is sold as a slave to Potiphar, an important officer of Pharaoh. Because God blesses him, Yosef is successful in everything he does and is also known for his good looks. Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Yosef, but he politely declines. Out of frustration, she falsely accuses Yosef of sexual assault and he is sent to prison.
5. In prison, Yosef meets two of Pharaoh’s officers with pending sentences. They both have strange dreams and Yosef interprets them, predicting that one of the officers will be found innocent and return to his job while the other will be executed. Yosef begs the innocent officer to remember him and help him get out of jail when he returns to his position. The officer is found innocent and returns to his job but forgets about Yosef.
