Chapter 1: The Colorful Coat
Once upon a time, in a beautiful land called Canaan, there lived a young boy named Joseph. Joseph was the favorite son of his father, Jacob, who loved him dearly. To show his love, Jacob gave Joseph a special coat made of many colors. This coat was beautiful, and everyone admired it, but Joseph’s eleven brothers felt very jealous.
Joseph had a special gift: he could dream dreams that seemed to tell the future. One day, he excitedly shared a dream with his brothers. In his dream, they were all in a field, tying bundles of wheat, and suddenly, his bundle stood tall while theirs bowed down to him. His brothers were furious! “Do you think we will bow down to you?” they shouted.
Joseph had another dream, where the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him. When he told his father about this dream, Jacob was puzzled but also concerned. “What does this mean?” he wondered. Despite the warnings, Joseph’s brothers grew angrier and plotted against him.
One sunny day, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers who were tending sheep far away. As Joseph approached, his brothers saw him coming and whispered, “Here comes that dreamer!” They decided to teach him a lesson. Instead of killing him, the oldest brother, Reuben, suggested they throw him into a deep pit. They did just that and sat down to eat, feeling pleased with their plan.
But soon, they saw a caravan of traders passing by. Judah, another brother, had a clever idea. “Let’s sell Joseph to these traders instead!” They pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver. As the caravan took Joseph away to Egypt, his brothers felt a mix of relief and guilt.
Chapter 2: A New Life in Egypt
In Egypt, Joseph faced many challenges. He was sold to a man named Potiphar, who was an important officer in Pharaoh’s court. Despite being a slave, Joseph worked hard and earned Potiphar’s trust. God was with Joseph, and everything he did turned out well. Potiphar even made him the head of his household!
However, trouble came when Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of wrongdoing. Potiphar believed her and had Joseph thrown into prison. But even in prison, Joseph did not lose hope. He continued to trust in God and used his gift of interpreting dreams to help other prisoners.
One day, Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker were thrown into the same prison. They had strange dreams, and Joseph interpreted them correctly. The cupbearer was restored to his position, while the baker faced a sad fate. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him when he returned to Pharaoh.
Two years later, Pharaoh had troubling dreams that no one could interpret. The cupbearer finally remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. Joseph was brought from prison and interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, predicting seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Impressed, Pharaoh made Joseph second-in-command of Egypt!
When the famine struck, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy food. They did not recognize him, but Joseph recognized them. He decided to test their hearts. After several encounters, Joseph revealed his true identity and forgave them, saying, “It was God’s plan for me to be here to save our family.”
Joseph invited his family to live in Egypt, and they were joyfully reunited, filled with respect for one another. Jacob, his father, was overjoyed to see his beloved son again. Joseph’s story teaches us about love, forgiveness, respect, and trusting in God’s plan, even when things seem difficult. And so, they all lived happily in Egypt, united as a family once more.
If you liked this short story for children, we invite you to read all of our Bible stories.
