06/09/2026
Reuben returned to the pit, but Joseph was not there. When he learned what had happened to Joseph he was persuaded to go along with the attempt to conceal their guilt. Having killed a young goat, they dipped Joseph’s coat in its blood and took it to their father, telling him that they had found it in the fields. “Do you know,” they said, “whether it is your son’s tunic or not?” They were not prepared for the heart-rending anguish, the utter and unrestrained grief, that they were compelled to witness. “It is my son’s tunic,” said Jacob. “A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” His sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he “tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.” “I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning,” was his despairing cry.
The young men, terrified at what they had done, yet dreading their father’s condemnation, still kept quiet about their guilt, which even to themselves seemed very great. . 1TC 133.3-1TC 133.4