37:17. And the man said to him: They are departed from this place: for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothain. And Joseph went forward after his brethren, and found them in Dothain. 37:18. And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought to kill him: 37:19. And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh. 37:20. Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit: and we will say: Some evil beast hath devoured him: and then it shall appear what his dreams avail him: 37:21. And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, and said: 37:22. Do not take away his life, nor shed his blood: but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and keep your hands harmless: now he said this, being desirous to deliver him out of their hands and to restore him to his father. 37:23. And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours: 37:24. And cast him into an old pit where there was not water. 37:25. And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ismaelites on their way coming from Galaad, with their camels, carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh to Egypt. 37:26. And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood? 37:27. It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites, and that our hands be not defiled: for he is our brother and our flesh. His brethren agreed to his words. 37:28. And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into Egypt. 37:29. And Ruben returning to the pit, found not the boy: 37:30. And rending his garments he went to his brethren, and said: The boy doth not appear, and whither shall I go? 37:31. And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed: 37:32. Sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son’s coat, or not. 37:33. And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son’s coat, an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph. 37:34. And tearing his garments, he put on sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time. 37:35. And all his children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow, he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell, mourning. And whilst he continued weeping, Into hell.... That is, into limbo, the place where the souls of the just were received before the death of our Redeemer. For allowing that the word hell sometimes is taken for the grave, it cannot be so taken in this place; since Jacob did not believe his son to be in the grave, (whom he supposed to be devoured by a wild beast,) and therefore could not mean to go down to him thither: but certainly meant the place of rest where he believed his soul to be.