_Simeon:_ What shall we do? _Judah:_ Our time is come. We despise him; let us slay him. _Reuben:_ Nay, thou dost not mean to slay him! _Several:_ Nay! Nay! _Judah:_ We must surely slay him. We must rid ourselves of this dreamer. Think how he said he should reign over us! Let us be rid of him! _Simeon:_ Yes, thou art right--we must slay him. _Several:_ Yea, yea, slay him! Destroy him! He shall dream no more such dreams! _Simeon:_ Behold, this dreamer cometh near! Come, now, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, "Some evil beast hath devoured him," and we shall see what will become of his dreams. _Reuben:_ Let us not kill him. Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him. [REUBEN _goes away._] [JOSEPH _runs up._ GAD _lays one hand roughly on his shoulder._] _Gad:_ How comes it that thou art here? What is thy business? _Joseph:_ My father commanded me and said, "Go, I pray thee, and see whether it be well with thy brethren and well with the flocks; and bring me word again." So he sent me out of the vale of Hebron, and I came to Shechem. And you were not there, and I came on after you and found you here. What troubleth you? Hath aught happened to the flocks? _Simeon:_ Hear his tale! This dreamer of dreams! So he would reign over us, would he! Strip him of his coat of many colors! This favored son! [_Brothers bind_ JOSEPH _and cast him into the pit._] _Joseph:_ What have I done to deserve this? [_Brothers sit down again to eat their bread._] _Gad:_ Behold, I see a caravan! _Simeon:_ From what country? _Gad:_ It is a company of Ishmaelites, from Gilead, with their camels, bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going down into Egypt. _Judah:_ What doth it profit if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh. _Several:_ So be it. _Gad:_ Hail the caravan, and bargain with these men. _Simeon_ [_salutes the head man of the caravan; the brothers listen attentively;_ GAD _brings_ JOSEPH _out of the pit_]: What wilt thou give us in exchange for this lad? We would sell him. _Merchant_ [_looks_ JOSEPH _over, then consults with his men_]: Twenty pieces of silver will we give for him. _Simeon_ [_to the brothers_]: These merchants will give us twenty pieces of silver for this dreamer. _All:_ Sell him! Sell him! [JOSEPH _is taken over by the merchants and they all move on. The brothers are dividing out the money._] _Gad:_ The lad is gone with the merchants, but what excuse shall we make unto our father?