The verse anchor
"Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."
Genesis 50:20 · King James Bible
The story
Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob. His father loved him very much and made him a coat of many colors. His brothers saw the coat, and they were jealous. They could not speak a kind word to him.
Joseph also had two dreams. In the first, his brothers' sheaves of wheat bowed down to his sheaf. In the second, the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed to him. He told his brothers. They hated him even more.
One day his father sent Joseph to check on his brothers in the fields. When they saw him coming — his colored coat in the distance — they said, "Behold, this dreamer cometh. Let us slay him."
But the eldest brother, Reuben, said, "Shed no blood." So they took Joseph, stripped him of his coat, and threw him into a dry pit. Then they sat down to eat.
A caravan of merchants passed by, on their way to Egypt. The brothers pulled Joseph out and sold him to the merchants for twenty pieces of silver. They dipped the coat in a goat's blood and brought it home to their father. Jacob thought a wild beast had killed his son, and he wept many days.
But God was with Joseph in Egypt. Joseph was sold to a rich man named Potiphar. Joseph worked so faithfully that Potiphar put him over his whole house. But Potiphar's wife lied about him, and Joseph was thrown into prison, though he had done nothing wrong.
Even in prison God was with Joseph. He interpreted the dreams of two of Pharaoh's servants, and both dreams came true. Two years later Pharaoh himself had a strange dream, and no one could explain it. The chief butler remembered Joseph.
Joseph was brought out of prison and given clean clothes. He heard Pharaoh's dream and said, "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer." He told Pharaoh: seven years of great plenty were coming, then seven years of famine.
Pharaoh was amazed. He said, "There is none so discreet and wise as thou art." He put his ring on Joseph's hand and made him ruler over all Egypt. Joseph stored up grain during the seven good years, so that when the famine came, there was food.
The famine reached Jacob's family too. Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. They came before Joseph and bowed down to him — just as the dreams had shown. They did not know it was their brother.
At last Joseph could not hide his tears. He said, "I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved… for God did send me before you to preserve life."
Later, when their father died, the brothers were afraid Joseph would take revenge. But he said, "Fear not: ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to save much people alive."
One thing we learn
Joseph's brothers meant to hurt him. But God took the very same thing they meant for evil and used it to save many lives. Nothing that happens to you is wasted in the hands of God.
Memory verse
"Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."
Genesis 50:20 · KJV
Say it three times before bed. In seven days you will know it forever.
A prayer
Lord, when someone hurts me,
help me forgive like Joseph.
Turn the hurt into good in your good time.
Amen.
Beneath the story · for grown-ups
To read this whole passage in the King James Bible with your child, or to walk further with the household: