Scene One: Narration (Based on Genesis 37:1-17)
Nothing corrodes the heart more than jealousy. Nothing destroys the soul more than anger. Nothing perverts the mind more than hate.
Blinded by the hunger to attack, the enraged cannot see that they have initiated their own destruction. As fury turns to loathing, it melts into a liquid more destructible than molten lava. The imagination takes hold, and all the brain can think of is murder – justification for the bitterness that has destroyed his soul.
There lived long ago, a man named Jacob, who had two wives and two mistresses. From these four women, he had twelve sons, one of whom was called Joseph. Joseph was special to Jacob because he was the son of his favourite wife Rachel, and because he was born when Jacob was a very old man.
Rachel had another son after Joseph, named Benjamin, but she died while giving birth to him. In his grief, Jacob made a beautiful, embroidered coat for Joseph. Even though his older brothers should have had pity on him for losing his mother, they felt only anger and jealousy when they saw the coat.
You see, Rachel had been the only wife Jacob truly loved. Six of Joseph’s other brothers were sons of an unloved wife and the other four, were sons of servants who worked in the house.
It says, * “A fool’s mouth is his ruin – his lips get him into trouble.” This was certainly true of poor Joseph, for when he started telling tales to his father about what his brothers had been doing out in the fields, their rage was fuelled to the point of explosion.
One day, when Joseph’s brothers were out in the fields again, Jacob sent him to check up on them. When they saw him in the distance, they began to think about some of the things Joseph had recently told them. It wasn’t wise of Joseph to open his mouth and reveal his thoughts.
Maybe his indiscretion was his way of trying to get them to like him. But it didn’t work. The more they thought about it, the more their hatred grew. You see, Joseph was having some strange dreams – dreams they were hoping would never come true. (*Proverbs 18:7)
Scene One: Let’s See (Based on Genesis 37:1-20)
SIMEON
Have you seen how he parades himself
in that stupid, coloured coat?
ISSACHAR
He’s so smug, I cannot stand it.
DAN
I can’t bear to see him gloat!
GAD
Always whispering to daddy!
Always telling tales!
ZEBULUN
As a spy, he’s a sly one.
SIMEON
As a creep, he never fails!
LEVI
He really makes me sick!
ASHER
I could have hit him today.
NAPHTALI
Yeah, remind me of the story.
What did little brother say?
SIMEON
He dreamt he was worshipped
by the stars up in Heaven.
GAD
We were those stars.
JUDAH
How do you know?
GAD
Huh! There were…
ALL
Eleven!
DAN
Then we were sheaves of wheat.
ZEBULUN
But smaller and thinner.
NAPHTALI
He was the bigger one?
SIMEON
Yes. He ate us for dinner!
ISSACHAR
Why is he so arrogant?
ASHER
Who does he think he is?
LEVI
He thinks he is our master!
ASHER
How dare he talk to us like this!
GAD
Will he surely rule over us?
JUDAH
Will he tell us what to do?
NAPHTALI
Will we come to him for guidance?
JUDAH (laughs)
Will we bow down to him too?
ISSACHAR
I hate him!
DAN
I loathe him!
SIMEON
I want to see him dead!
He thinks he will reign over us,
let him lie in the grave instead!
NAPHTALI
He’s coming! Let’s do it now.
Let us take his life.
Let’s see what becomes of
this ‘son of the second wife’.
GAD
He’s our father’s favourite,
now he’s greater than us, it seems.
LEVI
Well, let’s kill him now.
ALL (except Reuben)
Let’s see what becomes of his dreams!
