Joseph and His Brothers Bible Story for Kids.

Jealousy hurts everyone it touches, forgiveness heals what jealousy breaks, and God can work through even the hardest things. Joseph's whole story fits inside his own words to his brothers: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

Keep the story going.

Free printable

For I Know the Plans I Have for You coloring page

Print it tomorrow and let the story sink in with crayons on the table.

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The kind of things parents wonder.

• Why did Joseph's brothers hate him?

  Genesis 37 gives three honest reasons: their father loved Joseph most and everyone knew it; the colorful coat announced that favoritism every single day; and Joseph's dreams seemed to say the whole family would one day bow to him. Jealousy grew until the brothers could not speak a kind word to him, a line many siblings will understand immediately.

• What was the coat of many colors?

  A special robe Jacob made for Joseph because he loved him so dearly (Genesis 37:3). Some Bibles call it a “coat of many colors,” others an “ornate robe” or a “robe with long sleeves.” Either way, it was an expensive, princely garment that set Joseph apart from his working brothers, which is exactly why it stung them.

• Who sold Joseph, and to whom?

  His own older brothers sold him for twenty pieces of silver to a passing caravan of Ishmaelite and Midianite traders, who were traveling down to Egypt with camels carrying spices (Genesis 37:25–28). In Egypt, Joseph was sold again as a servant, and that is where the second half of his story begins.

• Did Joseph forgive his brothers?

  Yes, fully and tearfully. In Genesis 45 he tells them, “I am Joseph, your brother,” and reassures them that God sent him ahead to save lives. Years later, after their father died, the brothers feared he had only pretended to forgive; Joseph answered with the words that sum up his whole life: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

• Where does Joseph's story fit in the Bible?

  At the very end of Genesis (chapters 37–50). Joseph is the son of Jacob and Rachel, and his rise in Egypt explains how the family of Israel came to live there. That sets up the next great story: hundreds of years later, their descendants are enslaved in Egypt, and baby Moses is born. Joseph is the bridge between the family stories of Genesis and the Exodus.

• Is the story of Joseph too scary for young children?

  It does not have to be. Told gently, the selling scene can be a sad goodbye rather than a violent one. You can simply say his brothers were unkind and sent him far away. Keep the refrain “God was with Joseph” close at hand and end with the reunion; for most children the takeaway is comfort.

Conversation starters.

Questions to ask after you read together. No right answers, just good conversation.

Teaching this story.

• 01Name the jealousy honestly. Kids clock the unfairness of the coat immediately: one child got the best present and the others got nothing. Let them say “that's not fair!” out loud, agree with them, and then watch together what jealousy slowly does to the brothers. The story does the teaching once the feeling is allowed in the room.
• 02Make “God was with Joseph” the refrain. Every time the story dips (sold, serving, prison), pause and say it together. By the end, children hear the pattern for themselves: the places kept changing, the hard things kept changing, but God never left.
• 03For ages 3 to 5, keep it to two beats: the wonderful coat and the forgiving hug at the end. “His brothers were unkind and sent him far away; years later Joseph became a great helper of the king, and he forgave them.” The dreams and the famine can wait until they're older.
• 04Let kids discover the family chain themselves: Joseph is the baby Rachel finally held at the end of her story, and his move to Egypt is the reason God's family is there when baby Moses is born. Bible stories link into one long story, and children light up when they find the links on their own.

Try it together

Paper coat of many colors

Cut a simple coat shape from a large sheet of paper. A rectangle with two arms works fine. Then tear strips of colored paper, tissue, or fabric scraps and glue them on in bright stripes until the whole coat glows. Hang it on a door like a coat on a hook. As you glue, talk about why a gift that looked so wonderful made the brothers so jealous.

Try it together

Grain-sack surprise

Later in the story, Joseph secretly put his brothers' money back in their grain sacks. Crumple a small paper lunch bag, flatten it out again, and draw stitches on it so it looks like a rough grain sack, then hide a kind note or a small treat inside for a sibling or friend, especially one you've recently quarreled with. Returning kindness in secret is the most Joseph-like craft there is.

Keep exploring.

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