Joseph and his coat of many colours poem

Joseph and his coat of many colours

Jacob gifts his son Joseph with a coat of many colours,

This rouses the jealousy of Joseph's elder brothers.

This coupled with dreams Joseph has sends them over the edge,

They end up selling Joseph to slave traders instead.

In the dream, the brothers had been gathering wheat in the fields,

Tying them up into bundles called sheaves for the morning yield.

Joseph's sheaf stood up as if it was actually living,

And all his brother's sheaves bowed down before it in awe at his giving.

When Joseph had finished telling his brothers the dream,

They were deeply offended and insulted it would seem.

What is the meaning of this dream?" they said,

That you shall rule over us and we should bow down to you instead?

A few nights later Joseph had another dream.

This time he told the family while they were eating by a stream.

He dreamt that he had stood up tall on a mountain top,

And the heavenly bodies had all bowed down before him in the backdrop.

This dream was too much, even for his old father to bare,

"What rubbish," his father said "You should be concerned more about your own welfare.

When the brothers saw how angry their father was, they were pleased,

But soon their Dad went back to favouring Joseph as his displeasure eased.

No, let's not be so mean that we kill him, he's an annoying little pest,

He is still our brother even though he puts us to the test.

Let's drop him in a pit and leave him as food for the wild beasts,

That way we're not to blame, and we have proof the animals did feast.

Secretly, Reuben planned to come back later and rescue Joseph from the pit,

He was still their brother even though he was a little git.

The brothers said: "Did you dream this little brother?"

They seized him, stripped him of his coat of many colours.

Ripping up Joseph's coat and dipping it in animal gore,

It appeared that a wild animal had gored Joseph to death outdoor.

Because they did this Jacob continues to believe that his son has died,

Until they met in Egypt a decade later where he weeps and cries.

They were cruel and slung Joseph face-first into a hole in the ground,

It was a deep pit with no water in it and not easily found.

Pleased with their plan the brothers sat down to eat their meal,

While they were eating merchants came by so they hatched up a deal.

Their camels were loaded with myrrh and many fragrant spices,

Which they were carrying to Egypt with affordable prices.

Joseph is brought to Egypt and purchased by Potiphar in Pharaoh's court,

Joseph quickly succeeds and is granted financial support.