Joseph and the Two Dreams

Long ago, in the land of Canaan, there lived a young man named Joseph.

Joseph belonged to a very large family. He had many brothers, and together they helped care for their father Jacob's sheep.

Jacob loved Joseph very much. One day, he gave him a beautiful robe. It was long, special, and had many bright colors.

Joseph smiled as the soft cloth moved in the wind.

But when his brothers saw the robe, they felt jealous.

“Why did our father give Joseph such a special gift?” they wondered.

Instead of talking about how they felt, the brothers allowed their jealousy to grow.

One night, Joseph had a strange dream.

The next morning, he ran to tell his family.

“In my dream, we were tying bundles of wheat in a field,” Joseph explained. “My bundle stood very tall, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to mine.”

His brothers frowned.

“Do you think you will rule over us one day?” they asked him.

Soon afterward, Joseph had another dream.

This time, he dreamed that the sun, the moon, and eleven bright stars bowed down to him.

Joseph told this dream to his father and brothers too.

His brothers felt even more jealous. But Jacob kept those dreams in his heart and wondered what they might mean.

The dreams were still a mystery. They did not make Joseph more valuable than his brothers: each one needed love and care.

When we feel jealous, we can tell someone who loves us and ask God for help. Learning to be happy for others helps us care for the love in our family.