The Story of Joseph
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| At that time people did not have sheep dogs but the sheep learned to follow the shepherd and it was his job to take them to a place where there was grass to eat and water to drink. |
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 At night they were often driven into a sheepfold where they were safe from wild beasts.The sheepfold in this picture had thorn bushes around it. This made it harder for wild animals like wolves to get near. |
Joseph's Father was called Jacob. When Jacob was young he had ten sons and perhaps he thought there  would be no more. Then when he was getting old, Joseph was born. Jacob thought this was wonderful. He loved Joseph more than any of his other sons. Later still, another boy, called Benjamin, was born but Joseph was still Jacob's favourite son.
Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colours. Now this made Joseph's brothers very jealous and they hated Joseph. Then something else happened which made them hate him even more. When people hate each other some bad things can happen. In this story some very, very bad things did happen but in the end God was able to use these things so that good came out of them. We will learn more about his next time. |
Joseph and his brothers made their living by looking after sheep. In those days the sheep did not have as much wool as the sheep you see today. They looked rather like goats.
Sometimes sheep and goats were kept together so perhaps Joseph's family had goats as well.
It was also his job to count the sheep and make sure that none of them were missing.
