3. What sudden change took place in Joseph’s life?

³ The patriarch Jacob made it obvious that he loved his son Joseph very much. (Gen. 37:3, 4) As a result, Jacob’s older sons became jealous of their brother. When they saw an opportunity, they sold Joseph to a group of Midianite merchants. Those merchants took Joseph hundreds of kilometers away to Egypt, where he was sold once more​—this time to Potiphar, chief of Pharaoh’s guards. How quickly Joseph’s life changed, from being his father’s dearly beloved son to being a lowly slave of an Egyptian!​—Gen. 39:1.