Genesis 39

Joseph a Slave in Egypt

1Now Joseph had been taken #Gen. 12:10; 43:15down to Egypt. And #Gen. 37:36; Ps. 105:17Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, #Gen. 37:28; 45:4bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2#Gen. 26:24, 28; 28:15; 35:3; 39:3, 21, 23; 1 Sam. 16:18; 18:14, 28; Acts 7:9The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord #Ps. 1:3made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4So Joseph #Gen. 18:3; 19:19; 39:21found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him #Gen. 24:2, 10; 39:8, 22; 41:40overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that #Gen. 18:26; 30:27; 2 Sam. 6:11the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.

Now Joseph #Gen. 29:17; 1 Sam. 16:12was handsome in form and appearance.

7And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, #2 Sam. 13:11“Lie with me.”

8But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. #Lev. 20:10; Prov. 6:29, 32How then can I do this great wickedness, and #Gen. 20:6; 42:18; 2 Sam. 12:13; Ps. 51:4sin against God?”

10So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he #Prov. 1:10did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

11But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12that she #Prov. 7:13caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a #Gen. 14:13; 41:12Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”

16So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17Then she #Ex. 23:1; Ps. 120:3; Prov. 26:28spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

19So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his #Prov. 6:34, 35anger was aroused. 20Then Joseph’s master took him and #Ps. 105:18; (1 Pet. 2:19)put him into the #Gen. 40:3, 15; 41:14prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He #Gen. 39:2; Ex. 3:21; Ps. 105:19; (Prov. 16:7); Dan. 1:9; Acts 7:9, 10gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22And the keeper of the prison #Gen. 39:4; 40:3, 4committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the #Gen. 39:2, 3Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

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Genesis 39

Joseph in Potiphar’s House

1Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards, bought him from the Ishmaelites#Gn 37:25,28,36; Ps 105:17 who had brought him there. 2The Lord was with Joseph,#Gn 39:3,21,23; Ac 7:9 and he became a successful man, serving#39:2 Lit and he was in the household of his Egyptian master. 3When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful,#Ps 1:3 4Joseph found favor#Gn 18:3; 19:19; 33:10 with his master and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority.#39:4 Lit owned in his hand 5From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph.#Gn 30:27 The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. 6He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority;#39:6 Lit owned in Joseph’s hand he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.#Gn 29:17; 1Sm 16:12 7After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

8But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority.#39:8 Lit owns in my hand 9No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?” #Gn 20:6; 42:18; 2Sm 12:13; Ps 51:4; Pr 6:29

10Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her.#39:10 Lit he did not listen to her to lie beside her, to be with her 11Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there.#39:11 Lit there in the house 12She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. 13When she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside, 14she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “my husband brought a Hebrew man to make fools of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could. 15When he heard me screaming for help,#39:15 Lit he heard that I raised my voice and I screamed he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”

16She put Joseph’s garment beside her until his master came home. 17Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me, 18but when I screamed for help,#39:18 Lit I raised my voice and screamed he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”

19When his master heard the story his wife told him — “These are the things your slave did to me” — he was furious 20and had him thrown into prison,#Gn 40:3; Ps 105:18 where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.

Joseph in Prison

21But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him.#Gn 39:2; Ps 105:19; Ac 7:9 He granted him favor with the prison warden.#Ex 3:21; 11:3; 12:36 22The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph’s authority,#39:22 Lit prison in the hand of Joseph and he was responsible for everything that was done there. 23The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority,#39:23 Lit anything in his hand because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.#Gn 39:2–3

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