Genesis 39

Joseph in Potiphar’s House

1When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

2The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 4This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. 5From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. 6So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!

Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, 7and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.

8But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. 9No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

10She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. 11One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. 12She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.

13When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, 14she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. 15When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.”

16She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. 17Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. 18“But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”

Joseph Put in Prison

19Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. 20So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. 21But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. 22Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 23The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 39

1And Yosĕph had been taken down to Mitsrayim. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, a Mitsrian, bought him from the Yishma‛ĕlites who had taken him down there.

2And it came to be that יהוה was with Yosĕph, and he became a prosperous man, and was in the house of his master the Mitsrian.

3And his master saw that יהוה was with him and that יהוה made all he did to prosper in his hand.

4So Yosĕph found favour in his eyes, and served him, and he appointed him over his house, and gave into his hand all that he had.

5And it came to be, from the time that he appointed him over his house and all that he had, that יהוה blessed the Mitsrian’s house for Yosĕph’s sake. And the blessing of יהוה was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

6And he left in Yosĕph’s hand all that he had, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. And Yosĕph was handsome in form and handsome in appearance.

7And after these events it came to be that his master’s wife lifted up her eyes to Yosĕph and said, “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 given into my hand all that he has.

9No one is greater in this house than I, and he has not withheld whatever from me but you, because you are his wife. And how shall I do this great evil and sin against Elohim?

10And it came to be, as she spoke to Yosĕph day by day, that he did not listen to her, to lie with her, to be with her.

11And it came to be on a certain day, when Yosĕph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside,

12that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

13And it came to be, 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 Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.

15And it came to be, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.

16And she kept his garment with her until his master came home.

17And she spoke to him these same words, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me, to mock me,

18so it came to be, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

19And it came to be, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me according to these words,” that his displeasure burned.

20Then Yosĕph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the sovereign’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.

21But יהוה was with Yosĕph and extended loving-commitment to him, and He gave him favour in the eyes of the prison warden.

22And the prison warden gave into the hand of Yosĕph all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there was his doing.

23The prison warden did not look into any point that was under Yosĕph’s hand, because יהוה was with him. And whatever he did, יהוה made it prosper.

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