Genesis 39
39
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
1#Ge 37:25; 37:36Now Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.
2#Ge 21:22; 26:24The Lord was with Joseph, so that he became a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3#Ps 1:3; Ge 21:22His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper. 4#Ge 19:19; 24:2Joseph found favor in his sight and served him. So he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put under his charge. 5#Ge 30:27From the time that he had made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph. So the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6#1Sa 16:12; Ge 29:17So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and he had no concerns regarding anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome and well-built. 7#2Sa 13:11After a time, his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
8But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “My master does not concern himself with anything concerning me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my charge. 9#2Sa 12:13; Ge 20:6There is none greater in this house than I. He has kept nothing back from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10She spoke to Joseph every day, but he did not listen to her about lying with her or being with her.
11But it happened one day that Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was there. 12#Ecc 7:26She caught him by his clothing, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his clothing in her hand and fled and got outside.
13When she saw that he had left his clothing in her hand and had fled outside, 14she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew among us to humiliate us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15When he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his clothing with me, fled, and got outside.”
16She laid up his clothing next to her until his master came home. 17#Ex 23:1She spoke to him using these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me. 18When I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his clothing with me and fled outside.”
19When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” he became enraged. 20#Ge 40:15Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
So he was there in the prison. 21#Ex 3:21; Ge 39:2But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22#Ge 39:4; 40:3–4The keeper of the prison committed all the prisoners that were in the prison to the charge of Joseph. So whatever they did there, he was the one responsible for it. 23#Ge 39:2–3The keeper of the prison did not concern himself with anything that was under Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it to prosper.
Military Bible Association
Genesis 39
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.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
For more information about the NLT: