Genesis 39

Joseph’s Success in Egypt

1Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the [royal] guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. 2The Lord was with Joseph, and he [even though a slave] became a successful and prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to prosper (succeed) in his hand. 4So Joseph pleased Potiphar and found favor in his sight and he served him as his personal servant. He made Joseph overseer over his house, and he put all that he owned in Joseph’s charge. 5It happened that from the time that he made Joseph overseer in his house and [put him in charge] over all that he owned, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph; so the Lord’s blessing was on everything that Potiphar owned, in the house and in the field. 6So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with Joseph there he did not [need to] #Lit know.pay attention to anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was handsome and attractive in form and appearance. 7Then after a time his master’s wife #Lit cast her eyes on.looked at Joseph with desire, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me in the house, my master does not concern himself with anything; he has put everything that he owns in my charge. 9He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God [and your husband]?” 10And so it was that she spoke to Joseph [persistently] day after day, but he did not listen to her [plea] to lie beside her or be with her. 11Then it happened one day that Joseph went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the men of the household was there in the house. 12She caught Joseph by his [outer] robe, saying, “Lie with me!” But he left his robe in her hand and ran, and got outside [the house]. 13When she saw that he had left his robe in her hand and had run outside, 14she called to the men of her household and said to them, “Look at this, your master has brought a Hebrew [into the household] to mock and insult us; he came to me to lie with me, and I screamed. 15When he heard me screaming, he left his robe with me and ran outside [the house].” 16So she left Joseph’s [outer] robe beside her until his master came home. 17Then she told her husband the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you brought among us, came to me to mock and insult me; 18then as soon as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his robe with me and ran outside [the house].”

Joseph Imprisoned

19And when Joseph’s master heard the words of his wife, saying, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger burned. 20So Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined; so he was there in the prison. 21But the Lord was with Joseph and extended lovingkindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the warden. 22The warden committed to Joseph’s care (management) all the prisoners who were in the prison; so that whatever was done there, he was #Lit the doer.in charge of it. 23The warden paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s care because the Lord was with him; whatever Joseph did, the Lord made to prosper.

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Genesis 39

Joseph’s rise and betrayal

1When Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chief officer, the commander of the royal guard and an Egyptian, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man and served in his Egyptian master’s household. 3His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made everything he did successful. 4Potiphar thought highly of Joseph, and Joseph became his assistant; he appointed Joseph head of his household and put everything he had under Joseph’s supervision. 5From the time he appointed Joseph head of his household and of everything he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household because of Joseph. The LORD blessed everything he had, both in the household and in the field. 6So he handed over everything he had to Joseph and didn’t pay attention to anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.

7Some time later, his master’s wife became attracted to Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

8He refused and said to his master’s wife, “With me here, my master doesn’t pay attention to anything in his household; he’s put everything he has under my supervision. 9No one is greater than I am in this household, and he hasn’t denied me anything except you, since you are his wife. How could I do this terrible thing and sin against God?” 10Every single day she tried to convince him, but he wouldn’t agree to sleep with her or even to be with her.

11One day when Joseph arrived at the house to do his work, none of the household’s men were there. 12She grabbed his garment, saying, “Lie down with me.” But he left his garment in her hands and ran outside. 13When she realized that he had left his garment in her hands and run outside, 14she summoned the men of her house and said to them, “Look, my husband brought us a Hebrew to ridicule us. He came to me to lie down with me, but I screamed. 15When he heard me raise my voice and scream, he left his garment with me and ran outside.” 16She kept his garment with her until Joseph’s master came home, 17and she told him the same thing: “The Hebrew slave whom you brought to us, to ridicule me, came to me; 18but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment with me and ran outside.”

19When Joseph’s master heard the thing that his wife told him, “This is what your servant did to me,” he was incensed. 20Joseph’s master took him and threw him in jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were held. While he was in jail, 21the LORD was with Joseph and remained loyal to him. He caused the jail’s commander to think highly of Joseph. 22The jail’s commander put all of the prisoners in the jail under Joseph’s supervision, and he was the one who determined everything that happened there. 23The jail’s commander paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s supervision, because the LORD was with him and made everything he did successful.

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