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 and Potiphar's Wife

1The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the king's#39.1 the king's: See the note at 12.15. official in charge of the palace guard. 2-3#Ac 7.9. So Joseph lived in the home of Potiphar, his Egyptian owner.

Soon Potiphar realized that the Lord was helping Joseph to be successful in whatever he did. 4Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant, putting him in charge of his house and all of his property. 5Because of Joseph, the Lord began to bless Potiphar's family and fields. 6Potiphar left everything up to Joseph, and with Joseph there, the only decision he had to make was what he wanted to eat.

Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7#4 Macc 2.2. and Potiphar's wife soon noticed him. She asked him to make love to her, 8but he refused and said, “My master isn't worried about anything in his house, because he has placed me in charge of everything he owns. 9No one in my master's house is more important than I am. The only thing he hasn't given me is you, and that's because you are his wife. I won't sin against God by doing such a terrible thing as this.” 10She kept begging Joseph day after day, but he refused to do what she wanted or even to go near her.

11One day, Joseph went to Potiphar's house to do his work, and none of the other servants were there. 12Potiphar's wife grabbed hold of his coat and said, “Make love to me!” Joseph ran out of the house, leaving his coat there in her hands.

13When this happened, 14she called in her servants and said, “Look! This Hebrew has come just to make fools of us. He tried to rape me, but I screamed for help. 15And when he heard me scream, he ran out of the house, leaving his coat with me.”

16Potiphar's wife kept Joseph's coat until her husband came home. 17Then she said, “That Hebrew slave of yours tried to rape me! 18But when I screamed for help, he left his coat and ran out of the house.”

19Potiphar became very angry 20and threw Joseph in the same prison where the king's prisoners were kept.

While Joseph was in prison, 21#Ac 7.9. the Lord helped him and was good to him. He even made the jailer like Joseph so much that 22he put him in charge of the other prisoners and of everything that was done in the jail. 23The jailer did not worry about anything, because the Lord was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did.

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