Genesis 39
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
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Genesis 39
39
1 #
Acts 7.9. Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Poti-phar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2The Lord was with Joseph, and he became 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 caused all that he did to prosper in his hands. 4So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in house and field. 6So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge; and having him he had no concern for anything but the food which he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking. 7And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and said, “Lie with me.” 8But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Lo, having me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand; 9he is not greater in this house than I am; nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” 10And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie with her or to be with her. 11But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and got out of the house. 13And when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had fled out of the house, 14she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice; 15and when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me, and fled and got out of the house.” 16Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to insult me; 18but as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me, and fled out of the house.”
19When his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's care all the prisoners who were in the prison; and whatever was done there, he was the doer of it; 23the keeper of the prison paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph's care, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America