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
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.
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