Genesis 39
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 bodyguard, bought him #39:1 Lit from the hand offrom the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. 2And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a #39:2 Or prosperoussuccessful 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 made all that he did prosper in his hand. 4So Joseph found favor in his sight and #39:4 Or ministered to himbecame his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and #39:4 Lit handed over to himput him in charge of all that he owned. 5It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; so the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. 6So he left #39:6 Lit in Joseph’s handJoseph in charge of everything that he owned; and with him there he did not #39:6 Lit knowconcern himself with anything except the #39:6 Lit breadfood which he #39:6 Or used to eatate.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7And it came about after these events that his master’s wife #39:7 Lit lifted up her eyes athad her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Sleep with me.” 8But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master #39:8 Lit does not know what is in the housedoes not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has #39:8 Lit handed over to meput me in charge of all that he owns. 9#39:9 Or He is not greaterThere is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?” 10Though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. 11Now it happened #39:11 Lit about this dayone day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the people of the household was there inside. 12So she grabbed him by his garment, saying, “Sleep with me!” But he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. 13#39:13 Lit And it came about whenWhen she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 14she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought in a #39:14 Lit Hebrew manHebrew to us to make fun of us; he came in to me to sleep with me, and I #39:14 Lit called with a great voicescreamed. 15When he heard that I raised my voice and #39:15 Lit called outscreamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” 16So she #39:16 Lit let...lie besideleft his garment beside her until his master came home. 17Then she spoke to him #39:17 Lit according towith these #39:17 Lit words, sayingwords: “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make fun of me; 18but when I raised my voice and #39:18 Lit called outscreamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.”
Joseph Imprisoned
19Now when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying, “#39:19 Lit According to these things your slaveThis is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned. 20So 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 the prison. 21But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison. 22And the warden of the prison #39:22 Lit handed over to Joseph allput Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison; so that whatever was done there, he was #39:22 Lit the doerresponsible for it. 23The warden of the prison did not supervise anything #39:23 Lit in his handunder Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and, the Lord made whatever he did prosper.
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Genesis 39
39
1After Joseph had been taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelites, Potiphar an Egyptian, one of Pharaoh’s officials and the manager of his household, bought him from them.
2-6a As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the home of his Egyptian master. His master recognized that God was with him, saw that God was working for good in everything he did. He became very fond of Joseph and made him his personal aide. He put him in charge of all his personal affairs, turning everything over to him. From that moment on, God blessed the home of the Egyptian—all because of Joseph. The blessing of God spread over everything he owned, at home and in the fields, and all Potiphar had to concern himself with was eating three meals a day.
6b-7 Joseph was a strikingly handsome man. As time went on, his master’s wife became infatuated with Joseph and one day said, “Sleep with me.”
8-9He wouldn’t do it. He said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master doesn’t give a second thought to anything that goes on here—he’s put me in charge of everything he owns. He treats me as an equal. The only thing he hasn’t turned over to me is you. You’re his wife, after all! How could I violate his trust and sin against God?”
10She pestered him day after day after day, but he stood his ground. He refused to go to bed with her.
11-15On one of these days he came to the house to do his work and none of the household servants happened to be there. She grabbed him by his cloak, saying, “Sleep with me!” He left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house. When she realized that he had left his coat in her hand and run outside, she called to her house servants: “Look—this Hebrew shows up and before you know it he’s trying to seduce us. He tried to make love to me but I yelled as loud as I could. With all my yelling and screaming, he left his coat beside me here and ran outside.”
16-18She kept his coat right there until his master came home. She told him the same story. She said, “The Hebrew slave, the one you brought to us, came after me and tried to use me for his plaything. When I yelled and screamed, he left his coat with me and ran outside.”
19-23When his master heard his wife’s story, telling him, “These are the things your slave did to me,” he was furious. Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the jail where the king’s prisoners were locked up. But there in jail God was still with Joseph: He reached out in kindness to him; he put him on good terms with the head jailer. The head jailer put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners—he ended up managing the whole operation. The head jailer gave Joseph free rein, never even checked on him, because God was with him; whatever he did God made sure it worked out for the best.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.