Genesis 39
39
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
1Now the Ishmaelites had taken Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, one of the king's officers, who was the captain of the palace guard. 2#Acts 7.9The LORD was with Joseph and made him successful. He lived in the house of his Egyptian master, 3who saw that the LORD was with Joseph and had made him successful in everything he did. 4Potiphar was pleased with him and made him his personal servant; so he put him in charge of his house and everything he owned. 5From then on, because of Joseph the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian and everything that he had in his house and in his fields. 6Potiphar handed over everything he had to the care of Joseph and did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Joseph was well-built and good-looking, 7and after a while his master's wife began to desire Joseph and asked him to go to bed with her. 8He refused and said to her, “Look, my master does not have to concern himself with anything in the house, because I am here. He has put me in charge of everything he has. 9I have as much authority in this house as he has, and he has not kept back anything from me except you. How then could I do such an immoral thing and sin against God?” 10Although she asked Joseph day after day, he would not go to bed with her.
11But one day when Joseph went into the house to do his work, none of the house servants was there. 12She caught him by his robe and said, “Come to bed with me.” But he escaped and ran outside, leaving his robe in her hand. 13When she saw that he had left his robe and had run out of the house, 14she called to her house servants and said, “Look at this! This Hebrew that my husband brought to the house is insulting us. He came into my room and tried to rape me, but I screamed as loud as I could. 15When he heard me scream, he ran outside, leaving his robe beside me.”
16She kept his robe with her until Joseph's master came home. 17Then she told him the same story: “That Hebrew slave that you brought here came into my room and insulted me. 18But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his robe beside me.”
19Joseph's master was furious 20and had Joseph arrested and put in the prison where the king's prisoners were kept, and there he stayed. 21#Acts 7.9But the LORD was with Joseph and blessed him, so that the jailer was pleased with him. 22He put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and made him responsible for everything that was done in the prison. 23The jailer did not have to look after anything for which Joseph was responsible, because the LORD was with Joseph and made him succeed in everything he did.
Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Genesis 39
39
1And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, a chamberlain of Pharaoh, the captain of the life-guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites who had brought him down thither. 2And Jehovah was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3And his master saw that Jehovah was with him, and that Jehovah made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4And Joseph found favour in his eyes, and attended on him; and he set him over his house, and all that he had he gave into his hand. 5And it came to pass from the time he had set him over his house and all that he had, that Jehovah blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of Jehovah was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and took cognizance of nothing with him, save the bread that he ate. And Joseph was of a beautiful form and of a beautiful countenance.
7And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph, and said, Lie with me! 8But he refused, and said to his master's wife, Behold, my master takes cognizance of nothing with me: what is in the house, and all that he has, he has given into my hand. 9There is none greater in this house than I; neither has he withheld anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife; and how should I do this great wickedness, and sin against God#GodHebrew: Elohim 10And it came to pass as she spoke to Joseph day by day and he hearkened not to her, to lie with her and to be with her, 11that on a certain day he went into the house to do his business, and there was none of the men of the house there in the house. 12Then she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me! But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran out.
13And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled forth, 14that she called to the men of her house, and spoke to them, saying, See, he has brought in a Hebrew man to us, to mock us: he came in to me, to lie with me; and I cried with a loud voice; 15and it came to pass when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went out. 16And she laid his garment by her until his lord came home. 17And she spoke to him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew bondman that thou hast brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18and it came to pass as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled forth.
19And it came to pass when his lord heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying, After this manner did thy bondman to me, that his wrath was kindled. 20And Joseph's lord took him and put him into the tower-house, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; and he was there in the tower-house. 21And Jehovah was with Joseph, and extended mercy to him, and gave him favour in the eyes of the chief of the tower-house. 22And the chief of the tower-house committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the tower-house; and whatever they had to do there he did. 23The chief of the tower-house looked not to anything under his hand, because Jehovah was with him; and what he did, Jehovah made it prosper.
First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.