Genesis 39

Joseph Succeeds in Adversity

1Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh, commander of the bodyguards, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there.

2But Adonai was with Joseph. So he became a successful man in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

3His master saw that Adonai was with him and that Adonai made everything he set his hand to successful.

4Joseph found favor in his eyes, so he served him as a personal servant and he made him an overseer over his household; everything that was his he entrusted into his hand.

5From the time that he made him an overseer in his house and over everything that belonged to him, Adonai blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph; Adonai’s blessing was on everything that belonged to him, in the house and in the field.

6So he released everything he owned into Joseph’s hand. With him in charge, he did not think about anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and handsome in appearance.

7Now after these things, the master’s wife lifted up her eyes at Joseph and said, “Come, lie down with me!”

8But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “my master doesn’t think about anything in the house with me in charge, and everything that belongs to him he’s entrusted into my hand.

9No one in this house is greater than I, and he has withheld nothing from me—except you, because you are his wife. So how could I commit this great evil and sin against God?”

10So whenever she spoke to Joseph, day after day, he did not listen to her invitation to lie down beside her, to be with her.

11Now on one such day, he came into the house to do his work, and none of the people of the house were there in the house.

12Then she grabbed him by his garment saying, “Come, lie with me!” But he left his garment in her hand, fled and went outside.

13When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,

14she screamed to the men of her house and said to them, “Look! Someone brought a Hebrew man to us to fool with us. He approached me to lie with me so I screamed out loud.

15When he heard me raise my voice and scream, he left his garment with me, fled and went outside.”

16Then she kept the garment with her until his master came home.

17She spoke the same words to him saying, “The Hebrew slave that you brought us approached me to fool with me.

18When I raised my voiced and screamed, he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

19Now when his master heard the words his wife spoke to him saying, “Such are the things your slave did to me,” his anger burned.

20Then Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So there he was, in the prison.

21But Adonai was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the eyes of the commander of the prison.

22The commander of the prison entrusted into Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison, so that everything that was done there, he was responsible for it.

23The commander of the prison did not concern himself with anything at all under his care, because Adonai was with him, and Adonai made whatever he did successful.

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Genesis 39

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

1Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and #ch. 37:36 Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, #ch. 37:28 had bought him from the #ch. 37:25Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2#ver. 21; Acts 7:9; [ch. 21:22; 26:24, 28; 28:15; 1 Sam. 16:18; 18:14, 28]The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord #2 Chr. 26:5; Ps. 1:3caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4So Joseph #ver. 21; ch. 19:19; 33:10 found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house #ver. 8and 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 #[ch. 30:27]for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.

Now Joseph was #[ch. 29:17; 1 Sam. 16:12]handsome in form and appearance. 7And after a time 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, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and #ver. 4he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and #2 Sam. 12:13; Ps. 51:4sin against God?” 10And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he #[Prov. 1:10]would not listen to her, to lie beside 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, 12#[Prov. 7:13, 18]she 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 as soon as 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 laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside 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 laugh at me. 18But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”

19As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20And Joseph’s master took him and #Ps. 105:18 put him into the #ch. 40:3, 5; [ch. 40:15; 41:14]prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21But #ver. 2; Acts 7:9, 10 the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love #Ex. 3:21; 11:3; 12:36and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22And the keeper of the prison #ch. 40:4put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because #ver. 2, 3the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

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