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.
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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