Genesis 39
EasyEnglish Bible
Joseph in Egypt
39 The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and they sold him there as a slave. Potiphar bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites. He was one of Pharaoh's officers. He had authority over all the guards. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, so that good things happened to him. Joseph lived in the house of Potiphar, his Egyptian master. 3 Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph. He saw that the Lord helped Joseph to do good work. 4 So Joseph pleased Potiphar. Potiphar gave Joseph authority as his special servant. Joseph took care of everything that belonged to Potiphar. 5 From the time that Potiphar gave Joseph authority over everything in his house, the Lord blessed the people of Potiphar's house, his animals and his crops. The Lord blessed Potiphar because of Joseph.
6 So Potiphar told Joseph to take care of everything that belonged to him. Potiphar did not worry about anything in his house. The only thing that he thought about was the food that he ate.
Joseph was a strong and handsome man. 7 After some time had passed, Potiphar's wife saw that Joseph was handsome. She said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ 8 But Joseph refused to do that. He said, ‘My master does not need to think about anything in the house. I take care of everything that belongs to him. 9 No one has more authority in this house than I do. My master keeps nothing from me, except you. That is because you are his wife. I could not do such a bad thing. I could not do a sin that is against God.’
10 Potiphar's wife continued to speak to Joseph every day. But he would not agree to go to bed with her. He would not even go near her. 11 One day Joseph went into the house to do his work. None of the other servants were there in the house. 12 Potiphar's wife suddenly took hold of Joseph's coat. She said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ Joseph left his coat in her hand and he ran out of the house.
13 Potiphar's wife saw that Joseph had left his coat in her hand. She saw that he had run out of the house. 14 So she called her servants to come. She said to them, ‘Look at this! The Hebrew man that Potiphar brought to work here does not respect us! He came in here and he tried to have sex with me. But I screamed loudly. 15 When he heard me scream like that, he ran out of the house. But he left his coat here with me.’
16 Potiphar's wife kept the coat beside her until Joseph's master, Potiphar, came home. 17 Then she told him this story: ‘The Hebrew slave that you brought to us tried to insult me. He wanted to sleep with me. 18 But I screamed loudly for help. So he left his coat with me and he ran out of the house.’
19 Joseph's master heard the story that his wife told him. She said, ‘This is what your slave did to me.’ When Potiphar heard that, he was very angry. 20 He took hold of Joseph, and he put him in prison. It was the place where the king put his own prisoners. 21 While Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was still with him. He was kind to Joseph. He caused the leader of the prison guards to like Joseph. 22 So this man gave Joseph authority over all the other prisoners. Joseph was responsible for everything that they did in the prison. 23 The prison guard did not worry about anything that Joseph had authority over. He saw that the Lord was with Joseph. Whatever Joseph did, the Lord helped him to do it well.
Genesis 39
English Standard Version
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
39 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and (A)Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, (B)had bought him from the (C)Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 (D)The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord (E)caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph (F)found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house (G)and put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house (H)for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So 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 (I)handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and (J)he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He 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 (K)sin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he (L)would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
11 But 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 (M)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. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she 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. 15 And 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.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”
19 As 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. 20 And Joseph's master took him and (N)put him into the (O)prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But (P)the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love (Q)and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison (R)put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because (S)the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
Genesis 39
Het Boek
Jozef in het huis van Potifar
39 Nadat Jozef door de Ismaëlitische handelaars was meegevoerd naar Egypte, werd hij gekocht door Potifar, de commandant van de lijfwacht van de farao. 2 De Here zegende Jozef tijdens zijn verblijf in het huis van zijn meester. Alles wat hij deed, lukte hem. 3 Potifar merkte dit en besefte dat de Here Jozef op een bijzondere manier zegende. 4 Op die manier werd Jozef Potifars meest gewaardeerde dienaar. Hij kreeg de leiding over de hele huishouding en al zijn zakentransacties. 5,6 Ter wille van Jozef zegende de Here de hele huishouding van Potifar, evenals zijn oogst en zijn vee. Potifar liet al zijn zaken aan Jozef over en had nergens meer omkijken naar. Hij bemoeide zich alleen nog met zijn eigen eten! Jozef was intussen echter een knappe, aantrekkelijke jongeman geworden.
7 In die tijd liet Potifars vrouw haar oog op Jozef vallen en zij vroeg hem of hij met haar naar bed wilde gaan. 8 Maar Jozef weigerde met de woorden: ‘Mijn meester heeft mij zijn hele huishouding toevertrouwd, ik heb hier eigenlijk net zoveel te zeggen als hij! 9 Hij heeft mij niets geweigerd, uitgezonderd u, omdat u zijn vrouw bent. Hoe kan ik dan zoiets slechts doen? Bovendien zou het een grote zonde tegen God zijn.’ 10 Maar zij bleef aandringen, elke dag weer. Ook al luisterde hij niet en ontliep hij haar zoveel mogelijk, het hielp niet.
11 Op een dag was hij binnenshuis aan het werk—er was niemand in de buurt—toen zij weer bij hem kwam. 12 Zij greep hem bij de mouw en eiste: ‘Ga met me naar bed!’ Hij rukte zich los, maar daarbij gleed zijn mantel af. Hij rende het huis uit en zij bleef achter met zijn mantel in haar handen. 13 Toen begon ze te gillen. 14 Tegen de mannen die op haar gegil afkwamen, schreeuwde ze: ‘Mijn man heeft die Hebreeuwse slaaf gekocht om ons te beledigen! 15 Hij probeerde mij te verkrachten, maar toen ik begon te schreeuwen, sloeg hij op de vlucht. Kijk maar, hij heeft zijn mantel in de haast vergeten.’ 16 Ze hield de mantel bij zich en toen haar man die avond thuiskwam, vertelde zij hem haar verhaal. 17 ‘Die Hebreeuwse slaaf die je hier hebt rondlopen, probeerde mij te verkrachten. 18 Hij is er vandoor gegaan toen ik schreeuwde. Maar hij heeft zijn mantel achtergelaten.’ 19 Haar man was woest toen hij het verhaal hoorde. 20 Hij gooide Jozef in de gevangenis, waar alle andere gevangenen van de farao ook in de ketens zaten.
21 Maar de Here was ook daar bij Jozef, zodat de hoofdcipier hem de beste baantjes gaf. 22 Het kwam zelfs zover dat de hoofdcipier hem de hele administratie van de gevangenis liet doen, zodat de andere gevangenen verantwoording aan hem schuldig waren. 23 De hoofdcipier hoefde zich vanaf dat moment nergens meer druk over te maken, want Jozef regelde alles tot in de puntjes en de Here zorgde voor hem, zodat alles goed bleef gaan.
Genesis 39
New American Standard Bible
Joseph’s Success in Egypt
39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him [a]from the (A)Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. 2 And (B)the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a [b]successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 Now his master (C)saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord (D)made all that he did prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph (E)found favor in his sight and [c]became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and [d]put him in charge of (F)all that he owned. 5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord (G)blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; so (H)the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. 6 So he left [e]Joseph in charge of everything that he owned; and with him there he did not [f]concern himself with anything except the [g]food which he [h]ate.
Now Joseph was (I)handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came about after these events (J)that his master’s wife [i]had her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “(K)Sleep with me.” 8 But (L)he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master [j]does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has [k]put me in charge of all that he owns. 9 [l](M)There 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 (N)sin against God?” 10 Though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. 11 Now it happened [m]one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the people of the household was there inside. 12 So she grabbed him by his garment, saying, “Sleep with me!” But he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. 13 [n]When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought in a [o]Hebrew to us to make fun of us; he came in to me to sleep with me, and I [p]screamed. 15 When he heard that I raised my voice and [q]screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” 16 So she [r]left his garment beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she (O)spoke to him [s]with these [t]words: “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make fun of me; 18 but when I raised my voice and [u]screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.”
Joseph Imprisoned
19 Now when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying, “[v]This is what your slave did to me,” (P)his anger burned. 20 So Joseph’s master took him and (Q)put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the prison. 21 But (R)the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and (S)gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison. 22 And the warden of the prison [w](T)put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison; so that whatever was done there, he was [x]responsible for it. 23 (U)The warden of the prison did not supervise anything [y]under Joseph’s authority, because (V)the Lord was with him; and, (W)the Lord made whatever he did prosper.
Footnotes
- Genesis 39:1 Lit from the hand of
- Genesis 39:2 Or prosperous
- Genesis 39:4 Or ministered to him
- Genesis 39:4 Lit handed over to him
- Genesis 39:6 Lit in Joseph’s hand
- Genesis 39:6 Lit know
- Genesis 39:6 Lit bread
- Genesis 39:6 Or used to eat
- Genesis 39:7 Lit lifted up her eyes at
- Genesis 39:8 Lit does not know what is in the house
- Genesis 39:8 Lit handed over to me
- Genesis 39:9 Or He is not greater
- Genesis 39:11 Lit about this day
- Genesis 39:13 Lit And it came about when
- Genesis 39:14 Lit Hebrew man
- Genesis 39:14 Lit called with a great voice
- Genesis 39:15 Lit called out
- Genesis 39:16 Lit let...lie beside
- Genesis 39:17 Lit according to
- Genesis 39:17 Lit words, saying
- Genesis 39:18 Lit called out
- Genesis 39:19 Lit According to these things your slave
- Genesis 39:22 Lit handed over to Joseph all
- Genesis 39:22 Lit the doer
- Genesis 39:23 Lit in his hand
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