Genesis 39
Living Bible
39 When Joseph arrived in Egypt as a captive of the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased from them by Potiphar, a member of the personal staff of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Now this man Potiphar was the captain of the king’s bodyguard and his chief executioner. 2 The Lord greatly blessed Joseph there in the home of his master, so that everything he did succeeded. 3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph in a very special way. 4 So Joseph naturally became quite a favorite with him. Soon he was put in charge of the administration of Potiphar’s household, and all of his business affairs. 5 At once the Lord began blessing Potiphar for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs began to run smoothly, his crops flourished and his flocks multiplied. 6 So Potiphar gave Joseph the complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. He hadn’t a worry in the world with Joseph there, except to decide what he wanted to eat! Joseph, by the way, was a very handsome young man.
7 One day at about this time Potiphar’s wife began making eyes at Joseph, and suggested that he come and sleep with her.
8 Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in the entire household; 9 he himself has no more authority here than I have! He has held back nothing from me except you yourself because you are his wife. How can I do such a wicked thing as this? It would be a great sin against God.”
10 But she kept on with her suggestions day after day, even though he refused to listen, and kept out of her way as much as possible. 11 Then one day as he was in the house going about his work—as it happened, no one else was around at the time— 12 she came and grabbed him by the sleeve[a] demanding, “Sleep with me.” He tore himself away, but as he did, his jacket slipped off and she was left holding it as he fled from the house. 13 When she saw that she had his jacket, and that he had fled, 14-15 she began screaming; and when the other men around the place came running in to see what had happened, she was crying hysterically. “My husband had to bring in this Hebrew slave to insult us!” she sobbed. “He tried to rape me, but when I screamed, he ran, and forgot to take his jacket.”
16 She kept the jacket, and when her husband came home that night, 17 she told him her story.
“That Hebrew slave you’ve had around here tried to rape me, 18 and I was only saved by my screams. He fled, leaving his jacket behind!”
19 Well, when her husband heard his wife’s story, he was furious. 20 He threw Joseph into prison, where the king’s prisoners were kept in chains. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph there, too, and was kind to him by granting him favor with the chief jailer. 22 In fact, the jailer soon handed over the entire prison administration to Joseph, so that all the other prisoners were responsible to him. 23 The chief jailer had no more worries after that, for Joseph took care of everything, and the Lord was with him so that everything ran smoothly and well.
Footnotes
- Genesis 39:12 sleeve. The Hebrew word is not specific.
Genesis 39
Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero
Yosefe ndi Mkazi wa Potifara
39 Tsopano Yosefe anatengedwa kupita ku Igupto. Potifara Mwigupto amene anali mmodzi wa akuluakulu a Farao ndiponso mkulu wa asilikali olonda ku nyumba kwa Farao, anagula Yosefe kwa Aismaeli amene anapita naye kumeneko.
2 Koma Yehova anali ndi Yosefe ndipo zake zonse zimayenda bwino. Iye ankakhala mʼnyumba ya mbuye wake wa ku Igupto. 3 Mbuye wake anaona kuti Yehova anali naye Yosefe ndi kuti pa chilichonse chimene anachita Yehova ankaonetsetsa kuti achite bwino. 4 Potifara anakondwera ndi Yosefe chifukwa cha matumikiridwe ake. Choncho anamusandutsa woyangʼanira nyumba yake ndi zonse za mʼnyumba yake. 5 Kuchokera pa nthawi imene anamuyika kukhala woyangʼanira wa nyumbayo ndi zonse za mʼnyumbamo, Yehova anadalitsa nyumba ya Mwiguptoyo chifukwa cha Yosefe. Madalitso a Yehova anali pa chilichonse chimene Potifara anali nacho, za mʼnyumba komanso za ku munda. 6 Choncho anasiyira mʼmanja mwa Yosefe chilichonse chomwe anali nacho, kotero kuti samadandaula ndi chilichonse kupatula chakudya chimene ankadya.
Tsopano Yosefe anali wa thupi labwino ndi wokongola. 7 Patapita kanthawi, mkazi wa mbuye wake anayamba kusirira Yosefe nati, “Bwanji ugone nane!”
8 Koma iye anakana namuwuza kuti, “Inu mukuona kuti mbuye wanga sadandaula ndi kena kalikonse mʼnyumba muno, ndipo chawo chilichonse anachiyika mʼmanja mwanga. 9 Motero kuti palibe wina wamkulu kuposa ine mʼnyumba muno. Ndipo palibe chilichonse chimene mbuye wanga sanachipereke kwa ine kupatula inuyo, chifukwa ndinu mkazi wake. Tsono ndingachite bwanji choyipa choterechi ndi kuchimwira Mulungu?” 10 Ndipo ngakhale kuti iye anayankhula mawu omwewa ndi Yosefe tsiku ndi tsiku, Yosefe sanalole kugona naye ngakhale kukhala naye pafupi.
11 Tsiku lina Yosefe analowa mʼnyumbamo kukagwira ntchito zake, ndipo munalibe wina aliyense wantchito mʼnyumbamo. 12 Mkazi uja anamugwira mkanjo Yosefe nati, “Tiye ugone nane!” Koma Yosefe anasiya mkanjo wake mʼmanja mwa mkaziyo nathawira kunja kwa nyumba.
13 Pamene mkazi uja anaona kuti Yosefe wamusiyira mkanjo wake mʼmanja mwake nathawira kunja kwa nyumba, 14 iye anayitana antchito ake a mʼnyumba nati, “Taonani mwamuna wanga anabwera ndi Mhebri uyu mʼnyumba muno kuti adzagone nane. Iyeyu analowa ku chipinda kwanga kuti adzagone nane ndipo ine ndinakuwa kwambiri. 15 Atandimva ndikukuwa, anandisiyira mkanjo wakewu nʼkuthawira kunja.”
16 Tsono mkazi wa Potifara uja anasunga mkanjowo mpaka mbuye wake wa Yosefe atabwera ku nyumba. 17 Tsono anamuwuza nkhaniyi nati: “Wantchito Wachihebri amene munatibweretsera uja anabwera kuti adzagone nane. 18 Koma pamene ndinakuwa, iye anandisiyira mkanjo wake nathawira kunja.”
19 Mbuye wake wa Yosefe atamva nkhani imene mkazi wake anamuwuza kuti, “Ndi zimene anandichitira wantchito wanu,” anapsa mtima kwambiri. 20 Tsono iye anatenga Yosefe namuyika mʼndende mmene ankasungiramo amʼndende a mfumu.
Ndipo Yosefe anakhala mʼndendemo 21 koma Yehova anali naye, ndipo anamuonetsa kukoma mtima kwake, kotero kuti woyangʼanira ndende anakondwera ndi Yosefe. 22 Choncho woyangʼanira ndende uja anamuyika Yosefe kukhala woyangʼanira onse amene anayikidwa mʼndende. Ndiponso anamupatsa udindo woyangʼanira zonse zochitika mʼndendemo. 23 Woyangʼanira ndende uja sankayangʼaniranso china chilichonse chimene chinali mu ulamuliro wa Yosefe, chifukwa Yehova anali ndi Yosefe. Ndipo Yehova anaonetsetsa kuti chilichonse chimene Yosefe ankachita chimuyendere bwino.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Word of God in Contemporary Chichewa Copyright © 2002, 2016 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Mwini © 2002, 2016 ndi Biblica, Inc.® Kugwiritsa ntchito mwachilolezo. Umwini ndi otetezedwa pa dziko lonse.