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Joseph in Potiphar’s House

39 Now Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian official of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him [a]from the (A)Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there. (B)And Yahweh was with Joseph, so he became a [b]successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master (C)saw that Yahweh was with him and how Yahweh (D)caused all that he did to succeed in his hand. So Joseph (E)found favor in his sight and [c]attended on him; and he appointed him overseer over his house, and (F)all that he owned he gave in his hand. Now it happened that from the time he appointed him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, Yahweh (G)blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus (H)the blessing of Yahweh was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s hand; and with him there he did not [d]concern himself with anything except the [e]food which he [f]ate.

Now Joseph was (I)beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance.

And it happened after these events (J)that his master’s wife [g]set her eyes on Joseph and said, “(K)Lie with me.” But (L)he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master [h]does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has given all that he owns into my hand. [i](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 So it happened that as 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 [j]one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. 12 Then she seized him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled and went outside. 13 Now it happened, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her household and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in a [k]Hebrew to us to laugh at us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I [l]screamed. 15 Now it happened that when he heard that I raised my voice and [m]screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” 16 And she placed his garment beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she (O)spoke to him [n]with these words, saying, “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to laugh at me; 18 and as I raised my voice and [o]screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.”

Joseph Is Put into Jail

19 Now it happened that when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “[p]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 jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail. 21 But (R)Yahweh was with Joseph and [q]extended lovingkindness to him and (S)gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. 22 So the chief jailer (T)gave into the hand of Joseph all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was [r]the one who did it. 23 (U)The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s hand because (V)Yahweh was with him; and whatever he did, (W)Yahweh made to succeed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 39:1 Lit from the hand of
  2. Genesis 39:2 Or prosperous
  3. Genesis 39:4 Or ministered
  4. Genesis 39:6 Lit know
  5. Genesis 39:6 Lit bread
  6. Genesis 39:6 Or used to eat
  7. Genesis 39:7 Lit lifted up her eyes at
  8. Genesis 39:8 Lit does not know what is in the house
  9. Genesis 39:9 Or He is not greater
  10. Genesis 39:11 Lit about this day
  11. Genesis 39:14 Lit Hebrew man
  12. Genesis 39:14 Lit called with a great voice
  13. Genesis 39:15 Lit called out
  14. Genesis 39:17 Lit according to
  15. Genesis 39:18 Lit called out
  16. Genesis 39:19 Lit According to these things your slave
  17. Genesis 39:21 Or turned aside, cf. 38:1, 16
  18. Genesis 39:22 Lit the doer

Joseph in Potiphar’s House

39 Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards, bought him from the Ishmaelites(A) who had brought him there. The Lord was with Joseph,(B) and he became a successful man, serving[a] in the household of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful,(C) Joseph found favor(D) with his master and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority.[b] From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph.(E) The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority;[c] he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.(F) After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority.[d] No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?” (G)

10 Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her.[e] 11 Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there.[f] 12 She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside, 14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “my husband brought a Hebrew man to make fools of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could. 15 When he heard me screaming for help,[g] he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”

16 She put Joseph’s garment beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me, 18 but when I screamed for help,[h] he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”

19 When his master heard the story his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me”—he was furious 20 and had him thrown into prison,(H) where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.

Joseph in Prison

21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him.(I) He granted him favor with the prison warden.(J) 22 The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph’s authority,[i] and he was responsible for everything that was done there. 23 The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority,[j] because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.(K)

Footnotes

  1. 39:2 Lit and he was
  2. 39:4 Lit owned in his hand
  3. 39:6 Lit owned in Joseph’s hand
  4. 39:8 Lit owns in my hand
  5. 39:10 Lit he did not listen to her to lie beside her, to be with her
  6. 39:11 Lit there in the house
  7. 39:15 Lit he heard that I raised my voice and I screamed
  8. 39:18 Lit I raised my voice and screamed
  9. 39:22 Lit prison in the hand of Joseph
  10. 39:23 Lit anything in his hand