Genesis 39

Wycliffe Bible

39 Therefore Joseph was led into Egypt, and Potiphar, a gelding of Pharaoh, prince of the host, a man of Egypt, bought him of the hand of Ishmaelites, of which he was brought thither. (And so Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s eunuchs, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him there.)

² And the Lord was with him, and he was a man doing with prosperity in all things (and made him prosperous in all things). And Joseph dwelled in the house of his lord,

³ which knew full well that the Lord was with Joseph, and that all things which he did, were (ad)dressed of the Lord in his hand. (who knew full well that the Lord was with Joseph, and that all the things which he did were directed by the hand of the Lord.)

⁴ And Joseph found grace before his lord, and he served him, of whom Joseph was made sovereign of all things (who made Joseph the ruler over all his things), and he governed the house betaken to him, and all (the) things that were betaken to him.

⁵ And the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph, and multiplied all his chattel, as well in houses, as in fields; (And the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake, and multiplied his possessions, yea, all that he had in his house, and all that he had in his fields;)

⁶ neither he knew any other thing, but [the] bread which he ate. Forsooth Joseph was fair in face, and shapely in sight.

⁷ And so after many days the lady (of his lord) cast her eyes into Joseph, and said, Sleep thou with me; (And so after many days the lady of his lord cast her eyes upon Joseph, and said, Lie thou with me;)

⁸ which assented not to the unleaveful work, and said to her, Lo! while all things be betaken to me, my lord wot not what he hath in his house, (who assented not to the unlawful deed, and said to her, Lo! while he hath entrusted all his things to me, my lord knoweth not what he hath in his own house,)

⁹ neither anything is, which is not in my power, either which he hath not betaken to me, except thee, which art his wife; how therefore may I do this evil, and do sin against my lord? (and there is nothing, which is not in my power, or which he hath not entrusted to me, except thee, who art his wife; and so how can I do this evil thing, and sin against God?/and sin against the Lord?)

¹⁰ They spake such words by all days/by long time, and the woman was dis-easeful to the young man, and he forsook the adultery. (They spoke such words for a long time, and the woman distressed the young man, but he forsook the adultery.)

¹¹ Forsooth it befelled in a day, that Joseph entered into the house, and did some work without witnesses.

¹² And she took the hem of his cloth, and she said, Sleep thou with me; and he left the mantle in her hand, and he fled, and went out. (And she took hold of the hem of his cloak, and said, Lie thou with me; and he left the cloak in her hands, and he fled away.)

¹³ And when the woman had seen the cloak in her hands, and that she was despised,

¹⁴ she called to her the men of her house, and said to them, Lo! my lord hath brought in an Hebrew man, that he should scorn us; he entered to me to do lechery with me, and when I cried, (she called the men of the household to her, and said to them, Lo! my lord hath brought in a Hebrew man, and he hath scorned us; yea, he entered to do lechery with me, and when I cried out,)

¹⁵ and he heard my voice, he left the mantle which I held, and he fled out. (and he heard my voice, he left his cloak which I held onto, and he fled away.)

¹⁶ Therefore into proving of the truth, she showed the mantle, that she held, to her husband turning again home. (And so to prove the truth of it all, she showed his cloak, which she had held onto, to her husband when he returned home.)

¹⁷ And she said (to him), The Hebrew servant, whom thou broughtest in, entered to me to scorn me (came to me, and mocked me);

¹⁸ and when he saw me cry, he left the mantle that I held, and he fled out. (and when I cried out, he left his cloak which I held onto, and he fled away.)

¹⁹ And when these things were heard, the lord believed over much to the words of the wife (the lord believed too much in his wife’s words), and he was full wroth;

²⁰ and he betook Joseph into prison, where the bound men of the king were kept, and he was closed there. (and he took Joseph, and put him in the prison, where the king’s prisoners were kept, and so he was enclosed there.)

²¹ Forsooth the Lord was with Joseph, and had mercy on him, and gave grace to him, in the sight of the prince of the prison (before the ruler, that is, the warden, of the prison),

²² which betook in the hand of Joseph all the prisoners that were holden in keeping, and whatever thing was done, it was done under Joseph, (who put all the other prisoners, who were held in the prison, under Joseph’s hand, or power, and whatever thing was done, it was done under Joseph’s direction,)

²³ neither the prince knew anything (and the ruler of the prison had no further concerns), for all things were betaken to Joseph; for the Lord was with him, and directed all his works.