Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

39 (v) Yosef was brought down to Egypt, and Potifar, an officer of Pharaoh’s and captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Yishma‘elim who had brought him there. ² Adonai was with Yosef, and he became wealthy while he was in the household of his master the Egyptian. ³ His master saw how Adonai was with him, that Adonai prospered everything he did. ⁴ Yosef pleased him as he served him, and his master appointed him manager of his household; he entrusted all his possessions to Yosef. ⁵ From the time he appointed him manager of his household and all his possessions, Adonai blessed the Egyptian’s household for Yosef’s sake; Adonai’s blessing was on all he owned, whether in the house or in the field. ⁶ So he left all his possessions in Yosef’s care; and because he had him, he paid no attention to his affairs, except for the food he ate.

Now Yosef was well-built and handsome as well. (vi) ⁷ In time, the day came when his master’s wife took a look at Yosef and said, “Sleep with me!” ⁸ But he refused, saying to his master’s wife, “Look, because my master has me, he doesn’t know what’s going on in this house. He has put all his possessions in my charge. ⁹ In this house I am his equal; he hasn’t withheld anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” ¹⁰ But she kept pressing him, day after day. Nevertheless, he didn’t listen to her; he refused to sleep with her or even be with her.

¹¹ However, one day, when he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men living in the house was there indoors, ¹² she grabbed him by his robe and said, “Sleep with me!” But he fled, leaving his robe in her hand, and got himself outside. ¹³ When she saw that he had left his robe in her hand and had escaped, ¹⁴ she called the men of her house and said to them, “Look at this! My husband brought in a Hebrew to make fools of us. He came in and wanted to sleep with me, but I yelled out loudly. ¹⁵ When he heard me yelling like that, he left his robe with me and ran out.” ¹⁶ She put the robe aside until his master came home. ¹⁷ Then she said to him, “This Hebrew slave you brought us came in to make a fool of me. ¹⁸ But when I yelled out, he left his robe with me and fled outside.” ¹⁹ When his master heard what his wife said as she showed him, “Here’s what your slave did to me,” he became furious. ²⁰ Yosef’s master took him and put him in prison, in the place where the king’s prisoners were kept; and there he was in the prison.

²¹ But Adonai was with Yosef, showing him grace and giving him favor in the sight of the prison warden. ²² The prison warden made Yosef supervisor of all the prisoners in the prison; so that whatever they did there, he was in charge of it. ²³ The prison warden paid no attention to anything Yosef did, because Adonai was with him; and whatever he did, Adonai prospered.

¹⁴ So are we to say, “It is unjust for God to do this”? Heaven forbid! ¹⁵ For to Moshe he says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will pity whom I pity.”^{[a] 16} Thus it doesn’t depend on human desires or efforts, but on God, who has mercy. ¹⁷ For the Tanakh says to Pharaoh, “It is for this very reason that I raised you up, so that in connection with you I might demonstrate my power, so that my name might be known throughout the world.”^{[b] 18} So then, he has mercy on whom he wants, and he hardens whom he wants.

¹⁹ But you will say to me, “Then why does he still find fault with us? After all, who resists his will?” ²⁰ Who are you, a mere human being, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to him who formed it, “Why did you make me this way?”^{[c] 21} Or has the potter no right to make from a given lump of clay this pot for honorable use and that one for dishonorable? ²² Now what if God, even though he was quite willing to demonstrate his anger and make known his power, patiently put up with people who deserved punishment and were ripe for destruction? ²³ What if he did this in order to make known the riches of his glory to those who are the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory — ²⁴ that is, to us, whom he called not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles? ²⁵ As indeed he says in Hoshea,

²⁷ But Yesha‘yahu, referring to Isra’el, cries out,

²⁹ Also, as Yesha‘yahu said earlier,