Chapter 39

Joseph’s Success in Egypt

1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him 1from the aIshmaelites, who had taken him down there.

2 aThe Lord was with Joseph, so he became a 1successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

3 Now his master asaw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord bcaused all that he did to prosper in his hand.

4 So Joseph afound favor in his sight and 1became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and ball that he owned he put in his 2charge.

5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord ablessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus bthe Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.

6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s 1charge; and with him there he did not 2concern himself with anything except the 3food which he 4ate.

Now Joseph was ahandsome in form and appearance.

7 It came about after these events athat his master’s wife 1looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “bLie with me.”

8 But ahe refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master 1does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my 2charge.

9 “1aThere 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 bsin against God?”

10 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 1one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside.

12 She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.

13 1When 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 1Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I 2screamed.

15 “When he heard that I raised my voice and 1screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.”

16 So she 1left his garment beside her until his master came home.

17 Then she aspoke to him 1with these words, “2The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me;

18 and as I raised my voice and 1screamed, 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, “1This is what your slave did to me,” ahis anger burned.

20 So Joseph’s master took him and aput him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.

21 But athe Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and bgave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.

22 The chief jailer acommitted to Joseph’s 1charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was 2responsible for it.

23 aThe chief jailer did not supervise anything under 1Joseph’s charge because bthe Lord was with him; and whatever he did, cthe Lord made to prosper.