Genesis 39
Joseph in Potiphar’s House
1Now 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 who had brought him there.23The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.45When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful,67Joseph found favor 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.89From 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. The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields.1011He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.1213After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”1415But 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.1617No 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?”18
19Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her.2021Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there.2223She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.2425When she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside,2627she 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.2829When he heard me screaming for help, he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”30
31She put Joseph’s garment beside her until his master came home.3233Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me,3435but when I screamed for help, he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”36
37When his master heard the story his wife told him — “These are the things your slave did to me” — he was furious3839and had him thrown into prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.40