Resource icon

BibleStudyIt Genesis 39

  • Genesis Chapter 39

Genesis 39's Chapter Tabs
Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

Proxy widget

Submit Art

Threads
0
Messages
0
Threads
0
Messages
0
None

Submit Notes

Threads
0
Messages
0
Threads
0
Messages
0
None

Joseph in Egypt

39 The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and they sold him there as a slave. Potiphar bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites. He was one of Pharaoh's officers. He had authority over all the guards. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, so that good things happened to him. Joseph lived in the house of Potiphar, his Egyptian master. 3 Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph. He saw that the Lord helped Joseph to do good work. 4 So Joseph pleased Potiphar. Potiphar gave Joseph authority as his special servant. Joseph took care of everything that belonged to Potiphar. 5 From the time that Potiphar gave Joseph authority over everything in his house, the Lord blessed the people of Potiphar's house, his animals and his crops. The Lord blessed Potiphar because of Joseph.

6 So Potiphar told Joseph to take care of everything that belonged to him. Potiphar did not worry about anything in his house. The only thing that he thought about was the food that he ate.

Joseph was a strong and handsome man. 7 After some time had passed, Potiphar's wife saw that Joseph was handsome. She said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ 8 But Joseph refused to do that. He said, ‘My master does not need to think about anything in the house. I take care of everything that belongs to him. 9 No one has more authority in this house than I do. My master keeps nothing from me, except you. That is because you are his wife. I could not do such a bad thing. I could not do a sin that is against God.’

10 Potiphar's wife continued to speak to Joseph every day. But he would not agree to go to bed with her. He would not even go near her. 11 One day Joseph went into the house to do his work. None of the other servants were there in the house. 12 Potiphar's wife suddenly took hold of Joseph's coat. She said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ Joseph left his coat in her hand and he ran out of the house.

13 Potiphar's wife saw that Joseph had left his coat in her hand. She saw that he had run out of the house. 14 So she called her servants to come. She said to them, ‘Look at this! The Hebrew man that Potiphar brought to work here does not respect us! He came in here and he tried to have sex with me. But I screamed loudly. 15 When he heard me scream like that, he ran out of the house. But he left his coat here with me.’

16 Potiphar's wife kept the coat beside her until Joseph's master, Potiphar, came home. 17 Then she told him this story: ‘The Hebrew slave that you brought to us tried to insult me. He wanted to sleep with me. 18 But I screamed loudly for help. So he left his coat with me and he ran out of the house.’

19 Joseph's master heard the story that his wife told him. She said, ‘This is what your slave did to me.’ When Potiphar heard that, he was very angry. 20 He took hold of Joseph, and he put him in prison. It was the place where the king put his own prisoners. 21 While Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was still with him. He was kind to Joseph. He caused the leader of the prison guards to like Joseph. 22 So this man gave Joseph authority over all the other prisoners. Joseph was responsible for everything that they did in the prison. 23 The prison guard did not worry about anything that Joseph had authority over. He saw that the Lord was with Joseph. Whatever Joseph did, the Lord helped him to do it well.

Joseph Is Sold to Potiphar in Egypt

39 The traders [ a ] who bought Joseph took him down to Egypt. They sold him to the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, Potiphar. 2 The Lord helped Joseph become a successful man. Joseph lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian.

3 Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph and that the Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did. 4 So Potiphar was very happy with Joseph. He allowed Joseph to work for him and to help him rule the house. Joseph was the ruler over everything Potiphar owned. 5 After Joseph was made the ruler over the house, the Lord blessed the house and everything that Potiphar owned. The Lord also blessed everything that grew in Potiphar’s fields. The Lord did this because of Joseph. 6 So Potiphar allowed Joseph to take responsibility for everything in the house. Potiphar didn’t have to worry about anything except deciding what to eat.

Joseph Refuses Potiphar’s Wife

Joseph was a very handsome, good-looking man. 7 After some time, the wife of Joseph’s master began to pay special attention to him. One day she said to him, “Sleep with me.”

8 But Joseph refused. He said, “My master trusts me with everything in his house. He has given me responsibility for everything here. 9 My master has made me almost equal to him in his house. I cannot sleep with his wife! That is wrong! It is a sin against God.”

10 The woman talked with Joseph every day, but he refused to sleep with her. 11 One day Joseph went into the house to do his work. He was the only man in the house at the time. 12 His master’s wife grabbed his coat and said to him, “Come to bed with me.” But Joseph ran out of the house so fast that he left his coat in her hand.

13 The woman saw that Joseph had left his coat in her hand and had run out of the house. 14 She called to the men outside and said, “Look! This Hebrew slave was brought here to make fun of us. He came in and tried to attack me, but I screamed. 15 My scream scared him and he ran away, but he left his coat with me.” 16 Then she kept his coat until her husband, Joseph’s master, came home. 17 She told her husband the same story. She said, “This Hebrew slave you brought here tried to attack me! 18 But when he came near me, I screamed. He ran away, but he left his coat.”

19 Joseph’s master listened to what his wife said, and he became very angry. 20 So Potiphar put Joseph into the prison where the king’s enemies were held, and that is where Joseph remained.

Joseph in Prison

21 The Lord was with Joseph and continued to show his kindness to him, so the commander of the prison guards began to like Joseph. 22 The commander of the guards put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. Joseph was their leader, but he still did the same work they did. 23 The commander of the guards trusted Joseph with everything that was in the prison. This happened because the Lord was with Joseph. The Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 39:1 traders Literally, “Ishmaelites.”

39 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.

7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.

12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,

14 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:

15 And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.

16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.

17 And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:

18 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.

20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

Joseph’s Success in Egypt

39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him [ a ] from the ( A ) Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. 2 And ( B ) the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a [ b ] successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 Now his master ( C ) saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord ( D ) made all that he did prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph ( E ) found favor in his sight and [ c ] became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and [ d ] put him in charge of ( F ) all that he owned. 5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord ( G ) blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; so ( H ) the Lord s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. 6 So he left [ e ] Joseph in charge of everything that he owned; and with him there he did not [ f ] concern himself with anything except the [ g ] food which he [ h ] ate.

Now Joseph was ( I ) handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came about after these events ( J ) that his master’s wife [ i ] had her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “ ( K ) Sleep with me.” 8 But ( L ) he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here , my master [ j ] does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has [ k ] put me in charge of all that he owns. 9 [ l ] ( 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 Though 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 [ m ] one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the people of the household was there inside. 12 So she grabbed him by his garment, saying, “Sleep with me!” But he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. 13 [ n ] When 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 [ o ] Hebrew to us to make fun of us; he came in to me to sleep with me, and I [ p ] screamed. 15 When he heard that I raised my voice and [ q ] screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” 16 So she [ r ] left his garment beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she ( O ) spoke to him [ s ] with these [ t ] words: “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make fun of me; 18 but when I raised my voice and [ u ] screamed, 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, “ [ v ] 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 prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the prison. 21 But ( R ) the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and ( S ) gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison. 22 And the warden of the prison [ w ] ( T ) put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison; so that whatever was done there, he was [ x ] responsible for it . 23 ( U ) The warden of the prison did not supervise anything [ y ] under Joseph’s authority, because ( V ) the Lord was with him; and, ( W ) the Lord made whatever he did prosper.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 39:1 Lit from the hand of
  2. Genesis 39:2 Or prosperous
  3. Genesis 39:4 Or ministered to him
  4. Genesis 39:4 Lit handed over to him
  5. Genesis 39:6 Lit in Joseph’s hand
  6. Genesis 39:6 Lit know
  7. Genesis 39:6 Lit bread
  8. Genesis 39:6 Or used to eat
  9. Genesis 39:7 Lit lifted up her eyes at
  10. Genesis 39:8 Lit does not know what is in the house
  11. Genesis 39:8 Lit handed over to me
  12. Genesis 39:9 Or He is not greater
  13. Genesis 39:11 Lit about this day
  14. Genesis 39:13 Lit And it came about when
  15. Genesis 39:14 Lit Hebrew man
  16. Genesis 39:14 Lit called with a great voice
  17. Genesis 39:15 Lit called out
  18. Genesis 39:16 Lit let...lie beside
  19. Genesis 39:17 Lit according to
  20. Genesis 39:17 Lit words, saying
  21. Genesis 39:18 Lit called out
  22. Genesis 39:19 Lit According to these things your slave
  23. Genesis 39:22 Lit handed over to Joseph all
  24. Genesis 39:22 Lit the doer
  25. Genesis 39:23 Lit in his hand

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39 Now Joseph ( A ) had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, ( B ) bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. ( C )

2 The Lord was with Joseph ( D ) so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him ( E ) and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, ( F ) 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes ( G ) and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, ( H ) and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. ( I ) 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household ( J ) of the Egyptian because of Joseph. ( K ) The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. ( L ) 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; ( M ) with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, ( N ) 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” ( O )

8 But he refused. ( P ) “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. ( Q ) 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. ( R ) My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” ( S ) 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused ( T ) to go to bed with her or even be with her.

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, ( U ) and none of the household servants ( V ) was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak ( W ) and said, “Come to bed with me!” ( X ) But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. ( Y )

13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. ( Z ) “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew ( AA ) has been brought to us to make sport of us! ( AB ) He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. ( AC ) 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” ( AD )

16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: ( AE ) “That Hebrew ( AF ) slave ( AG ) you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. ( AH ) 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, ( AI ) the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; ( AJ ) he showed him kindness ( AK ) and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. ( AL ) 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. ( AM ) 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s ( AN ) care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. ( AO )