Joseph in Potiphar’s House
1Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 2Yahweh was with Joseph, and he prospered; he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3His master saw that Yahweh was with him and that Yahweh made everything he did succeed. 4Joseph found favor in his master’s eyes and became his personal attendant. His master put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with all he owned. 5From the time he put him in charge of his household and all he owned, Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of Yahweh was on everything he had, in the house and in the field. 6So he left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph there, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well built and handsome, 7and after a while his master’s wife looked at him with desire and said, “Sleep with me.” 8But he refused. “Look,” he told his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in this house; he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. 9No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10Though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to sleep with her or even be with her. 11One day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there. 12She caught him by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran outside. 13When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run outside, 14she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “he brought us a Hebrew to make fools of us! He came in to sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could. 15When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran outside.” 16She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17Then she told him the same story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came in to make a fool of me. 18But when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran outside.” 19When his master heard the story his wife told him — “This is what your slave did to me” — he burned with anger.
Joseph in Prison
20Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were held. And there he remained, in prison. 21But Yahweh was with Joseph and showed him kindness; he granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22So the warden put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners in the prison, and he was responsible for everything that was done there. 23The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because Yahweh was with him, and Yahweh made everything he did succeed.
