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 Ishmaelitesa who had brought him there. 2The Lord was with Joseph,a and he became a successful man, servingA in the household of his Egyptian master. 3When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful,a 4Joseph found favora 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.A 5From 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.a The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. 6He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority;A he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.a 7After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

8But 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.A 9No 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? ”a

10Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her.A 11Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there.A 12She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me! ” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. 13When she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside, 14she 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. 15When he heard me screaming for help,A he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”

16She put Joseph’s garment beside her until his master came home. 17Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me, 18but when I screamed for help,A he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”

19When his master heard the story his wife told him — “These are the things your slave did to me” — he was furious 20and had him thrown into prison,a where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.

Joseph in Prison

21But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him.a He granted him favor with the prison warden.b 22The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph’s authority,A and he was responsible for everything that was done there. 23The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority,A because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.a