Genesis 39

Modern

Literal

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

¹Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

¹And Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guards, an Egyptian man, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.

²And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.

²And YHWH was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, and he was in the house of his lord the Egyptian.

³When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did,

³And his lord saw that YHWH was with him, and all that he was doing, YHWH was making successful in his hand.

⁴Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant.

Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned.

⁴And Joseph found favor in his eyes and he served him. And he appointed him over his house, and all that he had to him, he put in his hand.

⁵From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field.

⁵And it came to pass from the time he had appointed him over his house and over all that he had, that YHWH blessed the house of the Egyptian on account of Joseph. And the blessing of YHWH was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

⁶So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,

⁶And he left all that was unto him in the hand of Joseph and he did not know with him anything except for the bread that he was eating. And Joseph was handsome in form and handsome in appearance.

⁷and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

⁷And it came to pass after these things that the wife of his lord lifted up her eyes to Joseph, and she said, “Lie 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 entrusted everything he owns to my care.

⁸And he refused, and said to the wife of his lord, “Behold, my lord has not known with me what is in the house, and all that he had he has put in my hand.

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 such a great evil and sin against God?”

⁹There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has not withheld from me anything except you, because you are his wife. And how can I do this great evil and sin against God?”

¹⁰Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her.

¹⁰And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not listen to her, to lie beside her, to be with her.

¹¹One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside.

¹¹And it came to pass on such a day that he went into the house to do his work, and not a man of the men of the house was there in the house.

¹²She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.

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

Joseph Falsely Imprisoned

¹³When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house,

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

¹⁴she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could.

¹⁴that she called to the men of her house and she said to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a man, a Hebrew, to mock us! He came to me to lie with me, and I cried out in a loud voice.

¹⁵When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

¹⁵And it came to pass when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, that he left his garment beside me and he fled, and he went outside.”

¹⁶So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home.

¹⁶And she kept his garment beside her until his lord came to his house.

¹⁷Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me,

¹⁷And she spoke to him with these words, saying, “The Hebrew, the servant whom you brought to us, came to me to mock me.

¹⁸but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

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

¹⁹When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he burned with anger.

¹⁹And it came to pass when his lord heard the words of his wife that she spoke to him, saying, “According to these words your servant did to me,” that his anger burned.

²⁰So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined.

While Joseph was there in the prison,

²⁰And the lord of Joseph took him and put him into the prison house, a place where the prisoners of the king were confined. And he was there in the prison. House

²¹the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

²¹and YHWH was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and He gave him favor in the eyes of the captain of the prison house.

²²And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison.

²²And the captain of the prison house gave into the hand of Joseph all the prisoners who were in the prison house. And all that they were doing there, he was the one doing.

²³The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

²³The captain of the prison house was not looking at anything at all in his hand, because YHWH was with him. And what he was doing, YHWH was making successful.