Genesis 39

1 Meanwhile, the descendants of Ishmael took Joseph down to Egypt. There Potiphar bought Joseph from them. Potiphar was an Egyptian who was one of the king’s officials and the captain of the king’s (palace guards/guards who protected the king).

2 Because Yahweh helped Joseph, he was able to do his work very well, and lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

3 His master saw that Yahweh was helping Joseph and enabling him to be successful in everything that he did.

4 Joseph’s master was pleased with him, so he appointed him to be his personal servant. Then he appointed him to be the one who would take care of everything in his household and all of his possessions.

5 From the time Potiphar appointed Joseph to take care of everything in his household and all that he owned, Yahweh blessed the people who lived in Potiphar’s house because of Joseph. He also caused Potiphar’s crops to grow well.

6 Potiphar allowed Joseph to take care of everything that he owned. Potiphar needed to decide only about the food he ate. He was not concerned about anything else in his house. Joseph was well-built/muscular and handsome.

7 Because of that, after a while, his master’s wife started to look fondly at Joseph. So one day she said to him, “Have sex [EUP] with me!”

8 But he refused, saying to his master’s wife, “Listen! My master is not concerned about anything in this house. He has appointed me to take care of everything that he owns.

9 No one in this household has more authority than I do. The only thing that he has not allowed me to have is you, because you are his wife! So (how could I do this wicked thing [that you are asking me to do]?/I certainly could not do this wicked thing!) [RHQ] I would be sinning against God if I did that!”

10 She kept on asking Joseph day after day to have sex [EUP] with her, but he refused. He would not even go near her.

11 One day Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the other household servants were in the house.

12 Potiphar’s wife grabbed his cloak and said, “Have sex [EUP] with me!” Joseph ran out of the house, but his cloak was still in her hand!

13 When she saw that he had run outside leaving his cloak in her hand,

14 she called the household servants. She said to them, “Look! This Hebrew man that my husband brought to us is (insulting/trying to do something disgraceful to) us! He came into my room and tried to (rape me/make me have sex [EUP] with him), but I screamed loudly.

15 As soon as he heard me scream loudly, he left his loincloth with me and ran outside!”

16 She kept the loincloth beside her until her husband, Joseph’s master, came home.

17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave whom you brought here came into my room and tried to rape me!

18 As soon as I screamed loudly, he ran outside, leaving me holding his loincloth!”

19 When Joseph’s master heard this story that his wife told him, saying “This is how your slave treated me,” he was very angry.

20 Joseph’s master took Joseph and put him in prison, the place where all the king’s prisoners were put, and Joseph stayed there.

21 But Yahweh was kind to Joseph and helped him, and caused the (prison warden/man who was in charge of the prison) to be pleased with him.

22 So the prison warden put Joseph in charge of all those who were in the prison, and in charge of all the work that was done there.

23 The warden was not concerned with anything that Joseph was taking care of, because Yahweh helped Joseph to do well everything that he did.