Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an
officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had
bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The
LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in
the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was
with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his
hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he
made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he
had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over
all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's
sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and
field. So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because
of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time
his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of
me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has
put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this
house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you,
because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness
and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he
would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none
of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by
his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her
hand and fled and got out of the house. And as soon as she saw that
he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house,
she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he
has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to
lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And as soon as he
heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment
beside me and fled and got out of the house.” Then she laid up his
garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the
same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought
among us, came in to me to laugh at me. But as soon as I lifted up
my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of
the house.”
As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him,
“This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled.
And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place
where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in
prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love
and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And
the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners
who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who
did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that
was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever
he did, the LORD made it succeed.
