Genesis 39

reviewed Worded for an eighth-grade reader; the reading is the Translation's. Read the Translation with its notes.

1 Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. Potiphar was a eunuch of Pharaoh and the officer in charge of the butchers. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, and Joseph was a man who made things succeed. He lived in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 His master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made everything Joseph did succeed in his hand. 4 Joseph found favor with his master and served him personally. His master put him in charge of his house and gave everything he owned into Joseph's hand. 5 From the time he put Joseph in charge of his house and of everything he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house. He did it because of Joseph. The LORD's blessing was on everything he owned, in the house and in the field. 6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph's hand. With Joseph there, he paid no attention to anything except the bread he ate. Now Joseph was beautiful in form and beautiful to look at. 7 Some time after this, his master's wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, "Sleep with me." 8 But he refused. He said to his master's wife, "Look, with me here, my master pays no attention to what is in the house. He has given everything he owns into my hand.

9 He is not greater in this house than I am. He has held nothing back from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this great wrong and sin against God?" 10 She spoke to Joseph day after day. But he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. 11 One day Joseph came into the house to do his work. None of the men of the house were there inside. 12 She grabbed him by his garment and said, "Sleep with me." But he left his garment in her hand and ran away outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and run outside, 14 she called to the men of her house and said to them, "Look! My husband has brought us a Hebrew man to laugh at us! He came to me to sleep with me, and I screamed loudly. 15 When he heard me raise my voice and scream, he left his garment beside me and ran away outside." 16 She kept his garment beside her until Joseph's master came home.

17 Then she told him the same story: "The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to laugh at me. 18 But when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and ran outside." 19 When Joseph's master heard what his wife told him, "This is what your slave did to me," he burned with anger. 20 Joseph's master took him and put him in the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were held. And Joseph stayed there in the prison. 21 But the LORD was with Joseph. He showed him loyalty and gave him favor with the officer in charge of the prison. 22 The officer in charge of the prison gave all the prisoners in the prison into Joseph's hand. Joseph was the one who did everything that was done there. 23 The officer in charge of the prison did not look into anything at all in Joseph's hand. This was because the LORD was with Joseph. Whatever Joseph did, the LORD made it succeed.