Genesis 39

39 ¹Joseph was brought down to Egypt; Potiphar, Pharaoh's Egyptian official and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. ²Our Father was with Joseph; he thrived, serving in his Egyptian master's house. ³His master saw our Father was with him, our Father making all he did succeed in his hand. ⁴Joseph found favor with him and served him; his master put Joseph over his house, entrusting him with all he owned. ⁵From when he put Joseph over his house and all he owned, our Father blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; our Father's blessing was on all he had, house and field. ⁶Potiphar left all he owned in Joseph's care, aware of nothing except what he ate. Joseph was well-built and handsome.

⁷After these things, his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Sleep with me."

⁸He refused, telling his master's wife, "Look, with me here, my master oversees nothing in the house; all he owns he has put in my hands. ⁹He is no greater in this house than I am; he's held back nothing from me except you, since you are his wife. How could I do this great evil and sin against our Father?" ^a a v9 Joseph names sin for what it is — not breaking a rule but wounding the heart of a Father who has loved him into this very moment.

¹⁰Day after day she spoke to Joseph, but he refused to listen to her, to lie beside her, to be with her. ¹¹One day Joseph entered the house to do his work, with no household man inside. ¹²She caught him by his garment, saying, "Sleep with me!" He left it in her hand and fled outside.

¹³When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, ¹⁴she called the men of her household and said, "Look—he brought us a Hebrew man to mock us. He came in to me to sleep with me, and I screamed loudly. ¹⁵When he heard me cry out, he left his garment beside me and fled outside. ¹⁶She kept his garment beside her until his master came home." ¹⁷She told him the same story: "The Hebrew servant you brought us came to me to mock me. ¹⁸But when I cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled outside."

¹⁹When his master heard his wife's words to him—"Your servant did these things to me"—his anger flared.

²⁰Joseph's master took him and put him in the prison holding the king's prisoners. He stayed there in the prison. ²¹But our Father was with Joseph, showing him covenant love and favor with the prison warden. ²²The prison warden put Joseph in charge of all its prisoners; whatever was done there, he did. ²³The warden checked nothing in Joseph's care, since our Father was with him—whatever he did, our Father made succeed.