Joseph in Egypt
39
📚And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there.2 📚And the LORD was with Joseph 📖, and he was a man who brought prosperity 📖, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 📚And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD caused everything he had in his hands 📖 to prosper. 4 📚And Joseph found favour in his sight, and he served him. And he put Joseph in charge of his house, and entrusted everything he had into his hands. 5 📚And from the time that he put him in charge of his house and of all that he had, it came about that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph 📖, and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house, and in the field. 6 📚So he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know anything he had, except the food he ate. And Joseph was handsome in form and in appearance.
39:6 Joseph always proved himself the kind of person whom others could trust with everything they had – vs 22,23; Gen 41:41. The master fully trusted Joseph that he was not concerned about his belongings, their quantity, quality or condition. He was first faithful in small things and later in great things (compare Luke 16:10). He is a shining example of the sort of men the church today needs so much. Alas that there are so many who are the opposite of Joseph and cannot be trusted with anything.⚜
7 📚And after these things, it came about that his master’s wife cast her eyes at Joseph, and said, “Lie down with me”.
8 📚But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master doesn’t know what is in the house, and he has entrusted everything he has into my hands. 9 📚No one is greater in this house than I. He has not kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great evil 📖 and sin against God 📖?” 10 📚And it came about that she spoke to Joseph day after day, but he did not listen to her to lie down with her or to be with her.
11 📚And about this time it so happened that Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was there inside. 12 📚And she caught him by his cloak, saying, “Lie down with me”. But he left his cloak in her hand, ran 📖 and got out.
13 And when she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand, and had run away, it came about 14 📚that she called to the men of her household, and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew 📖 to us to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice, 15 and when he heard me raising my voice and crying out, it so happened that he left his cloak with me, ran and got out”.
16 📚And she put his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 📚And she spoke to him with these words, saying, “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to mock me. 18 And when I raised my voice and cried out, it so happened that he left his cloak with me and ran out”.
19 📚And when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is the way your slave acted toward me”, it came about that his anger was aroused.
Joseph in prison, interprets dreams
20 📚And Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And there he was in the prison.
39:20 Ps 105:17-19. See note at Jer 37:15-16. For note on the good that can come by afflictions see Job 3:20.⚜
21 📚But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed him mercy and gave him favour 📖 in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 📚And the keeper of the prison entrusted all the prisoners that were in the prison into Joseph’s hands, and he attended to whatever they did there.
39:22 Verse 6.⚜
23 📚The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was under his hand 📖, because the LORD was with him 📖, and the LORD caused everything he did to prosper.
39:23 Verse 3.⚜