Genesis · Berean Standard Bible
Genesis 39 Berean Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
1 Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites that had brought him down there.
2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.
2 Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did,
3 His master saw that Yahweh was with him, and that Yahweh made all that he did prosper in his hand.
4 Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned.
4 Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him, and Potiphar made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
5 From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field.
5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake. Yahweh’s blessing was on all that he had, in the house and in the field.
6 So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,
6 He left all that he had in Joseph’s hand. He didn’t concern himself with anything, except for the food which he ate. Joseph was well-built and handsome.
7 and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
7 After these things, his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph; and she said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care.
8 But he refused, and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, my master doesn’t know what is with me in the house, and he has put all that he has into my hand.
9 No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”
9 No one is greater in this house than I am, and he has not kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
10 Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her.
10 As she spoke to Joseph day by day, he didn’t listen to her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
11 One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside.
11 About this time, he went into the house to do his work, and there were none of the men of the house inside.
12 She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.
12 She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” He left his garment in her hand, and ran outside.
13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house,
13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had run outside,
14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could.
14 she called to the men of her house, and spoke to them, saying, “Behold, he has brought a Hebrew in to us to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice.
15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
15 When he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment by me, and ran outside.”
16 So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home.
16 She laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.
17 Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me,
17 She spoke to him according to these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me,
18 but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
18 and as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment by me, and ran outside.”
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he burned with anger.
19 When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled.
20 So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,
20 Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody.
21 the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
21 But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison.
22 The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, he was responsible for it.
23 The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
23 The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because Yahweh was with him; and that which he did, Yahweh made it prosper.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Joseph
Betrayed and enslaved, he rose to rule Egypt and saved his family from famine.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 37; 39–50
Potiphar
An Egyptian officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard who bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites, put him in charge of his household, and had him thrown into prison after his wife's…
Cited in the guide: Genesis 37:36; Genesis 39:1; Genesis 39:4
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 37:28; Psalm 105:17; Genesis 37:36; Genesis 37:25; Acts 7:9
- 2 1 Samuel 18:14; Psalm 91:15; Jeremiah 15:20; Genesis 26:28; Acts 7:9–10
- 3 Psalm 1:3; 2 Chronicles 26:5; 1 Samuel 18:14; Genesis 30:27; Matthew 5:16
- 4 Genesis 39:21–22; Genesis 19:19; Proverbs 27:18; Genesis 39:8; Genesis 24:2
- 5 Genesis 30:27; 2 Samuel 6:11–12; Acts 27:24; Psalm 72:17; Genesis 12:2
- 6 1 Samuel 16:12; Luke 19:17; Proverbs 31:11; Genesis 29:17; Genesis 39:23
- 7 Ezekiel 16:34; 2 Samuel 13:11; 2 Peter 2:14; Ezekiel 16:32; Ezekiel 23:12–16
- 8 Proverbs 22:14; Proverbs 23:26–28; Proverbs 9:13–18; Proverbs 1:10; Proverbs 7:5
- 9 2 Samuel 12:13; Genesis 20:6; Genesis 42:18; 1 John 3:9; Luke 12:48
- 10 1 Peter 2:11; 1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Timothy 2:22; 1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:22
- 11 Ephesians 5:3; Ephesians 5:12; Malachi 3:5; Proverbs 9:17; Jeremiah 23:24
- 12 2 Timothy 2:22; Proverbs 7:13–27; Ecclesiastes 7:26; 1 Peter 2:11; Proverbs 5:8
- 14 Matthew 26:59; Genesis 40:15; Psalm 120:3; Genesis 39:17; Proverbs 10:18
- 16 Psalm 37:32; Psalm 37:12; Titus 3:3; Jeremiah 9:3–5; Jeremiah 4:22
- 17 Exodus 23:1; Psalm 55:3; 1 Kings 18:17; Proverbs 12:19; 1 Kings 21:9–13
- 19 2 Thessalonians 2:11; Proverbs 18:17; Job 29:16; Proverbs 29:12; Acts 25:16
- 20 Genesis 40:15; 1 Peter 2:19; Genesis 41:9–14; 2 Timothy 2:9; Genesis 40:1–3
- 21 Isaiah 41:10; Exodus 3:21; 1 Peter 3:17; Acts 7:9–10; Isaiah 43:2
- 22 Genesis 40:3–4; Genesis 39:4; Genesis 39:9; 1 Samuel 2:30; Genesis 39:6–7
- 23 Isaiah 43:2; Psalm 1:3; Genesis 39:2–3; Daniel 6:22; Genesis 49:23–24
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
"Thou broughtest in unto us here an Hebrew servant to mock us." It was not this man that mocked thee, O wretched and unhappy woman, but the devil that told thee that thou couldest break down the adamant.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)