Genesis 39

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Now Joseph had been taken down into Egypt. Potiphar the Egyptian, one of Pharaoh's officials andcommander of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.	1 When Joseph was taken down to Egypt, a certain Egyptian (Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward) bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.
2 Yahweh was with Joseph, and everything he undertook was successful. He lodged in the house of hisEgyptian master,	2 But since the LORD was with him, Joseph got on very well and was assigned to the household of his Egyptian master.
3 and when his master saw how Yahweh was with him and how Yahweh made everything he undertooksuccessful,	3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and brought him success in whatever he did,
4 he was pleased with Joseph and made him his personal attendant; and his master put him in chargeof his household, entrusting him with al his possessions.	4 he took a liking to Joseph and made him his personal attendant; he put him in charge of his household and entrusted to him all his possessions.
5 And from the time he put him in charge of his household and al his possessions, Yahweh blessed theEgyptian's household out of consideration for Joseph; Yahweh's blessing extended to al his possessions, bothhousehold and estate.	5 From the moment that he put him in charge of his household and all his possessions, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; in fact, the LORD'S blessing was on everything he owned, both inside the house and out.
6 So he left Joseph to handle al his possessions, and with him there, concerned himself with nothingbeyond the food he ate. Now Joseph was wel built and handsome,	6 Having left everything he owned in Joseph's charge, he gave no thought, with Joseph there, to anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was strikingly handsome in countenance and body.
7 and it happened some time later that his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, 'Sleep withme.'	7 After a time, his master's wife began to look fondly at him and said, "Lie with me."
8 But he refused. 'Look,' he said to his master's wife, 'with me here, my master does not concernhimself with what happens in the house, having entrusted al his possessions to me.	8 But he refused. "As long as I am here," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, but has entrusted to me all he owns.
9 He himself wields no more authority in this house than I do. He has exempted nothing from me exceptyourself, because you are his wife. How could I do anything so wicked, and sin against God?'	9 He wields no more authority in this house than I do, and he has withheld from me nothing but yourself, since you are his wife. How, then, could I commit so great a wrong and thus stand condemned before God?"
10 Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not agree to sleep with her or be with her.	10 Although she tried to entice him day after day, he would not agree to lie beside her, or even stay near her.
11 But one day when Joseph came into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the householdhappened to be indoors,	11 One such day, when Joseph came into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were then in the house,
12 she caught hold of him by his tunic and said, 'Sleep with me.' But he left the tunic in her hand, took tohis heels and got out.	12 she laid hold of him by his cloak, saying, "Lie with me!" But leaving the cloak in her hand, he got away from her and ran outside.
13 When she saw that he had left the tunic in her hands as he ran out,	13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand as he fled outside,
14 she cal ed her servants and said to them, 'Look at this! My husband brought in a Hebrew to make afool of me! He burst in on me, but I screamed,	14 she screamed for her household servants and told them, "Look! my husband has brought in a Hebrew slave to make sport of us! He came in here to lie with me, but I cried out as loud as I could.
15 and when he heard me scream, he left his tunic beside me and ran out of the house.'	15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran away outside."
16 She kept his tunic by her until his master came home.	16 She kept the cloak with her until his master came home.
17 Then she told him the same tale, 'The Hebrew slave you brought to us burst in on me to make a foolof me.	17 Then she told him the same story: "The Hebrew slave whom you brought here broke in on me, to make sport of me.
18 But when I screamed, he left his tunic beside me and ran away.'	18 But when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and fled outside."
19 When his master heard his wife say, 'This was how your slave treated me,' he became furious.	19 As soon as the master heard his wife's story about how his slave had treated her, he became enraged.
20 Joseph's master had him arrested and committed to the gaol where the king's prisoners were kept.And there in gaol he stayed.	20 He seized Joseph and threw him into the jail where the royal prisoners were confined. But even while he was in prison,
21 But Yahweh was with Joseph. He showed him faithful love and made him popular with the chiefgaoler.	21 the LORD remained with Joseph; he showed him kindness by making the chief jailer well-disposed toward him.
22 The chief gaoler put Joseph in charge of al the prisoners in the gaol, making him responsible foreverything done there.	22 The chief jailer put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners in the jail, and everything that had to be done there was done under his management.
23 The chief gaoler did not bother about anything put in his charge, since Yahweh was with him, andYahweh made everything he undertook successful.	23 The chief jailer did not concern himself with anything at all that was in Joseph's charge, since the LORD was with him and brought success to all he did.