1   When Joseph was taken down to Egypt, he was bought by Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's eunuchs, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian. Potiphar bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 2   The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. He lived in the house of his Egyptian master, 3   who saw that the Lord was with him and was giving him success in all that he undertook. 4   Thus Joseph found favour with his master, and he became his personal servant. Indeed, his master put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with all that he had. 5   From the time that he put him in charge of his household and all his property, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's household for Joseph's sake. The blessing of the Lord was on all that was his in house and field. 6   He left everything he possessed in Joseph's care, and concerned himself with nothing but the food he ate.

7   Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking, and a time came when his master's wife took notice of him and said, ‘Come and lie with me.’ 8   But he refused and said to her, ‘Think of my master. He does not know as much as I do about his own house, and he has entrusted me with all he has. 9   He has given me authority in this house second only to his own, and has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. 10   How can I do anything so wicked, and sin against God?’ She kept asking Joseph day after day, but he refused to lie with her and be in her company. 11   One day he came into the house as usual to do his work, when none of the men of the household were there indoors. 12   She caught him by his cloak, saying, ‘Come and lie with me’, but he left the cloak in her hands and ran out of the house. 13   When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hands and had run out of the house, 14   she called out to the men of the household, ‘Look at this! My husband has brought in a Hebrew to make a mockery of us. He came in here to lie with me, but I gave a loud scream. 15   When he heard me scream and call out, he left his cloak in my hand and ran off.’ 16   She kept his cloak with her until his master came home, and then she repeated her tale. 17   She said, ‘That Hebrew slave whom you brought in to make a mockery of me, has been here with me. 18   But when I screamed for help and called out, he left his cloak in my hands and ran off.’ 19   When Joseph's master heard his wife's story of what his slave had done to her, he was furious. 20   He took Joseph and put him in the Round Tower, where the king's prisoners were kept; and there he stayed in the Round Tower. 21   But the Lord was with Joseph and kept faith with him, so that he won the favour of the

Joseph in Egypt governor of the Round Tower. 22   He put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners in the tower and of all their work. ^note 23   He ceased to concern himself with anything entrusted to Joseph, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything.

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