Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
1Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
2The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
8But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
11One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
13When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
16She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
19When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Yosefu Na Mke Wa Potifa
139:1 Mwa 37:36Wakati huu Yosefu alikuwa amechukuliwa mpaka Misri. Mmisri aliyeitwa Potifa aliyekuwa mmojawapo wa maafisa wa Farao, mkuu wa ulinzi, akamnunua Yosefu kutoka kwa Waishmaeli waliomleta Misri.
2Bwana alikuwa pamoja na Yosefu, naye akastawi, Yosefu akaishi nyumbani kwa bwana wake Mmisri. 339:3 Mwa 21:22; Za 1:3Potifa alipoona kuwa Bwana alikuwa pamoja na Yosefu na kwamba Bwana alimfanikisha kwa kila kitu alichokifanya, 439:4 1Fal 11:28Yosefu alipata kibali machoni pa Potifa, akamfanya mhudumu wake. Potifa akamweka kuwa msimamizi wa nyumba yake, naye akamkabidhi kuwa mwangalizi wa kila kitu alichokuwa nacho. 539:5 2Sam 6:11; Za 128:4Kuanzia wakati huo Potifa alipomweka Yosefu kuwa msimamizi wa nyumba na mali zake zote alizokuwa nazo, Bwana aliibariki nyumba ya Mmisri huyo kwa sababu ya Yosefu. Baraka ya Bwana ilikuwa juu ya kila kitu alichokuwa nacho Potifa, nyumbani na shambani. 6Kwa hiyo Potifa akamwachia Yosefu uangalizi wa kila kitu alichokuwa nacho, Yosefu alipokuwa katika uongozi, Potifa hakuwa na sababu ya kujishughulisha na kitu chochote isipokuwa chakula alichokula.
Yosefu alikuwa mwenye umbo zuri na sura ya kuvutia; 7baada ya kitambo mke wa Potifa akamtamani Yosefu, akamwambia, “Njoo, ukutane nami kimwili!”
839:8 Mit 6:23-24Lakini Yosefu akakataa. Akamwambia yule mwanamke, “Mimi nikiwa katika uongozi, bwana wangu hahusiki na kitu chochote katika nyumba hii, kila kitu alicho nacho amenikabidhi. 939:9 Hes 22:34Hapa nyumbani hakuna aliye mkuu kuliko mimi. Bwana wangu hakunizuilia kitu chochote isipokuwa wewe, kwa kuwa wewe ni mke wake. Nitawezaje basi kufanya uovu huu na kutenda dhambi dhidi ya Mungu?” 10Ingawa yule mwanamke aliendelea kumshawishi Yosefu siku baada ya siku, Yosefu alikataa kukutana naye kimwili wala kukaa karibu naye.
1139:11 Kut 18:20Siku moja Yosefu akaingia ndani ya nyumba kufanya kazi zake, wala hapakuwepo na mfanyakazi yeyote ndani ya nyumba. 1239:12 Mit 7:13; 2Tim 2:22Mke wa Potifa akashika vazi Yosefu alilokuwa amevaa, akamwambia, “Njoo tukutane kimwili!” Lakini Yosefu akaacha vazi lake mkononi mwa huyo mwanamke, akatoka nje ya nyumba akikimbia.
13Yule mwanamke alipoona kwamba Yosefu amemwachia vazi lake mkononi na kukimbilia nje ya nyumba, 1439:14 Kum 22:24, 27akawaita watumishi wake wa nyumbani, akawaambia, “Tazameni! Huyu Mwebrania ameletwa hapa kutudhihaki! Aliingia hapa ndani ili akutane nami kimwili, lakini nikapiga kelele. 15Aliposikia kelele za kuomba msaada, akaacha vazi lake kando yangu akakimbilia nje.”
16Yule mwanamke akaliweka lile vazi karibu naye mpaka Potifa aliporudi nyumbani. 1739:17 Kut 20:16; Mwa 14:13Ndipo akamweleza kisa hiki, akisema: “Yule mtumwa wa Kiebrania uliyetuletea alinijia ili kunidhihaki. 18Lakini mara nilipopiga kelele kuomba msaada, akaliacha vazi lake kando yangu akakimbia nje ya nyumba.”
19Potifa aliposikia kisa hiki mkewe alichomweleza, akisema, “Hivi ndivyo mtumwa wako alivyonitenda.” Hasira ya Potifa ikawaka. 2039:20 Za 105:18Potifa akamchukua Yosefu na kumweka gerezani, mahali ambapo wahalifu wa mfalme walikuwa wamefungwa.
Lakini wakati Yosefu alipokuwa huko gerezani, 2139:21 Kut 3:21; Mit 16:7Bwana alikuwa pamoja naye, akamhurumia na kumpa kibali mbele ya msimamizi wa gereza. 22Kwa hiyo msimamizi wa gereza akamweka Yosefu awe mkuu wa wafungwa pamoja na kusimamia yote ambayo yalitendeka mle gerezani. 2339:23 Mwa 21:20; Hes 14:43Msimamizi wa gereza hakujishughulisha tena na kitu chochote kilichokuwa chini ya uangalizi wa Yosefu, kwa sababu Bwana alikuwa pamoja na Yosefu akimfanikisha kwa kila alichofanya.
