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José y la esposa de Potifar

39 Cuando José fue llevado a Egipto, un egipcio llamado Potifar lo compró a los ismaelitas que lo habían llevado allá. Potifar era funcionario del faraón y capitán de su guardia. Pero el Señor estaba con José, y le fue muy bien mientras vivía en la casa de su amo egipcio. Su amo se dio cuenta de que el Señor estaba con José, y que por eso a José le iba bien en todo. Esto hizo que José se ganara la simpatía de su amo, que lo nombró su ayudante personal y mayordomo de su casa, y dejó a su cargo todo lo que tenía. Desde el día en que Potifar dejó a José a cargo de su casa y de todo lo suyo, el Señor bendijo a Potifar, tanto en su casa como en el campo. Con José al cuidado de todo lo que tenía, Potifar ya no se preocupaba mas que de comer.

José era muy bien parecido y causaba buena impresión, así que después de algún tiempo la esposa de su amo se fijó en él, y un día le dijo:

—Acuéstate conmigo.

Pero José no quiso, y le contestó:

—Mire usted, mi amo ha dejado a mi cargo todo lo que tiene, y estando yo aquí, no tiene de qué preocuparse. En esta casa nadie es más que yo; mi amo no me ha negado nada, sino sólo a usted, pues es su esposa; así que, ¿cómo podría yo hacer algo tan malo, y pecar contra Dios?

10 Y aunque ella insistía con José todos los días para que se acostara con ella y estuviera a su lado, él no le hacía caso. 11 Pero un día José entró en la casa para hacer su trabajo y, como no había nadie allí, 12 ella lo agarró de la ropa y le dijo:

—Acuéstate conmigo.

Pero él salió corriendo y dejó su ropa en las manos de ella. 13 Cuando ella vio que al salir le había dejado la ropa en sus manos, 14 llamó a los siervos de la casa y les dijo:

—Miren, mi esposo nos trajo un hebreo que ahora se burla de nosotros. Entró a verme y quería acostarse conmigo, pero yo grité muy fuerte; 15 y cuando me oyó gritar con todas mis fuerzas, salió corriendo y hasta dejó aquí su ropa.

16 Luego, ella guardó la ropa de José hasta que su amo llegó a la casa. 17 Entonces le contó lo mismo, y dijo:

—El esclavo hebreo que nos trajiste entró en mi cuarto y quiso deshonrarme, 18 pero cuando grité con todas mis fuerzas, salió corriendo y dejó su ropa aquí. 19 Así me trató tu esclavo.

El amo de José se enojó mucho al oír lo que su esposa le estaba contando, 20 así que agarró a José y ordenó que lo metieran en la cárcel, donde estaban los presos del rey. Pero aun en la cárcel 21 el Señor siguió estando con José y mostrándole su bondad, pues hizo que se ganara la simpatía del jefe de la cárcel, 22 el cual dejó todos los presos a su cargo. José era el que daba las órdenes para todo lo que allí se hacía, 23 y el jefe de la cárcel no tenía que revisar nada de lo que estaba a cargo de José, porque el Señor estaba con él y hacía que todo le saliera bien.

Joseph a Slave in Egypt

39 Now Joseph had been taken (A)down to Egypt. And (B)Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, (C)bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. (D)The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord (E)made all he did [a]to prosper in his hand. So Joseph (F)found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him (G)overseer of his house, and all that he had he put [b]under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that (H)the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s [c]hand, and he did not know what he had except for the [d]bread which he ate.

Now Joseph (I)was handsome in form and appearance.

And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife [e]cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, (J)“Lie with me.”

But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. (K)How then can I do this great wickedness, and (L)sin against God?”

10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he (M)did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she (N)caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a (O)Hebrew to [f]mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”

16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17 Then she (P)spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his (Q)anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph’s master took him and (R)put him into the (S)prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He (T)gave[g] him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison (U)committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under [h]Joseph’s authority, because (V)the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 39:3 to be a success
  2. Genesis 39:4 Lit. in his hand
  3. Genesis 39:6 Care
  4. Genesis 39:6 Food
  5. Genesis 39:7 Lit. lifted up her eyes toward
  6. Genesis 39:14 laugh at
  7. Genesis 39:21 Caused him to be viewed with favor by
  8. Genesis 39:23 Lit. his hand