Josephs Eagerness To Help Other

Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an Egyptian, one of

Pharaoh's officers, the captain of the guard, bought him from the

Ishmaelites.



Now Jehovah was with Joseph, so that he prospered; and he was in the

house of his master, the Egyptian. When his master saw that Jehovah was

with him and made everything succeed that he undertook, he trusted him

and made him his own servant. He also made him over eer of his household

and placed all that he had in his care. From the time that he made him

overseer in his house and over all that he had, Jehovah blessed the

Egyptian's household for Joseph's sake, and the blessing of Jehovah was

upon all that he had in the house and in the field. Potiphar left all

that he had in Joseph's charge, and he knew nothing about his affairs

except about the food which he ate. And Joseph was handsome and

attractive.



After these honors had come to Joseph, his master's wife tried to tempt

him to be unfaithful to his trust. But he refused, saying to her, "See,

my master knows nothing about what I do in the house, and he has put all

that he has in my charge. How then can I do this great wrong and sin

against God?" Day after day she tempted Joseph, but he did not listen to

her. One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work and

when none of the men of the household were at home, she caught hold of

his garment and again tried to tempt him, but he left his garment in her

hand and fled out of the house.



She kept his garment by her until his master came home; then she said to

him, "The Hebrew slave whom you have brought to us came to me to insult

me; and when I cried aloud, he left his garment with me and fled."



When Joseph's master heard what his wife said to him, he was very angry;

and he took Joseph and put him into the prison, in the place where the

king's prisoners were kept. So he was left there in prison. But Jehovah

was with Joseph and showed kindness to him and helped him to win the

friendship of the keeper of the prison, so that he placed all the

prisoners in Joseph's charge and made him responsible for whatever they

did there.



After these things the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker

offended their master the king of Egypt, and Pharaoh was so angry with

these two officers that he put them in the same prison where Joseph was.

And the captain of the guard appointed Joseph to wait on them; and they

stayed in prison for some time.



And the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were in the

prison, both had dreams the same night, each with a different meaning.

When Joseph came in to them in the morning, he saw plainly that they

were sad. So he asked Pharaoh's officers, "Why do you look so sad

to-day?" They answered, "We have had a dream, and there is no one who

can tell what it means." Then Joseph said to them, "Is not God the one

who knows what dreams mean? Tell them to me, if you will."



Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph and said to him, "In my

dream I saw a vine before me, and on the vine were three branches, and

the buds put out blossoms, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.

Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and squeezed the

juice into his cup and gave the cup to Pharaoh."



Then Joseph said to him, "This is what it means: the three branches are

three days. Within three days Pharaoh will let you out of prison and

restore you to your office, and you will give Pharaoh's cup into his

hand as you used to do when you were his butler. But when all goes well

with you, remember me, show kindness to me and speak for me to Pharaoh

and bring me out of this prison; for I was unjustly stolen from the land

of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put

me in the dungeon."



When the chief baker saw that the meaning of the butler's dream was

good, he said to Joseph, "I also saw something in my dream: there were

three baskets of white bread on my head, and in the upper basket there

were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them

out of the basket on my head." Joseph answered, "This is what it means:

the three baskets are three days; within three days Pharaoh will take

off your head and hang you on a tree, and the birds shall eat your

flesh."



Now on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for

all his servants. Then he set free the chief butler and the chief baker.

He restored the chief butler to his office, so that he again gave the

cup to Pharaoh; but the chief baker he hanged, as Joseph had told them.

Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.