YOḆELIM 39 (Jubilee 39)

1 And Ya’aqoḇ dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings in the land of Kena’an.

2 These are the generations of Ya’aqoḇ. And Yosĕph was seventeen years old when they took him down into the land of Mitsrayim, and Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, the chief of the guard bought him.

3 And he appointed Yosĕph over all his house, and the beraḵah of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 came upon the house of the Mitsrite on account of Yosĕph, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 prospered him in all that he did.

4 And the Mitsrite committed all into the hands of Yosĕph; for he saw that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was with him, and that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 prospered him in all that he did.

5 And Yosĕph’s appearance handsome and his appearance was good-looking, and his master’s wife lifted up her eyes and saw Yosĕph, and she loved him, and pleaded with him to lie with her.

6 But he did not surrender his being, and he remembered 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and the words which Ya’aqoḇ, his father, used to read from among the words of Aḇraham; that no man should commit whoring with a woman who has a husband; that for him the punishment of death has been ordained in the shamayim before the Most High Ĕl, and the sin shall be recorded against him in the everlasting Books continually before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

7 And Yosĕph remembered these words and refused to lie with her.

8 And she pleaded with him for a year, but he refused and would not listen.

9 But she embraced him and held him fast in the house in order to force him to lie with her, and closed the doors of the house and held him fast. But he left his garment in her hands and broke through the door and fled outside from her presence.

10 And the woman saw that he would not lie with her, and she accused him in the presence of his master, saying, “Your Iḇri servant, whom you love, sought to force me so that he might lie with me; and it came to be when I lifted up my voice that he fled and left his garment in my hands when I held him, and he broke through the door!”

11 And the Mitsrite saw the garment of Yosĕph and the broken door, and heard the words of his wife, and threw Yosĕph into prison into the place where the prisoners were kept whom the sovereign imprisoned.

12 And he was there in the prison, but 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 gave Yosĕph favour in the sight of the chief of the prison guards and compassion before him, for he saw that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was with him, and that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 made all that he did to prosper.

13 And he gave all matters into his hands, and the chief of the prison guards knew of naught that was with him, for Yosĕph did all, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 perfected it.

14 And he remained there two years. And in those days Pharaoh, sovereign of Mitsrayim, was wroth against his two eunuchs, against the chief cupbearer and against the chief baker, and he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Yosĕph was kept.

15 And the captain of the prison guards appointed Yosĕph to serve them; and he served before them.

16 And they both dreamed a dream, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and they told it to Yosĕph.

17 And as he interpreted to them, so it befell them, and Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and the baker he slew, as Yosĕph had interpreted to them.

18 But the chief cupbearer forgot Yosĕph in the prison, although he had informed him what would befall him, and did not remember to inform Pharaoh how Yosĕph had told him, for he forgot.