Genesis 39:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph 's charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

NIV: The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

NASB: The warden of the prison did not supervise anything under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and, the Lord made whatever he did prosper.

CSB: The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.

NLT: The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.

KJV: The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

NKJV: The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

Once again, Joseph found himself impressively blessed by God. Once again, he responded by working with integrity and faithfulness. After narrowly escaping death at the hands of his brothers (Genesis 37:18–20), Joseph was sold as a slave to an Egyptian master (Genesis 37:26–28; 39:1). There, his ability led to being put in charge of the entire household (Genesis 39:2–6). His master's wife, enraged when Joseph refused her seduction (Genesis 39:7–12), concocted a false charge of attempted rape Genesis 39:13–18). Rather than being immediately executed, Joseph has been thrown into prison (Genesis 39:19–20).

This time, it is the keeper of the jail who sees Joseph repeatedly succeed at all he does. Again, it seems Joseph makes a point of giving credit to God for his success: the jailkeeper seems to give that credit to the Lord, as well. In fact, the king's jailer comes to trust Joseph—a prisoner accused of attempted rape—so deeply that he stops even supervising anything Joseph is responsible for. The impression given is that Joseph has the run of the prison to do whatever is needed in serving others. He does it all with excellence (Genesis 39:21–22).

Genesis 39:19–23 describes Joseph's arrival in the Egyptian prison reserved for the king's prisoners. Joseph's once-trusting master has him jailed after the master's wife falsely accuses Joseph of attempted rape. Despite the unfair imprisonment, God has not abandoned Joseph. That Joseph isn't immediately executed speaks well of both his reputation and the Lord's protection. Even in prison, Joseph is blessed: the king's jailer favors Joseph and quickly puts him in charge of nearly all of duties in the jail. Joseph continues to succeed in every circumstance he faces, under God's provision.

Joseph's arrival as a slave in Egypt is not the end of his story. The Lord continues to be with him and to bless him. Joseph rises to become the right-hand man of his master, Potiphar, the captain of the guard. Eventually, he is betrayed by a false accusation of rape by his master's scorned wife. Even then, Joseph finds the Lord is still with him, still blessing him, even in prison. Soon Joseph oversees every aspect of the prison, serving once again under God's faithful blessing.

In chapter 37, Joseph narrowly escaped being murdered by his own brothers (Genesis 37:18–20), only to be sold as a slave (Genesis 37:26–28). Chapter 39 picks up his story after taking a detour into the scandalous life of Judah. Though a slave in Egypt, Joseph thrives under the Lord's blessing. He rises to the top position in his master's household, only to be jailed on a false accusation of attempted rape. Still, Joseph continues to be blessed by God, again rising to become the jailer's most trusted servant. Joseph's reputation and ability to interpret dreams will factor into his rise within the government of Egypt.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.