JOSEPH AND POTIPHAR'S WIFE


GENESIS CHAPTER 39:6-12

     "And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. And it came to
     pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon
     Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto
     his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in
     the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There
     is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any
     thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I
     do this great wickedness, and sin against God? And it came to pass,
     as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her,
     to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass about this
     time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there
     was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him
     by his garment, saying, Lie with me."

       For many days now, he had scruplously avoided her, yet he knew with certainty that she could not be put off forever. Potiphar, his master, was captain of Pharaoh's guard but his wife was the true strong member of that family. Her strength was subtle and hidden but when she wished to assert her will, very few were able to stand before her.

       From the day that Joseph had been purchased in the market on the slave block, and brought to his master's house, he knew that this woman of the house would be a problem for him, yet he was at a loss as to how to handle the situation. His greatest fear had been that he would be purchased by one of the many men of Egypt who favored the masculine love of a good looking young boy (for Joseph was a very goodly young man to look upon), and when Potiphar bought him, he was relieved to know that Pharaoh's captain only had amorous interest in his own wife. Yet the wife of Potiphar had eyes, not for her husband, but for this foreign and exotic Hebrew slave.

       So the inevitable day came when Jospeh found himself alone in the house with her, and he feared what would happen. He went out of his way to avoid her while attending to his chores, moving from one room to the next when he heard her approaching foot steps. Yet at long last, he found himself trapped in a chamber with only one exit, and SHE stood in the doorway, smiling at him, and breathing quite heavily.

       "Is there something that my mistress wishes", he asked, avoiding her eyes and the intensity of her stare. She did not answer immediately but continued to watch him while her smile widened. After a moment she entered the room and drew near to him. As she came along side of him, she placed her right hand on his shoulder, and whispered huskily, "Yes Joseph, there is  a favor that you may perform for me." Her touch felt warm and although he felt uncomfortable and frightened, he could not deny that her touch felt good on his shoulder. He took a step backward as he turned to face her. Yet she in turn stepped forward and held on to his shoulder. Joseph swallowed hard as their gazes locked for a silent few seconds. He was unable to avoid looking at her now and her feminine beauty was an inescapable fact that began to overpower him, against his will.

       "What may I do for my mistress", he finally was able to say. Her hand moved along is shoulder to the base of his throat and she moved it slightly down his chest and up again to his neck. Joseph began to perspire and tremble at her touch. Again he tried backing away but her fingers closed on his tunic and he was unable to move. "Jospeh" she whispered. "I wish you to give me a massage. My muscles are aching and I believe that you have the perfect touch to relax me." His eyes widened as he felt the growing warmth below his waist. He began to speak but could only stammer some incomprehensible syllables. "I understand", she said, as her hand moved up to his face. "You are somewhat taken aback by my request. But be assured, there is no harm, and I believe that we can be of help to each other.

       Her hand was hot on his face and he wished that she would not notice that he was becoming excited agianst his will, but of course she did notice it. "Mistress", he blurted out, "this is not seemly. It is immodest for us to be alone together like this." "Nonsense", she replied, "It is not uncommon for slaves to be alone with their masters or mistresses while they perform their daily work. Come with me." So saying, she took him by the hand and led him out of that room and down a corridor to her own sleep chamber. Once inside, she closed and locked the door, as well as the window that lead out to the garden. She looked out the window briefly to assure herself that no one was in view, and once satisfied that they would not be disturbed by the sudden appearence of another staff or family member, she removed the outer robe that she was wearing, slipping it off her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. Then she drew the curtains across the window, enveloping the room in a seductive dimness. Arching her neck and placing her hand behind her back, she stretched, revealing an incredible voluptuousness that sent shivers thorugh Joseph's young vibrant body. She now wore only a transparent bodice and a gossamer bottom that reached from her waist to well above her knees. She looked at him and smiled again, knowing that her teasing was having the desired effect as his changing anatomy was no longer able to conceal. She sat on the bed and unloosed her long red hair. "Am I not a goodly woman even having given birth to children", she asked. But Joseph was not listening. His mind was racing and he thought, "Because I slandered my brothers to my father, saying that they had cast their eyes on the wives of other men, so now is my God punishing me measure for measure."

       She lay back upon her bed and held her arms out to him. He knew that he must not approach her; that he must flee. But how? He was the slave and she the mistress of the house. He stood there, imobile, rooted to the spot. "Joseph - come now!", she said in a commanding voice, her arms still outstretched. Joseph found himself absolutely unable to move. She smiled up at him and unloosed the bodice, and as she sat up, she allowed it to slip off her shoulders. Joseph stood transfixed, his body reaching a tuminescent peak of desire. She stood up and pulled down the garment that covered her private parts. She was now completely naked.

       Suddenly she reached out and threw her arms around him, kissing his face with quick passionate kisses. "I WILL have you now", she whispered throatily and hotly in his ear. So saying, she fell back upon the bed pulling him down on top of her. Joseph felt himself sweating. Finally his tongue found its freedom. "Mistress", he begged, "please do not do this. Let me go. This is an offense against my God and my master." He struggled but she held him fast, throwing her legs around his body, trapping him. His struggles weakened. The feel of her skin against his. The aroma of her body was over-powering him. He continued to beg but less convincingly now. He saw the perfect beauty of her nipples and the golden brown aureloe surrounding them and he had a sudden desire to bury his face in her breasts. Yet he continued to resist. He saw that everything about her body was desirable; so desirable that a man could drown in her, willingly. Yet he still resisted. But with every passing second, his will to resist grew weaker. He was now breathing very heavily as was she. His mouth felt dry, and his throat, and he began to wish to slake the thirst and desire with the taste of her flesh, her very perspiration!

       As she felt his resistance wane and saw the look in his eyes that told her he was about to surrender, she held him more tightly and said, "Joseph, do not resist. This is the will of heaven. Are you not a man whom heaven favors with dreams and interpretations?" She carressed his head and ran her fingers through his beautiful dark hair, and she kissed his closed eyes. She continued to speak as his hand slid over her skin and he clasped her shoulder in his fingers.  "Last night I dreamed that a great nation would come from us. From out of out of the joining of our loins will be born great kings and prophets. This is heaven's plan, not mere desire." Joseph removed his hand from her shoulder and touched her arm that encircled him but he remained silent, unbelieving what he was hearing. Finally he spoke. "Can my God truly accomplish so great a thing, born out of the fruits of sin?", he asked. She smiled. "This is His will. Surrender!" He thought to himself, "Perhaps then, I may do this if it is heaven's will." Then he asked himself if it were true that a great people would be born of the seed of both of them, he and his master's wife. And in a twinkling he knew that it was indeed so. Prophetically he saw that his blood was destined to join with hers in the future of his people. He decided to stop resisting and give in to her; to give her what she had wanted all the time that he had been in her house.

       At that very moment the image of his father Jacob appeared before him. Joseph's attention was drawn away from her to the figure before him, the father that he had not seen for so many years. The image spoke. "Joseph, Joseph, what you are doing is grave sin. The names of my sons shall be worn on the breastplate of the High Priest as he serves the Holy One in the Temple. For a moment's pleasre, do you wish your name to be erased from the breastplate? Moreover, if you commit this sin, you will destroy the entire world for this sin shall bring a plague upon the world and none shall escape, neither the good nor the bad."

       Joseph trembled as he heard these words. He heard her speak to him from some distant place. "Joseph, where are you? Where is your mind? I am here!" He looked at her and back to his father, and again at her, and he tore himself loose from her embrace as he screamed, "NO! I must not! It is sin against my God!" Before she was able to react he leapt up off the bed and ran from the room. She had tried to reach out to pull him back but all she succeeded in doing was to grab his shirt and as he fled, the shirt was pulled off hiim and remained in her grasp.

       Years later, after Joseph had saved Egypt from starvation during the long time of famine, Pharaoh elevated him to the rank of prime minister of Egypt.

GENESIS,CHAPTER 41:42-44

     " And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon
     Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a
     gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second
     chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and
     he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto
     Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his
     hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's
     name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter
     of Potipherah priest of On."

      So the dream of the wife of Potiphar came to pass, and Joseph
      married Asenath, the daughter of Potiphar, and their blood merged to
      form a great nation of kings and prophets, as she had spoken.


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