And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
A VIEW OF THE PYRAMIDS AND THE SPHINX
From a photograph belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman and used by her kind permission.
Egypt is a land of wonder and romance, the seat of one of the oldest civilizations on the face of the globe. Its ancient temples and statues, though in ruins, are among the most beautiful and wonderful in the world. Many of the tombs have been plundered, yet one has only just been opened which contained untouched the priceless memorial of that early time. This is the land over which the Hebrew shepherd lad Joseph ruled and out of which the Hebrew people finally marched to freedom.
And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he ministered unto him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did eat.
(But Joseph's mistress was a wicked woman, and, because Joseph would not do wrong, told what was not true about him to his master, so that Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.)
But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him; and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.