27. Meeting with Potiphar!

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27. Meeting with Potiphar!

“Potiphar liked Joseph very much.

Potiphar trusted Joseph as a reliable subordinate.

He entrusted Joseph with household affairs

and everything he owned.” (Genesis 39:4)

The camel merchant, who had high expectations for a great event today, thought that the appearance of the princess would turn his expectations into a reality. However, things took an unexpected turn, and when the situation ended, he realized that his slave, who was his property, could have been killed. He sighed with relief, thinking that his valuable slave could have become a worthless corpse. They say great expectations lead to great disappointments. Perhaps his expectations were too high, but now he realized that today had been a bad day from the start.

“That damn official!”

The camel merchant thought that today’s misfortune started from there, and he couldn’t help but curse. He was grateful that he hadn’t lost everything. As the sun set and darkness slowly crept in, the camel merchant sighed and packed the remaining goods with Joseph. Just as they were about to return to their lodging, someone suddenly blocked their path. The camel merchant was startled to see none other than General Potiphar.

“What brings you here?”

The camel merchant, still shaken, asked bluntly. General Potiphar immediately replied,

“Sell me this slave!”

With that, General Potiphar threw a pouch of money at the camel merchant.

“What?”

The camel merchant was taken aback once again.

“It’s 200 pieces of silver.

I will buy the slave with this money,

so take it as such!”

General Potiphar said and then commanded Joseph,

“Follow me!”

Joseph looked at the camel merchant, who nodded, indicating that he should follow Potiphar. Thus, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. As Potiphar and Joseph disappeared from sight, the camel merchant, realizing that his prediction of a big profit had come true, lay down and shouted with joy, laughing and stomping his feet. He had made a tenfold profit, from 20 pieces of silver to 200. People who were packing up their goods and watching from a distance thought that someone had gone mad, clicking their tongues in pity.

Meanwhile, General Potiphar, looking into the princess’s eyes, sensed that she had fallen for Joseph. Initially surprised, he thought that Joseph could be of great use in the future. He decided to quietly and securely prepare for this, so he came at dusk with a large sum of money and took Joseph away as if he were kidnapping him.

When Joseph arrived at Potiphar’s house, he was amazed by its grandeur. It was clear that Potiphar held a significant position in Egypt. Although Joseph had lived in his father’s house, which was a chieftain’s house with servants, camels, sheep, and various animals, Potiphar’s house was on a different level. The servants moved cautiously and efficiently, and everything in the house was well-organized. Joseph realized that guarding the king required meticulous planning and foresight to ensure the king’s safety. As he observed the household, he didn’t notice Potiphar’s wife approaching.

“Who is this?”

She asked in a sharp voice, looking at the young man with tattered clothes and shoes. Joseph turned to look at her. She had an air of dignity that set her apart from ordinary women.

“Ah! I bought a new slave on the way here!”

Potiphar replied in a blunt tone.

“He has just crossed the desert with the camel merchant and arrived in Egypt,

so everything must be unfamiliar to him.

He doesn’t understand our language at all.

So, teach him the household chores and make sure he can work well!”

Potiphar said and then, as if to erase the traces of a tiring day, he added, “I need a shower!” and disappeared into the house. Seeing the new arrival, some servants looked on with curiosity before returning to their tasks. Only Potiphar’s wife’s maid remained by her side, looking at Joseph and then making a remark.

“Oh my! What a mess!”

Indeed, Joseph’s shoes were worn out from the hot desert sand. However, Potiphar’s wife noticed that Joseph’s clothes and shoes, though worn, were different from those of ordinary slaves. She gave no indication of this and instructed her maid,

“Guide him to wash and change his clothes.

He must be tired from the long journey.”

With that, Potiphar’s wife turned and walked towards the room where Potiphar had gone. Joseph got the impression that she was a gentle person who did not treat her subordinates harshly, yet she seemed to prefer clarity in everything. Although he couldn’t understand the language, he could grasp the situation to some extent. He tried to remember that his position had changed; Potiphar and his wife were now his masters, and he was a slave. As Potiphar’s wife walked away, Joseph bowed his head in respect. Potiphar’s wife noticed his actions, thinking about how to manage and utilize Joseph effectively.

Lost in thought, Joseph was startled when the maid touched his arm. He looked at her, and she gestured for him to follow. As they walked to the servants’ quarters, the maid chatted and laughed with the other servants they met. Joseph thought it was probably a mix of curiosity about the new colleague and a sense of superiority from having been there longer. Finally, he was able to take a bath after a long time.

How long had it been since he last took a bath? It seemed like it had been about a week since he had bathed at home. After taking a refreshing and invigorating bath and having dinner, Joseph was able to go straight to bed. Exhausted from the desert heat and the long walk, Joseph felt as if he was being sucked into a distant place and fell into a deep sleep, so deep that he wouldn’t have noticed if someone had carried him away.

How long had he slept? Suddenly, Joseph couldn’t breathe as if someone was strangling him. The pain of suffocation overwhelmed him. Looking closely, he realized that it was none other than his brothers who were strangling him. One brother was pressing on his neck while the others stood around, excitedly shouting, “Kill him! Kill him!”

Joseph felt like he would really die if he stayed like that any longer. With all his might, he pushed away the brother who was pressing on his neck, shouting at the top of his lungs. With a scream, Joseph sprang up from where he had been lying. He looked around with startled eyes, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t see his brothers anywhere. Sweat was pouring down his body like rain. Only then did Joseph realize that he had had a nightmare. He must have been very shocked by what his brothers had done to him. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with his hand, he saw that the sky outside the window was already brightening in the east. Only then did Joseph realize where he was.

“That’s right! I came to Potiphar’s house yesterday!..”

Joseph muttered to himself and let out a long sigh of relief. When he opened the door and went outside, he saw that some of the servants were already up and preparing for the day’s work. Although it was thanks to the nightmare, he thought it was fortunate that he had woken up early in the morning. If he had slept late into the morning, exhausted from the journey to Egypt, what could have been more embarrassing than that? He would have been in big trouble from the first day. However, Joseph had no idea how to start his work. He couldn’t ask anyone because he didn’t speak the language. Nor could he take over someone else’s work.