31. Potiphar’s Ambition!

[말레이]

31. Potiphar’s Ambition!

“The greedy bring ruin to their households,

but the one who hates bribes will live.”

(Job 15:27)

Potiphar, well aware of the changing social atmosphere, thought he could use this opportunity to solidify his position by leveraging Joseph, who had captured the princess’s heart. So, he bought Joseph, who was actually a cheap slave, for ten times the price and was waiting for the right moment. Was it fate that things were going well?

The previous steward, whom he had bought as a slave, was connected to Joseph and through him, Potiphar learned that Joseph was of noble Canaanite descent. Furthermore, considering that the Hyksos, who currently dominated the royal and noble circles, were also Semites like Joseph and had similar facial features, Potiphar took note. If things went well, Joseph and the princess might even get married.

Unexpectedly, the previous steward helped Potiphar’s plan by teaching Joseph Egyptian well. Joseph’s proficiency in Egyptian was so good that even Egyptians couldn’t tell he was a foreigner. After performing his duties as a steward, Joseph studied Egyptian society diligently and became as well-versed as any noble. Potiphar thought that Joseph could charm anyone, whether they were politicians, scholars, or merchants.

Once Joseph was introduced to the noble society, he would naturally come into contact with the princess. The princess, who had once been captivated by Joseph, would recognize him not as a slave but as a respected Egyptian citizen, admired by all. Potiphar believed that the princess would undoubtedly fall for Joseph. If things went well, Potiphar’s political standing, which he had built through Joseph, would become even more secure. However, the problem was how to integrate Joseph into the noble society.

Despite much thought, Potiphar couldn’t come up with a good plan. That morning, Potiphar entered the palace early to check the king’s schedule. He always assumed the possibility of a rebellion or an assassination attempt on the king and prepared countermeasures accordingly. However, that day’s schedule seemed to pose no particular danger.

In the evening, a banquet hosted by the king was planned. The king had recently decided to throw a special banquet for his officials, and it seemed that today was the day. The banquet hall would be crowded, making security a bit challenging. Too much security could dampen the event’s atmosphere, but too little could lead to a major incident.

Given the current state of the country, there were no signs of rebellion against the king, and both the officials and the people were favorable towards the king’s policies. As long as they checked for weapons at the entrance, there shouldn’t be any issues. Additionally, they needed to control the kitchen and the staff who had free access to the banquet hall to prevent weapons from being smuggled in. Potiphar instructed thorough searches at the entrance and the kitchen.

The kitchen, after all, was a place where all sorts of knives were handled. Delays in serving food would also be problematic. Potiphar remembered that he had prepared for such situations. Some time ago, the king of Kush, located south of Egypt, visited Egypt. The king wanted to meet and dine with some of his people who had moved to Egypt. These people had lived in the northern border areas of Kush and felt neglected by their country, so they moved to Egypt for work opportunities. They harbored many grievances against the king.

Despite the potential problems, the king of Kush insisted on meeting them, putting Potiphar in a difficult position. While the main entrance could be thoroughly searched, it was challenging to control the kitchen staff who might be connected to these people or could be targeted by assassins. It was impossible to check every servant carrying food or empty dishes without disrupting the banquet.

Seeing Potiphar’s troubled expression‎, Joseph asked why he looked so worried. Upon hearing the reason, Joseph suggested training the guards to serve the food from the kitchen to the guests. This idea had helped solve a difficult problem at the time. Potiphar decided to implement this plan for the evening banquet and instructed the guards to coordinate once more. The evening banquet proceeded smoothly as planned.

After the meal, it was time for the dance. The king sat and watched as the officials paired up and danced. Then, the young men came out and invited their chosen partners to dance, which was the highlight of the evening. Many marriages were arranged during such events, and the nobles knew that forming alliances through marriage helped maintain their status.

Even those of slightly lower status could rise by marrying into higher-status families. Thus, everyone was keenly interested in this part of the party. Watching the young people dance, Potiphar had a brilliant idea. “This is it!” he thought. He had been pondering how to introduce Joseph to the noble society, and now he realized that frequent dances provided the perfect opportunity.

Potiphar decided it was time to change roles. While minor mistakes in other duties might be recoverable, a single mistake in security could be catastrophic. He thought it was time to move to a different position and was determined to introduce Joseph to the social scene as soon as possible.

However, Potiphar realized that while Joseph excelled in many areas, dancing was not one of them. He had never seen Joseph dance, and considering Canaanite culture, dancing was not a common practice. Observing Joseph’s movements and behavior, Potiphar concluded that Joseph probably couldn’t dance well. So, Potiphar resolved to teach Joseph to dance from now on.

When the banquet ended, unlike other days, Potiphar entrusted the final wrap-up to his direct subordinate and immediately returned home to find his wife. Hearing that Potiphar was urgently looking for her, his wife was puzzled because her husband had never done so before. Curious about what was going on, she went to Potiphar, who then brought up an entirely unexpected topic. He wanted her to teach Joseph how to dance as soon as possible. Potiphar’s wife blinked in surprise at her husband’s unexpected request. It was only then that Potiphar realized he had spoken to his wife without any explanation due to his urgency.

"These days, I see Joseph learning and mastering everything quickly. In fact, it’s rare to find such talent in Egypt right now. If there is something that can benefit Egypt through him, wouldn’t that be wonderful? I believe he has enough ability to play a significant role!

However, as of now, there is no basis or method to officially appoint Joseph. If he mingles in places where nobles gather and becomes noticeable to people, there will naturally be opportunities for him to be appointed later. This will ultimately benefit the country and, in turn, be good for us. The problem is that Joseph seems unable to dance. So, I hope you can take on this task and help Joseph learn to dance naturally without making it obvious!"

Listening to her husband, Potiphar’s wife recalled that she had similar thoughts. Attending parties, she had often felt subtly annoyed by others boasting about their children, which was irksome for her as she had no children. She thought that through Joseph, she could put them in their place.