• 创世记 39

约瑟被带下埃及去。有一个埃及人波提乏，是法老的官员，是护卫长，他从那些带约瑟下来的以实玛利人手中把约瑟买了去。约瑟在他埃及主人的家中，耶和华与他同在，他是一个通达的人。 他主人见耶和华与他同在，又见耶和华使他手里所办的事都顺利，约瑟就在主人眼前蒙恩，伺候他主人，主人派他管理家务，把一切所有的都交在他手里。自从主人派约瑟管理家务和他一切所有的，耶和华就因约瑟的缘故赐福给那埃及人的家；凡家里和田间一切所有的，都蒙耶和华赐福。波提乏把他一切所有的都交在约瑟手中，除了自己所吃的食物，其他的事一概不知。

约瑟英俊健美。这些事以后，约瑟主人的妻子以目送情给约瑟，说：“你与我同寝吧！” 约瑟拒绝，对他主人的妻子说：“看哪，一切家务我主人一概不知，他把所有的都交在我手里。在这家里没有人比我更大，除你以外，他也没有留下一样不交给我，因为你是他的妻子。我怎能行这么大的恶，得罪上帝呢？” 她天天这样对约瑟说，约瑟却不听从她，不与她同寝，也不和她在一起。

有一天，约瑟进屋里去办事，家里没有一个人在那屋子里，妇人就拉住他的衣服，说：“你与我同寝吧！”约瑟把衣服留在她手里，逃出外面去了。妇人看见约瑟把衣服留在她手里逃到外面，就叫了家里的人来，对他们说：“看，他带了一个希伯来人到我们这里戏弄我们。他到我这里来，要与我同寝，我 就大声喊叫。他听见我放声大喊，就把他的衣服留在我这里，逃出外面去了。” 妇人把约瑟的衣服放在身边，直到他主人回家，就用这样的话对他说：“你带到我们这里来的那希伯来仆人进来要调戏我，我放声大喊，他就把衣服留在我身边，逃到外面。”

主人听见他妻子对他说的话，说：“你的仆人就是这样对待我”，就非常生气。约瑟的主人把他抓起来，关在监狱里，就是王的囚犯被关的地方。于是约瑟在那里坐牢。但耶和华与约瑟同在，向他施恩，使他在监狱长的眼前蒙恩。监狱长就把监狱里所有的囚犯都交在约瑟手下；在那里的一切事都由他处理。任何交在约瑟手中的事，监狱长一概不察，因为耶和华与约瑟同在，耶和华使他所做的都顺利。

约瑟面对谎言、诱惑和坏到不能再坏的遭遇，仍然坚守住他的人格。正因如此，没有人有正当的理由指控他，上帝也因此赐他尊荣。假如我们能在困境中持守我们的人格，上帝就会确保我们一定摆脱困境，成为周围人的榜样。当你身处困境时，以上的事说来容易做来难，因此你要决心在还没有陷入逆境之前，就成为一个具有敬虔品格的人。

• Genesis 39

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.

Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”

As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 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.

Joseph manages to keep his integrity despite lies, temptation, and the worst of situations you could imagine. Because of this, no one had anything bad that was legitimate to say about Joseph and God honored him because of that. If we maintain our character in the hard times, God will be sure we are restored so that we can be examples for those around us. This is easier said than done when you're in the thick of a difficult situation: resolve AHEAD of time that you'll be a person of Godly character.

阅读约瑟的故事，然后比较一下，当你选择坚守人格时，上帝会如何助你渡过难关，正如祂助约瑟渡过难关一样。

Read the Joseph story and compare how God came through for Joseph with how God could come through for you if you choose to have integrity.