Joseph in Prison — God Is Still with Joseph
Genesis 39–40 · Bible story for toddlers and preschoolers
Joseph was far from home and put in prison for something he did not do — but God was still with him, and Joseph kept helping others while he waited.
The little story (ages 3–6, 7 min)
Joseph was far, far away from home. He was in a big land called Egypt. His brothers had sold him to traders. Now Joseph had to be a servant. A servant is a helper who must do what his master says.
Joseph’s master was a man named Potiphar. Potiphar was an important man. He worked for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
Joseph was far away from his father. But he was not really alone. The LORD was with Joseph. God was still with Joseph.
Joseph worked hard. And God made everything Joseph did go well. Potiphar saw it. So he put Joseph in charge of his whole house. Joseph took care of everything!
God blessed Potiphar’s house because of Joseph. That means God gave it many good things. Good things in the house. Good things in the fields.
But then something sad happened. Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph to do something wrong. Joseph said no. He did not want to do wrong against God.
So she told a lie about Joseph. A lie is when someone says something that is not true. Potiphar believed the lie. He was very angry. He put Joseph in prison. A prison is a place with locked doors. Joseph had done nothing wrong!
But even in the prison, God was there. The LORD was with Joseph and showed him kindness. God made the keeper of the prison think well of Joseph. God was still with Joseph.
Soon the keeper put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. Joseph took care of everything there. And whatever Joseph did, God made it go well.
One day two new men came to the prison. One was the king’s cupbearer. He brought the king his drinks. The other was the king’s baker. He baked the king’s bread. The king was angry with them. So they were put in prison too. Joseph took care of them.
One night, both men had a dream. In the morning Joseph came in. He saw that they were sad. Can you make a sad face? Joseph asked them why they were so sad.
They said they had each had a dream. But no one could tell them what the dreams meant. What do you think Joseph said?
Joseph said, “Doesn’t the meaning of dreams belong to God? Please tell it to me.” That means: God knows what dreams mean. God was still with Joseph.
So the cupbearer told his dream. He saw a vine. A vine is a plant where grapes grow. It had three branches. Let’s count them: one, two, three! Then ripe grapes grew on it.
The cupbearer squeezed the grapes into the king’s cup. Can you squeeze grapes with your hands? Squish, squish! Then he gave the cup to the king.
God showed Joseph what the dream meant. Joseph said the three branches were three days. In three days, the king would give the cupbearer his job back! Joseph asked him to remember him and to tell the king about him.
The baker had a dream too. He had three baskets of bread on his head. But his dream had a sad meaning. Joseph told him the truth.
Three days later it was the king’s birthday. He had a big party. Everything happened just as Joseph had said. The cupbearer gave the king his cup again!
But then the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph. He did not tell the king. So Joseph stayed in prison. He had to wait and wait. God was still with Joseph.
God did not forget Joseph, not for one single day. God was still with Joseph.
Talk together
- How do you think Joseph felt when the cupbearer forgot him?
- What kind things did Joseph do for the people in the prison?
Memory verse for little ones
“The LORD was with Joseph” — Genesis 39:21
Pray together
Dear God, thank you that you were with Joseph in the prison. Thank you that you are with me too. Amen.
The whole story (ages 6+)
Joseph was far, far from home. His brothers had sold him, and traders had taken him all the way to Egypt. There an important man named Potiphar bought Joseph to be his servant. Joseph was alone in a strange land. But the Bible tells us something wonderful: the LORD was with Joseph.
Joseph worked hard. Potiphar saw that God was with Joseph, and that God made everything he did go well. So Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his whole house and of everything he owned. And God blessed Potiphar's house because of Joseph — in the house and in the fields.
But then a sad thing happened. Potiphar's wife wanted Joseph to do something wrong. Joseph said no, again and again, because he did not want to sin against God. Then she told a lie about Joseph. Potiphar believed the lie and became very angry, and Joseph was put in prison (a locked place where people are kept), even though he had done nothing wrong.
Prison was a hard place to be. But even there, Joseph was not alone. The Bible says: "But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him kindness. He made the keeper of the prison think well of him." Soon the keeper put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners and did not need to check his work, because God was still with Joseph.
One day two of Pharaoh's helpers came to the prison: his cupbearer, who served the king his drinks, and his baker. Pharaoh was angry with them. Joseph was given the job of taking care of them. One night both men had a dream. In the morning Joseph saw that they looked sad, and he kindly asked them why. They had dreamed, but no one could tell them what their dreams meant.
Joseph pointed them to God. He said, "Doesn't the meaning of dreams belong to God? Please tell it to me." So the cupbearer told his dream. He had seen a vine with three branches, and ripe grapes grew on it. He squeezed the grapes into Pharaoh's cup and gave it to the king. Then God helped Joseph explain it: in three days, Pharaoh would give the cupbearer his old job back. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and to tell Pharaoh about him, because he had done nothing wrong.
The baker had a dream too, with three baskets of bread on his head. But the baker's dream had a sad meaning, and Joseph told him the truth. Three days later, on Pharaoh's birthday, everything happened just as Joseph had said. The cupbearer was back in the palace, handing Pharaoh his cup.
But the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph. So Joseph stayed in prison and had to wait. Yet God had not forgotten Joseph, not for one day. In the lonely, unfair place, God was still with Joseph — and God had a plan that Joseph could not see yet.
Tricky words
- servant — A helper who has to work for a master and do what he says.
- Pharaoh — The name for the great king who ruled over Egypt.
- prison — A locked place where people are kept and cannot go home.
- keeper — The man who was in charge of the prison and the prisoners.
- cupbearer — The king's helper who brought him his drinks in a cup.
- vine — A plant with long branches where grapes grow.
Where is Jesus in this story?
Joseph was blamed for something he did not do, and he was put in prison even though he was innocent. Many years later, Jesus was also blamed for wrong things He never did. Jesus never did anything wrong at all. But God was with Jesus, and through Him God brought the greatest rescue of all. Just as God was with Joseph in the prison, Jesus promises to be with us always, even in our hardest places.
God is with us, even in hard and unfair places
Joseph was treated unfairly and had to stay in a lonely place for a long time. But God was with him there too. Joseph kept doing what was right, he was kind to the people around him, and he gave the honor to God. When something feels unfair or you have to wait, you can remember Joseph: God sees you, God is with you, and God does not forget you.
Memory verse
“But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him kindness. He made the keeper of the prison think well of him.” — Genesis 39:21 – adapted for children from the World English Bible
A little prayer
Dear God, thank You that You were with Joseph, even in the prison. When I feel alone or something seems unfair, help me remember that You are with me too. Help me to be kind and helpful like Joseph, and to trust You while I wait. Amen.
For grown-ups: Genesis 39:7–20 tells that Potiphar's wife tried again and again to get Joseph to sleep with her, and when he refused and ran away, she accused him of attacking her. We say only that she wanted him to do something wrong and then told a lie about him. Genesis 40:19–22 says the baker's dream meant that Pharaoh would have him executed and hanged on a tree, and that this happened on Pharaoh's birthday; we say only that his dream "had a sad meaning". Joseph's words in prison (40:8) and the memory verse (39:21) are adapted for children from the World English Bible. The story goes on in Genesis 41, when Pharaoh has two dreams and the cupbearer finally remembers Joseph.
Keep reading
Joseph in Prison — God Is Still with Joseph quiz · Coloring page 1 · Coloring page 2 · Sunday school lesson · Bible Stories About Honesty · Bible Stories About Patience and Waiting
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