Joseph in Potiphar's house and in prison (Sunday school lesson)

Week 2 of a free 4-week Joseph unit: god is with us in hard places, so we can keep doing what is right. One story for everyone, then activities for ages 4–6, 7–10 and 11–14.

Updated 3 November 2026 · How we pick resources

Week 2 of 4 · Joseph: From the Pit to the Palace · Get the printable PDF and Google Doc free

A barred prison window at night, with the cupbearer's cup and the baker's basket of bread

Bible passage: Genesis 39–40

Big idea: God is with us in hard places, so we can keep doing what is right.

Memory verse (ages 4–6): "The LORD was with Joseph." (Genesis 39:2)
Memory verse (ages 7–14): "The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master." (Genesis 39:2)

Prep: about 10 minutes: read the story aloud once and print the activity page.

You need:

Paper and crayons
Scissors and tape
The printable story cards (one set per pair of children)
A chair or a box to be the "prison" (optional)

Timing (45 min): Welcome 5 min · Story together 10 min · Activities by age 15 min · Review game 10 min · Memory verse and prayer 5 min

1. Welcome (5 minutes)

Ask: "What's the hardest thing about doing the right thing when nobody is watching?" Say: "Today Joseph has to choose to do right even when it costs him everything."

2. Story together (10 minutes)

Read aloud to everyone together. Words in [brackets] are actions for the children. Retold from Genesis 39:1–40:23; words in quotation marks are from the NIV.

The traders sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard. Joseph was a slave now, far from home. But the Bible says, "The LORD was with Joseph." Joseph worked hard and honestly, and everything he did went well. Potiphar saw it and put Joseph in charge of his whole house.

Potiphar's wife wanted Joseph to do something wrong with her. Joseph said no: "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" Day after day she asked, and day after day he said no. One day he ran out of the house to get away from her. [Have the children run on the spot.]

Potiphar's wife was angry, so she lied. She told Potiphar that Joseph had attacked her. Potiphar believed her and threw Joseph into prison. [Everyone sits down and hugs their knees.] Joseph had done the right thing, and it still went badly for him.

But even in prison, the LORD was with Joseph. The prison keeper put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners. Two of them were Pharaoh's servants: his cupbearer, who served his drinks, and his baker. One night they both had strange dreams. Joseph said, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams."

God helped Joseph explain them. The cupbearer would get his job back in three days, but the baker would be put to death, and both happened just as Joseph said. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and tell Pharaoh about him. But the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph. Joseph stayed in prison. Still, God had not forgotten him.

3. Activities by age (15 minutes)

Split into age groups, or run all three at separate tables. One teacher can move between them; older children can help the youngest.

Ages 4–6: "God was with Joseph" game

Call out places: "In the pit… in Potiphar's house… in prison…".
After each one, the children shout back, "God was with Joseph!" and jump.
Finish with places from their own lives: "At school… at the doctor… at night…" and "God is with me!"

Ages 7–10: Put the story in order

Pairs cut out the six printable story cards.
They mix them up and race to put them in order.
For each card, they say whether it was an "up" or a "down" for Joseph, and where God was.

Ages 11–14: Right choice, hard result

Read Genesis 39:7–12 and 39:20–23.
Ask: "Joseph did the right thing and ended up in prison. Was it still worth it? Why?"
Ask: "Where in your life is doing right likely to cost you something?"
Each person writes Genesis 39:2 with their own name in place of Joseph's.

4. Review game (10 minutes)

Play in two or three teams: 100 points a question. Give the "All ages" questions to the youngest player on each team and the "Ages 11+" ones to the oldest.

All ages Who bought Joseph in Egypt?
Show answer
Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard (39:1)
All ages Why did everything Joseph did go well?
Show answer
The LORD was with him (39:2–3)
Ages 7+ What job did Potiphar give Joseph?
Show answer
He put him in charge of his whole house (39:4)
All ages What did Joseph do when Potiphar's wife tried to make him sin?
Show answer
He said no and ran away (39:9, 12)
All ages Why was Joseph put in prison?
Show answer
Potiphar's wife lied about him (39:17–20)
Ages 7+ Who put Joseph in charge of the other prisoners?
Show answer
The prison keeper, or warden (39:22)
Ages 7+ Which two servants of Pharaoh had dreams in prison?
Show answer
The cupbearer and the baker (40:1–5)
Ages 11+ Who did Joseph say explains dreams?
Show answer
God (40:8)
Ages 11+ What happened to the cupbearer three days later?
Show answer
He got his job back (40:21)
All ages What did the cupbearer forget to do?
Show answer
Tell Pharaoh about Joseph (40:23)

5. Memory verse and prayer (5 minutes)

Say the memory verse together three times: loud, whispered, then with actions.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you that you are with us everywhere, even in hard places. Help us to do what is right, even when it is difficult. Amen.

Take-home sheet

Take home · Joseph: From the Pit to the Palace, week 2: Joseph in Potiphar's house and in prison

Today we learned that Joseph kept doing right as a slave and in prison, because the LORD was with him.

Ask your child:

Where did Joseph end up after he did the right thing?
Who was with Joseph in prison?
When is it hard for you to do the right thing?

Memory verse: "The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master." (Genesis 39:2)

Try this: Tell each other about one place you need God's help this week, and pray for each other.