His master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph (Gen. 38:7). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that indulge it shall eat the fruit thereof (Prov. 18:21). R. Hiyya the son of Abba declared: If a man should eat from a basket of figs without offering a blessing, death is in the power of the tongue, but if he should pronounce the blessing and then eat it, life is in the power of the tongue. All of the trials that befell Joseph occurred because of the evil he spoke against his brothers, as it is said: And Joseph brought evil report of them unto his father (Gen. 37:20).
What did he tell Jacob? Our rabbis maintain that he told his father: They treat the children of Bilhah and Zilpah as though they were servants. They call them servants, but I act toward them as one does to a brother, as it is said: Even with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah (ibid., v. 2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Be assured you will be punished with the very word you have spoken, as it is said: And Joseph was sold for a servant (Ps. 105:17).
R. Judah held that he told his father: My brothers eat the limbs of living animals. However, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Even in the hour of their deepest degradation, they will not do that. They will slaughter their animals according to the rules of ritual slaughter, as is said: And they slaughtered the he-goat and dipped the coat (Gen. 37:31).
R. Yosé maintained that he told his father: They looked covetously at the native woman. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Be assured you will suffer from this very thing. You master’s wife will look covetously at you, as it is said: His master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph.