Genesis 47

1 And Joseph comes and declares [it] to Pharaoh, and says, “My father, and my brothers, and their flock, and their herd, and all they have, have come from the land of Canaan, and behold, they [are] in the land of Goshen.”

And so Joseph entered and reported to Pharaoh, saying: “My father and brothers, their sheep and herds, and everything that they possess, have arrived from the land of Canaan. And behold, they stand together in the land of Goshen.”

2 And out of his brothers he has taken five men, and sets them before Pharaoh;

Likewise, he stood in the sight of the king five men, the last of his brothers.

3 and Pharaoh says to his brothers, “What [are] your works?” And they say to Pharaoh, “Your servants [are] feeders of a flock, both we and our fathers”;

And he questioned them, “What do you have for work?” They responded: “Your servants are pastors of sheep, both we and our fathers.

4 and they say to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for the flock which your servants have, for the famine in the land of Canaan [is] grievous; and now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”

We came to sojourn in your land, because there is no grass for the flocks of your servants, the famine being very grievous in the land of Canaan. And we petition you that you may order us, your servants, to be in the land of Goshen.”

5 And Pharaoh speaks to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you:

And so the king said to Joseph: “Your father and brothers have come to you.

6 the land of Egypt is before you; cause your father and your brothers to dwell in the best of the land—they dwell in the land of Goshen, and if you have known, and there are among them men of ability, then you have set them [as] heads over the livestock I have.”

The land of Egypt is in your sight. Cause them to live in the best place, and deliver to them the land of Goshen. And if you know there to be industrious men among them, appoint these as foremen over my cattle.”

7 And Joseph brings in his father Jacob, and causes him to stand before Pharaoh; and Jacob blesses Pharaoh.

After this, Joseph brought in his father to the king, and he stood him in his sight. He blessed him,

8 And Pharaoh says to Jacob, “How many [are] the days of the years of your life?”

and he questioned him: “How many are the days of the years of your life?”

9 And Jacob says to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojournings [are] one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not reached the days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their sojournings.”

He responded, “The days of my sojourn are one hundred and thirty years, few and unworthy, and they do not reach even to the days of the sojourning of my fathers.”

10 And Jacob blesses Pharaoh, and goes out from before Pharaoh.

And blessing the king, he went outside.

11 And Joseph settles his father and his brothers, and gives a possession to them in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh commanded;

Truly, Joseph gave his father and brothers a possession in Egypt, in the best place of the land, in Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed.

12 and Joseph nourishes his father, and his brothers, and all the house of his father [with] bread, according to the mouth of the infants.

And he fed them, along with all his father’s house, providing portions of food to each one.

13 And there is no bread in all the land, for the famine [is] very grievous, and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan are feeble because of the famine;

For in the whole world there was a lack of bread, and a famine had oppressed the land, most of all Egypt and Canaan,

14 and Joseph gathers all the silver that is found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain that they are buying, and Joseph brings the silver into the house of Pharaoh.

from which he gathered together all the money for the grain that they bought, and he took it into the treasury of the king.

15 And the silver is consumed out of the land of Egypt and out of the land of Canaan, and all the Egyptians come to Joseph, saying, “Give bread to us—why do we die before you, though the money has ceased?”

And when the buyers had run out of money, all Egypt came to Joseph, saying: “Give us bread. Why should we die in your sight, lacking money?”

16 And Joseph says, “Give your livestock; and I give to you for your livestock, if the money has ceased.”

And he responded to them: “Bring me your cattle, and I will give food to you in exchange for them, if you do not have money.”

17 And they bring in their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gives to them bread, for the horses, and for the livestock of the flock, and for the livestock of the herd, and for the donkeys; and he tends them with bread, for all their livestock, during that year.

And when they had brought them, he gave them food for their horses, and sheep, and oxen, and donkeys. And he sustained them in that year in exchange for their cattle.

18 And that year is finished, and they come to him on the second year, and say to him, “We do not hide from my lord, that since the money has been finished, and possession of the livestock [is] to my lord, there has not been left before my lord except our bodies, and our ground;

Likewise, they came the second year, and they said to him: “We will not conceal from our lord that our money is gone; likewise our cattle are gone. Neither are you unaware that we have nothing left but our bodies and our land.

19 why do we die before your eyes, both we and our ground? Buy us and our ground for bread, and we and our ground are servants to Pharaoh; and give seed, and we live, and do not die, and the ground is not desolate.”

Therefore, why should you watch us die? Both we and our land will be yours. Buy us into royal servitude, but provide seed, lest by the dying off of cultivators the land be reduced to a wilderness.”

20 And Joseph buys all the ground of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians have each sold his field, for the famine has been severe on them, and the land becomes Pharaoh’s;

Therefore, Joseph bought all the land of Egypt, each one selling his possessions because of the magnitude of the famine. And he subjected it to Pharaoh,

21 as for the people, he has removed them to cities from the [one] end of the border of Egypt even to its [other] end.

along with all of its people, from the newest borders of Egypt, even to its furthest limits,

22 Only the ground of the priests he has not bought, for the priests have a portion from Pharaoh, and they have eaten their portion which Pharaoh has given to them, therefore they have not sold their ground.

except the land of the priests, which had been delivered to them by the king. To these also a portion of food was supplied out of the public storehouses, and, for this reason, they were not compelled to sell their possessions.

23 And Joseph says to the people, “Behold, I have bought you today and your ground for Pharaoh; behold, seed for you, and you have sown the ground,

Therefore, Joseph said to the people: “So, as you discern, both you and your lands are possessed by Pharaoh; take seed and sow the fields,

24 and it has come to pass in the increases, that you have given a fifth to Pharaoh, and four of the parts are for yourselves, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for those who [are] in your houses, and for food for your infants.”

so that you may be able to have grain. One fifth part you will give to the king; the remaining four I permit to you, as seed and as food for your families and children.

25 And they say, “You have revived us; we find grace in the eyes of my lord, and have been servants to Pharaoh”;

And they responded: “Our health is in your hand; only let our lord look kindly upon us, and we will serve the king with gladness.”

26 and Joseph sets it for a statute to this day, concerning the ground of Egypt, [that] Pharaoh has a fifth; only the ground of the priests alone has not become Pharaoh’s.

From that time, even to the present day, in the entire land of Egypt, the fifth part is turned over to the kings, and it has become like a law, except in the land of the priests, which was free from this condition.

27 And Israel dwells in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they have possession in it, and are fruitful, and multiply exceedingly;

And so, Israel lived in Egypt, that is, in the land of Goshen, and he possessed it. And he increased and was multiplied exceedingly.

28 and Jacob lives in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, are one hundred and forty-seven years.

And he lived in it seventeen years. And all the days of his life that passed were one hundred and forty-seven years.

29 And the days of Israel are near to die, and he calls for his son, for Joseph, and says to him, “Now if I have found grace in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh, and you have done kindness and truth with me; please do not bury me in Egypt,

And when he discerned that the day of his death was approaching, he called his son Joseph, and he said to him: “If I have found favor in your sight, place your hand under my thigh. And you shall show me mercy and truth, not to bury me in Egypt.

30 and I have lain with my fathers, and you have carried me out of Egypt, and buried me in their burying-place.” And he says, “I do according to your word”;

But I shall sleep with my fathers, and you will carry me from this land and bury me in the sepulcher of my ancestors.” And Joseph answered him, “I will do what you have ordered.”

31 and he says, “Swear to me”; and he swears to him, and Israel bows himself on the head of the bed.

And he said, “Then swear it to me.” And as he was swearing, Israel adored God, turning to the head of his resting place.