Genesis 47

So Joseph came and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their sheep and oxen
And all that is theirs, came from the land of Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen.”
From the circle of his brothers, Joseph picked five men, and presented them to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is it that you do?” And they responded, “As you know,
We your servants are shepherds of flocks, like our fathers before us. And now we have come
To sojourn in the land, for there’s no pasture for the flocks of your servants where we’re from.
Famine is severe in Canaan’s land. Pray let your servants stay in the land of Goshen.”
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “So your fathers and brothers have come to you, these goodly men.
The land of Egypt lies before you, so have them settle in the best parts of the land.
Let them stay in the region of Goshen. And if you know capable men in their band,
You should put them in charge of my livestock.” Joseph brought his father Jacob to Pharaoh.
Jacob gave Pharaoh a blessing of greeting. Pharaoh said to Jacob, “I’d like to know
Just how many are the days and years of your life?” Jacob said to Pharaoh in reply,
“The days and years of my sojourn here on earth have been one hundred thirty years gone by.
Few and ill-fated have been the days and years of my life. They have not reached the life-span
Of my fathers’ lives during their sojourns.” Jacob gave Pharaoh a farewell-blessing, and
Left his presence. So Joseph then settled his father and brothers, gave them property
In the best part of Egypt’s land, in the region of Rameses, as Pharaoh had decreed.
Joseph sustained his father, his brothers, and his father’s household, as numbers dictated

But there was no bread in all the land, due to the food shortage the famine had created.
Both the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were completely depleted from famine.
Joseph gathered up all of the silver that was found in the lands of Egypt and Canaan,
As a payment for rations they’d bought. Then Joseph brought the silver into Pharaoh’s house.
When the silver in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan had all run out,
The Egyptians all came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread! Shall we die in front of you
Just because all our silver is gone?” Joseph said, “Give me your livestock, and that will do.
I will give you bread in exchange for your livestock, since the silver no longer amasses.”
So they brought their livestock to Joseph, who gave them bread for horses, sheep, cattle, and asses.
He got them through that year by allowing them to exchange all of their livestock for bread.
But when that year had ended, they came back to him during the following year and said,
“We can’t hide from my lord that if the silver has run out, and all our livestock you own,
There is nothing remaining for my lord aside from our soil and our flesh and bones.
Why should we die in front of your eyes, and not only us, but also our land and soil?
Take both us and our land for the bread, and from now on as serfs for Pharaoh we will toil.
Give us seeds so that we may live and not die, and so the soil won’t become desolate.”
So Joseph acquired all of the farm land in Egypt for Pharaoh at a speedy rate,
For each of the Egyptians sold his field because the famine was just too much to bear,
So the land all went over to Pharaoh. And as for the people who were living there,
Joseph transferred them into the cities from one edge of Egypt to the other edge.
Only the land of the priests he did not acquire, because the priests had Pharaoh’s pledge.
They received an allotment from Pharaoh and managed to live off of that allocation.
Therefore they did not sell their land to Joseph, but instead stayed at their former location.
Joseph said to the people, “Since on this day I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh,
You shall have seed. Now here is the seed for you, which in the land of Pharaoh you shall sow.
And at harvest time, you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh. The other four fifths are for you,
As more seed for the field, and as food for you, and for your household, your little ones too.”
They said, “You saved our lives! May it please our lord, from now on Pharaoh by us shall be served.”
And Joseph made it into a land law in Egypt, which still to this day is observed,
That the fifth part of all land shall go to Pharaoh, the exception being the priests’ soil.

And so Israel stayed in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, being loyal.
They obtained holdings in it, bore fruit, multiplied, until they were exceedingly rife.
Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt so that the span of Jacob’s life
Came to one hundred and forty-seven years. When the time came for Israel to die,
He called his son Joseph and said, “If I’ve gained your favor, put your hand under my thigh,
Swear that you’ll deal with me in good faith and truth; pray do not bury me in Egypt.
When I lie down with my fathers, carry me from Egypt, and bury me in their crypt.”
Joseph told him, “I will do according to what you have spoken.” But Israel said,
“Swear to me!” So Joseph swore to him. And then Israel bowed at the head of his bed.