Genesis 47

1 Then Joseph went in and told Pharao, saying: My father and brethren, their sheep and their herds, and all that they possess, are come out of the land of Chanaan: and behold they stay in the land of Gessen.

And Joseph came and told Pharao, [saying], My father, and my brethren, and their cattle, and their oxen, and all their possessions, are come out of the land of Chanaan, and behold, they are in the land of Gesem.

2 Five men also the last of his brethren, he presented before the king:

And he took of his brethren five men, and set them before Pharao.

3 And he asked them: What is your occupation? They answered: We thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.

And Pharao said to the brethren of Joseph, What is your occupation? and they said to Pharao, Your servants are shepherds, both we and our father.

4 We are come to sojourn in thy land, because there is no grass for the flocks of thy servants, the famine being very grievous in the land of Chanaan: and we pray thee to give orders that we thy servants may be in the land of Gessen.

And they said to Pharao, We are come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants, for the famine has prevailed in the land of Chanaan; now then, we will dwell in the land of Gesem. And Pharao said to Joseph, Let them dwell in the land of Gesem; and if you know that there are amongst them able men, make them overseers of my cattle. So Jacob and his sons came into Egypt, to Joseph; and Pharao, king of Egypt, heard [of it].

5 The king therefore said to Joseph: Thy father and thy brethren are come to thee.

And Pharao spoke to Joseph, saying, Your father, and your brethren, are come to you.

6 The land of Egypt is before thee: make them dwell in the best place, and give them the land of Gessen. And if thou knowest that there are industrious men among them, make them rulers over my cattle.

Behold, the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brethren in the best land.

7 After this Joseph brought in his father to the king, and presented him before him: and he blessed him.

And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharao; and Jacob blessed Pharao.

8 And being asked by him: How many are the days of the years of thy life?

And Pharao said to Jacob, How many are the years of the days of your life?

9 He answered: The days of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years, few, and evil, and they are not come up to the days of the pilgrimage of my fathers.

And Jacob said to Pharao, The days of the years of my life, wherein I sojourn, are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, they have not attained to the days of the life of my fathers, in which days they sojourned.

10 And blessing the king, he went out.

And Jacob blessed Pharao, and departed from him.

11 But Joseph gave a possession to his father and his brethren in Egypt, in the best place of the land, in Ramesses, as Pharao had commanded.

And Joseph settled his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best land, in the land of Ramesses, as Pharao commanded.

12 And he nourished them, and all his father’s house, allowing food to every one.

And Joseph gave provision to his father, and his brethren, and to all the house of his father, corn for each person.

13 For in the whole world there was want of bread, and a famine had oppressed the land: more especially of Egypt and Chanaan.

And there was no corn in all the land, for the famine prevailed greatly; and the land of Egypt, and the land of Chanaan, fainted for the famine.

14 Out of which he gathered up all the money for the corn which they bought, and brought it into the king’s treasure.

And Joseph gathered all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and the land of Chanaan, [in return for] the corn which they bought, and he distributed corn to them; and Joseph brought all the money into the house of Pharao.

15 And when the buyers wanted money, all Egypt came to Joseph, saying: Give us bread: why should we die in thy presence, having now no money.

And all the money failed out of the land of Egypt, and out of the land of Chanaan; and all the Egyptians came to Joseph, saying, Give us bread, and why do we die in your presence? for our money is spent.

16 And he answered them: Bring me your cattle, and for them I will give you food, if you have no money.

And Joseph said to them, Bring your cattle, and I will give you bread for your cattle, if your money is spent.

17 And when they had brought them, he gave them food in exchange for their horses, and sheep, and oxen, and asses and he maintained them that year for the exchange of their cattle.

And they brought their cattle to Joseph; and Joseph gave them bread in return for their horses, and for their sheep, and for their oxen, and for their asses; and Joseph maintained them with bread for all their cattle in that year.

18 And they came the second year, and said to him: We will not hide from our lord, how that our money is spent, and our cattle also are gone: neither art thou ignorant that we have nothing now left but our bodies and our lands.

And that year passed, and they came to him in the second year, and said to him, Must we then be consumed from before our lord? for if our money has failed, and our possessions, and our cattle, [brought] to you our lord, and there has not been left to us before our lord more than our own bodies and our land, [we are indeed destitute].

19 Why therefore shall we die before thy eyes? we will be thine, both we and our lands: buy us to be the king’s servants, and give us seed, lest for want of tillers the land be turned into a wilderness.

In order, then, that we die not before you, and the land be made desolate, buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharao: give seed that we may sow, and live and not die, so our land shall not be made desolate.

20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt, every man selling his possessions, because of the greatness of the famine. And he brought it into Pharao’s hands:

And Joseph bought all the land of the Egyptians, for Pharao; for the Egyptians sold their land to Pharao; for the famine prevailed against them, and the land became Pharao's.

21 And all its people from one end of the borders of Egypt, even to the other end thereof,

And he brought the people into bondage to him, for servants, from one extremity of Egypt to the other,

22 Except the land of the priests, which had been given them by the king: to whom also a certain allowance of food was given out of the public stores, and therefore they were not forced to sell their possessions.

except only the land of the priests; Joseph bought not this, for Pharao gave a portion in the way of gift to the priests; and they ate their portion which Pharao gave them; therefore they sold not their land.

23 Then Joseph said to the people: Behold as you see, both you and your lands belong to Pharao: take seed and sow the fields,

And Joseph said to all the Egyptians, Behold, I have bought you and your land this day for Pharao; take seed for you, and sow the land.

24 That you may have corn. The fifth part you shall give to the king: the other four you shall have for seed, and for food for your families and children.

And there shall be the fruits of it; and you shall give the fifth part to Pharao, and the four [remaining] parts shall be for yourselves, for seed for the earth, and for food for you, and all that are in your houses.

25 And they answered: Our life is in thy hand: only let my lord look favourably upon us, and we will gladly serve the king.

And they said, You have saved us; we have found favour before our lord, and we will be servants to Pharao.

26 From that time unto this day, in the whole land of Egypt, the fifth part is paid to the king, and it is become as a law, except the land of the priests, which was free from this covenant.

And Joseph appointed it to them for an ordinance until this day; to reserve a fifth part for Pharao, on the land of Egypt, except only the land of the priests, that was not Pharao's.

27 So Israel dwelt in Egypt, that is, in the land of Gessen, and possessed it: and grew, and was multiplied exceedingly.

And Israel lived in Egypt, in the land of Gesem, and they gained an inheritance upon it; and they increased and multiplied very greatly.

28 And he lived in it seventeen years: and all the days of his life came to a hundred and forty-seven years.

And Jacob survived seventeen years in the land of Egypt; and Jacob's days of the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven years.

29 And when he saw that the day of his death drew nigh, he called his son Joseph, and said to him: If I have found favour in thy sight, put thy hand under my thigh; and thou shalt shew me this kindness and truth, not to bury me in Egypt:

and the days of Israel drew near for him to die: and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If I have found favour before you, put your hand under my thigh, and you shall execute mercy and truth towards me, so as not to bury me in Egypt.

30 But I will sleep with my fathers, and thou shalt take me away out of this land, and bury me in the burying place of my ancestors. And Joseph answered him: I will do what thou hast commanded.

But I will sleep with my fathers, and you shall carry me up out of Egypt, and bury me in their sepulchre. And he said, I will do according to your word.

31 And he said: Swear then to me. And as he was swearing, Israel adored God, turning to the bed’s head.

And he said, Swear to me; and he swore to him. And Israel did reverence, leaning on the top of his staff.