Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen

47 Then (A)Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of (B)Goshen.” And he took five men from among his brothers and (C)presented them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “(D)What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are (E)shepherds, both we and our fathers.” They also said to Pharaoh, “(F)We have come to reside in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for (G)the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, please let your servants (H)live in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to [a]Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is [b]at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in (I)the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any (J)capable men among them, then [c]put them in charge of my livestock.”

Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and [d]presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob (K)blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many [e]years have you lived?” So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The [f](L)years of my living abroad are [g]130; few and [h]unpleasant have been the [i]years of my life, nor have they [j]attained (M)the [k]years [l]that my fathers lived during the days of their living abroad.” 10 So Jacob (N)blessed Pharaoh, and went out from [m]his presence. 11 Now Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in (O)the best of the land, in the land of (P)Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12 Joseph also (Q)provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with [n]food, according to the [o]number of their little ones.

13 Now there was no [p]food in all the land, because the famine was very severe, so that (R)the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 And (S)Joseph collected all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in payment for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph saying, “Give us [q]food, for (T)why should we die in your presence? For our money is [r]gone.” 16 Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money is [s]gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them [t]food in exchange for the horses and the [u]flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he [v]fed them with [w]food in exchange for all their livestock [x]that year. 18 But when that year ended, they came to him the [y]next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord the fact that our money is all spent, and the [z]livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left [aa]for my lord except our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for [ab]food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

Result of the Famine

20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for [ac]every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 As for the people, he relocated them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they [ad]lived off the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, today I have purchased you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land. 24 [ae]At the harvest you shall give a (U)fifth to Pharaoh, and [af]four-fifths shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food, and for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” 25 So they said, “You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26 Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, valid to this day, that Pharaoh was to have the fifth; (V)only the land of the priests [ag]did not become Pharaoh’s.

27 Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in [ah]Goshen, and they (W)acquired property in it and (X)were fruitful and became very numerous. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for (Y)seventeen years; so the [ai]length of Jacob’s life was 147 years.

29 When [aj](Z)the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight, (AA)place your hand under my thigh now and (AB)deal with me in kindness and [ak]faithfulness: please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I (AC)[al]lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in (AD)their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “(AE)Swear to me.” So he swore to him. Then (AF)Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 47:5 Lit Joseph, saying
  2. Genesis 47:6 Lit before you
  3. Genesis 47:6 Lit appoint them rulers
  4. Genesis 47:7 Lit set him before
  5. Genesis 47:8 Lit are the days of the years of your life
  6. Genesis 47:9 Lit days of the years
  7. Genesis 47:9 Lit 130 years
  8. Genesis 47:9 Lit evil
  9. Genesis 47:9 Lit days of the years
  10. Genesis 47:9 Lit reached
  11. Genesis 47:9 Lit days of the years
  12. Genesis 47:9 Lit of the life of my fathers
  13. Genesis 47:10 Lit Pharaoh’s
  14. Genesis 47:12 Or bread
  15. Genesis 47:12 Lit mouth
  16. Genesis 47:13 Or bread
  17. Genesis 47:15 Or bread
  18. Genesis 47:15 Lit at an end
  19. Genesis 47:16 Lit at an end
  20. Genesis 47:17 Or bread
  21. Genesis 47:17 Lit livestock of the flocks and livestock of the herds
  22. Genesis 47:17 Lit led them as a shepherd
  23. Genesis 47:17 Or bread
  24. Genesis 47:17 Lit in that year
  25. Genesis 47:18 Lit second
  26. Genesis 47:18 Lit livestock of the cattle
  27. Genesis 47:18 Lit in the presence of
  28. Genesis 47:19 Or bread
  29. Genesis 47:20 Lit Egypt, every man
  30. Genesis 47:22 Lit ate their allotment
  31. Genesis 47:24 Lit It shall come about...that you shall
  32. Genesis 47:24 Lit four parts
  33. Genesis 47:26 Lit alone did
  34. Genesis 47:27 Lit the land of Goshen
  35. Genesis 47:28 Lit days of Jacob, the years of his life
  36. Genesis 47:29 Lit the days of Israel
  37. Genesis 47:29 Lit truth
  38. Genesis 47:30 I.e., die

Jacob Settles in Goshen

47 So Joseph went and reported to Pharaoh. And he said, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan. Now they are here in the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are keepers of sheep, both we and also our ancestors.”[a] And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servant’s flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen, and if you know there is among them men of ability, then appoint them overseers of my own livestock.” Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”[b] And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty years. Few and hard have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not reached the days of the years of the lives of my ancestors[c] in the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and he went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 And Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and he gave them property in the land of Egypt in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed. 12 And Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all the household of his father with food, according to the number of their children.

The Famine in Egypt Continues

13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe. And the land of Egypt languished, with the land of Canaan, on account of the famine. 14 And Joseph collected all the money found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain that they were buying. And Joseph brought the money into the house of Pharaoh. 15 And when the money was spent in the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan, all of Egypt came to Joseph, saying, “Give us food! Why should we die before you? For the money is used up.” 16 And Joseph said, “Give your livestock and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock if your money is used up.” 17 So they brought their herds to Joseph, and Joseph gave food to them in exchange for horses, their flocks, and their cattle and donkeys. And he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18 When that year ended, they came to him in the following year and said to him, “We cannot hide from my lord that our money and livestock belong to my lord. Nothing remains before my lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die in front of you, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, then we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Then give us seed and we shall live and not die, and the land will not become desolate.” 20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for each Egyptian sold his field, for the famine was severe upon them. And the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 As for the people, he transferred them to the cities, from one end of the territory of Egypt to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for there was an allotment for the priests from Pharaoh, and they lived on[d] the allotment that Pharaoh gave to them. Therefore they did not sell their land. 23 And Joseph said to the people, “Look, I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you so you can sow the land. 24 And it shall happen that at the harvest, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh and four-fifths shall be yours, as seed for the field and for your food and for those who are in your households, and as food for your little ones.” 25 And they said, “You have saved our lives. If we have found favor in the eyes of my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” 26 So Joseph made it a statute unto this day concerning the land of Egypt: one fifth to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests alone did not belong to Pharaoh. 27 So Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they acquired possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. And the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 When the time of Israel’s death drew near,[e] he called to his son, to Joseph. And he said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh, that you might vow to deal kindly[f] and faithfully with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my ancestors.[g] Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial site.” And he said, “I will do according to your word.” 31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 47:3 Or “fathers”
  2. Genesis 47:8 Literally “How many are the days of the years of your life?”
  3. Genesis 47:9 Or “fathers”
  4. Genesis 47:22 Literally “ate”
  5. Genesis 47:29 Literally “the days of Israel drew near to die”
  6. Genesis 47:29 Or “loyal love”
  7. Genesis 47:30 Or “fathers”