Jacob's Family Settles in Goshen

47 So Joseph (A)went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in (B)the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and (C)presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, (D)“What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, (E)“Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, (F)“We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell (G)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 (H)in the best of the land. (I)Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any (J)able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, (K)and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my (L)sojourning are 130 years. (M)Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and (N)they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their (O)sojourning.” 10 And Jacob (P)blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of (Q)Rameses, (R)as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph (S)provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

Joseph and the Famine

13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. 14 (T)And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. 15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. (U)Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.” 16 And Joseph answered, “Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18 And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord's. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? (V)Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's. 21 As for the people, he made servants of them[a] from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 (W)Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.

23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And at the harvests you shall give a (X)fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” 25 And they said, “You have saved our lives; (Y)may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” 26 So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; (Z)the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's.

27 Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, (AA)in the land of Goshen. (AB)And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. (AC)So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.

29 And (AD)when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now (AE)I have found favor in your sight, (AF)put your hand under my thigh and (AG)promise to deal kindly and truly with me. (AH)Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and (AI)bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then (AJ)Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.[b]

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 47:21 Samaritan, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew he removed them to the cities
  2. Genesis 47:31 Hebrew; Septuagint staff

雅各全家定居埃及

47 約瑟來到法老面前,對他說:「我父親和我的弟兄們已經帶著他們的羊群、牛群和所有的一切從迦南來了,現在就在歌珊。」 約瑟從弟兄中帶了五個人去見法老。 法老問他們:「你們做什麼工作?」他們回答說:「僕人們祖祖輩輩都是牧羊的。 迦南的饑荒很嚴重,羊群沒有草吃,所以我們到這裡來寄居,求你准許僕人們住在歌珊。」 法老對約瑟說:「你父親和弟兄們都來了, 整個埃及就在你面前,儘管安排他們住在國中最好的地方。他們可以住在歌珊。如果你知道他們中間有能幹的人,可以派他們看管我的牲畜。」

約瑟又帶父親雅各去見法老,雅各就為法老祝福。 法老問雅各:「你多大歲數了?」 雅各回答說:「我在世上寄居一百三十年了,我的日子又苦又短,不像我祖先那樣高壽。」 10 雅各為法老祝福後,就告退了。 11 約瑟遵照法老之命把埃及最好的地方——蘭塞境內的土地給他父親和弟兄們居住,作他們的產業。 12 約瑟按各家人口提供糧食給父親、弟兄及其他家人。

饑荒

13 饑荒很嚴重,到處都缺糧,埃及和迦南都飽受饑荒之苦。 14 約瑟把埃及人和迦南人向他買糧的銀子收集起來,存放在法老的庫房裡。 15 埃及人和迦南人的銀子都用光了,埃及人就來見約瑟,對他說:「我們的錢財都用光了,求你給我們糧食,免得我們餓死在你面前。」 16 約瑟說:「你們的錢財如果用盡了,可以用你們的牲畜來交換糧食。」 17 於是,他們把牲畜趕到約瑟那裡,用他們的牛、羊、驢和馬跟約瑟換糧食。那一年,他們就依靠換來的糧食生活。

18 到了第二年,他們又來見約瑟,對他說:「不瞞我主,我們的錢都用光了,牲畜也給你了,除了我們自己和田地以外,我們一無所有。 19 求你不要讓我們人死地荒。我們願意用自己和我們的田地來換糧食,我們和我們的田地都歸法老。求你給我們種子,我們好活下去,不致餓死,土地也不致荒廢。」

20 埃及人為饑荒所迫,紛紛賣掉自己的田地。約瑟替法老收購了埃及全國的田地,最後,所有的田地都歸法老了。 21 約瑟使埃及全境的人都成為法老的奴僕。 22 約瑟唯獨沒有買祭司的田地,因為祭司吃法老的俸祿,有足夠的供給,不用賣地。 23 約瑟對百姓說:「我為法老買了你們和你們的土地,這裡有種子,你們可以拿去耕種。 24 但是你們要把收成的五分之一給法老,其餘的,你們可以留下來作種子和全家人的口糧。」 25 他們說:「你救了我們的命,求你恩待我們,讓我們做法老的奴僕吧。」 26 於是,約瑟立下一條法令,到今天還有效,就是埃及出產的五分之一歸給法老。只有祭司的田地不歸法老。

27 以色列人住在埃及的歌珊,在那裡獲得了產業,人口興旺。 28 雅各在埃及住了十七年,他一共活了一百四十七歲。

29 他快要離世的時候,把兒子約瑟叫來,說:「你如果恩待我,請你把手放在我大腿底下起誓,你會以慈愛和信實待我,不把我葬在埃及。 30 我與祖先同眠後,你要把我帶出埃及安葬在我祖先的身邊。」約瑟說:「我必照你說的做。」 31 雅各要約瑟起誓,約瑟照做了。於是,以色列在床頭[a]敬拜上帝。

Footnotes

  1. 47·31 在床頭」或譯「拄著拐杖」。

47 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.

And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.

They said morever unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:

The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.

13 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.

16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.

21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.

23 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.

25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.

26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.

27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.

28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.

29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:

30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.

31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.

Joseph’s Family Settles in Goshen

47 After this, Joseph went to inform Pharaoh. “My father and brothers have come here from Canaan,”[a] he said, “and they’ve come with their flocks, herds, and everything else they have. I settled them in the Goshen territory!” He brought along five of his brothers to present before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh asked his brothers, “What are your occupations?”

“Your servants are shepherds,” they replied, “both we and our ancestors. We’ve come to live for a while[b] in this region, since there is no pasture back in Canaan[c] for your servants’ flocks. May your servants please live in the Goshen territory?”

Then Pharaoh replied to Joseph, “Now that your father and your brothers have come to you, Egypt[d] is at your disposal,[e] so settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land! Let them live in the Goshen territory. If you learn that any of them are especially skilled, put them in charge of my livestock.”

Later, Joseph brought his father Jacob to Pharaoh and introduced him. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. “How old are you?”[f] Pharaoh asked Jacob.

“I’m 130 years old,” Jacob replied. “My years have turned out to be few and unpleasant, but I haven’t yet reached the age my ancestors did during their travels on earth.”[g] 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and then left the throne room.[h]

11 Joseph settled his father and brothers, assigning them their own land in the best part of Egypt (in the territory of Rameses), just as Pharaoh had ordered. 12 Joseph provided food for his father, his brothers, and all of his father’s household, proportionate to the number of young children.

The Famine Continues

13 Meanwhile, there continued to be no food throughout the land, because the famine remained very severe. As a result, both Egypt and Canaan languished under the effects of the famine. 14 So Joseph kept on accumulating all the money that was to be found throughout Egypt and Canaan in exchange for the grain that was being purchased. He stored the money in Pharaoh’s palace.

15 After all the money had been spent throughout Egypt and Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and demanded, “Give us food! Why should we die right in front of you? Our money is spent!”

16 “You can surrender your livestock,” Joseph replied. “I’ll feed them in exchange, since your money is gone.”

17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph traded food in exchange for horses, various flocks and herds, and donkeys. He fed them with food in exchange for their livestock during that year.

18 The following year, they came to him and reminded him, “We won’t hide from you, your Excellency, that we’ve spent all of our money, and that our livestock all belong to you. There’s nothing left to trade with you, your Excellency, except our bodies and our territories. 19 So why should we and our land die right in front of you? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed, so we can survive and not die, and so the land won’t stay desolate.”

Pharaoh Gains Control of All of Egypt

20 So Joseph purchased all of the Egyptian territory for Pharaoh. Every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine’s effect was so severe. That’s how Pharaoh came to own the land. 21 Then Joseph transported the people to cities from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not purchase land belonging to the priests, because the priests held an allotment, previously provided to them by Pharaoh, from which they lived. That’s why they did not sell their land.

23 After this, Joseph addressed the people. “Pay attention,” he said. “I’ve bought you and your land for Pharaoh today, in exchange for seed for you. Now go sow the land. 24 When harvest season arrives, you are to provide a fifth of the harvest to Pharaoh. The remaining four fifths are to be for your use, for seed, and to feed you, your households, and your little ones.”

25 “You’ve saved our lives,” they replied. “If it pleases you, your Excellency, we’ll be Pharaoh’s slaves.”

26 So Joseph crafted a statute concerning Egypt that remains valid to this day that Pharaoh should own a fifth of the produce, excluding the land belonging to the priests, which remained outside of Pharaoh’s control.

27 Israel remained in Egypt’s Goshen territory, acquired land there, became prosperous, and his descendants[i] grew very numerous. 28 He lived for seventeen more years in Egypt, until he was 147 years old. 29 As the time approached for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and addressed him. “Please,” he asked, “if you’re happy with me, make a solemn promise[j] that you’ll treat me fairly and kindly by not burying me in Egypt. 30 Instead, when I’ve died, as my ancestors have, you are to carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their tomb.”[k]

“I’ll do what you’ve asked,” Joseph[l] replied.

31 “Promise me,” Israel[m] insisted. So Joseph promised. Then Israel collapsed[n] on his bed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 47:1 Lit. from the land of Canaan, and so throughout the chapter
  2. Genesis 47:4 The Heb. lacks for a while
  3. Genesis 47:4 The Heb. lacks back in Canaan
  4. Genesis 47:6 Lit. from the land of Egypt, and so throughout the chapter
  5. Genesis 47:6 Lit. is before you
  6. Genesis 47:8 Lit. How many years have you lived?
  7. Genesis 47:9 The Heb. lacks on earth
  8. Genesis 47:10 Lit. left his presence
  9. Genesis 47:27 The Heb. lacks his descendants
  10. Genesis 47:29 Lit. me, place your hand under my thigh; i.e., make a solemn promise based on the sanctity of the family and commitment to the family line
  11. Genesis 47:30 Lit. place
  12. Genesis 47:30 Lit. he
  13. Genesis 47:31 Lit. he
  14. Genesis 47:31 Lit. Israel bent low