Genesis 47
Revised Geneva Translation
47 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers and their sheep and their cattle, and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.”
2 And Joseph took some of his brothers (five men) and presented them to Pharaoh.
3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your trade?” And they answered Pharaoh, “Your servants are sheepherders, both we and our fathers.”
4 Moreover, they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land. For your servants have no pasture for sheep, so sore is the famine in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you.
6 “The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best place of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know that there are men of activity among them, make them rulers over my cattle.”
7 Joseph also brought Jacob, his father, and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 Then Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”
9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The whole time of my pilgrimage is a hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have the days of my life been; and I have not equaled the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimages.”
10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from the presence of Pharaoh.
11 And Joseph placed his father and his brothers and gave them 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 brothers and all his father’s household with bread, even the young children.
13 Now, there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was exceedingly severe, causing the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan to be famished by reason of the famine.
14 And Joseph gathered 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 collected the money in Pharaoh’s house.
15 So, when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, then all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread! For, why should we die before you? For our money is spent.”
16 Then Joseph said, “Bring your cattle; and I will give you food for your cattle, if your money is spent.”
17 So, they brought their cattle to Joseph; and Joseph gave them bread for the horses, and for the flocks of sheep, and for the herds of cattle, and for the donkeys. So, he fed them with bread for all their cattle that year.
18 But when the year had ended, they came to him the second year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that since our money is spent, and my lord has the herds of the cattle, there is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our ground.
19 “Why shall we perish in your sight, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be bound to Pharaoh. Therefore, give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land does not go to waste.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. For every man sold his ground to the Egyptians because the famine was severe upon them. So, the land became Pharaoh’s.
21 And he moved the people into the cities, from one side of Egypt to the other.
22 Only the land of the Priests did he not buy. For the Priests had a daily ration from Pharaoh, and they ate their ration which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their ground.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Lo, here is seed for you. Therefore, sow the ground.
24 “And from the increase, you shall give one fifth to Pharaoh; and four parts shall be yours for seed of the field, and for your food, and for those of your households, and for your children to eat.”
25 Then they answered, “You have saved our lives. Let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
26 Then Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt until this day that Pharaoh should have one fifth, excepting only the land of the Priests, which was not Pharaoh’s.
27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen. And they had their possessions therein and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
28 Moreover, Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So, the whole age of Jacob was a hundred forty-seven years.
29 Now, when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have now found grace in your sight, put your hand under my thigh now, and deal mercifully and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt.
30 “But when I shall sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he answered, “I will do as you have said.”
31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. And Israel worshipped towards the bed’s head.
Genesis 47
English Standard Version
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.” 2 And from among his brothers he took five men and (C)presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, (D)“What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, (E)“Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” 4 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.” 5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 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.”
7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, (K)and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 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
- Genesis 47:21 Samaritan, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew he removed them to the cities
- Genesis 47:31 Hebrew; Septuagint staff
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