47 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan^(A) and are now in Goshen.”^{(B) 2} He chose five of his brothers and presented them^(C) before Pharaoh.

³ Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”^(D)

“Your servants^(E) are shepherds,^(F)” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” ⁴ They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while,^(G) because the famine is severe in Canaan^(H) and your servants’ flocks have no pasture.^(I) So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”^(J)

⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, ⁶ and the land of Egypt is before you; settle^(K) your father and your brothers in the best part of the land.^(L) Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability,^(M) put them in charge of my own livestock.^(N)”

⁷ Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him^(O) before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed^[a] Pharaoh,^{(P) 8} Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”

⁹ And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty.^(Q) My years have been few and difficult,^(R) and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.^(S)” ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed^[b] Pharaoh^(T) and went out from his presence.

¹¹ So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land,^(U) the district of Rameses,^(V) as Pharaoh directed. ¹² Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.^(W)

Joseph and the Famine

¹³ There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.^{(X) 14} Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying,^(Y) and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace.^{(Z) 15} When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone,^(AA) all Egypt came to Joseph^(AB) and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes?^(AC) Our money is all gone.”

¹⁶ “Then bring your livestock,^(AD)” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.^(AE)” ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses,^(AF) their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys.^(AG) And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.

¹⁸ When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone^(AH) and our livestock belongs to you,^(AI) there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we perish before your eyes^(AJ)—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food,^(AK) and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh.^(AL) Give us seed so that we may live and not die,^(AM) and that the land may not become desolate.”

²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe^(AN) for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, ²¹ and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,^[c](AO) from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² However, he did not buy the land of the priests,^(AP) because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment^(AQ) Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

²³ Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed^(AR) for you so you can plant the ground.^{(AS) 24} But when the crop comes in, give a fifth^(AT) of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”

²⁵ “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord;^(AU) we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”^(AV)

²⁶ So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth^(AW) of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.^(AX)

²⁷ Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen.^(AY) They acquired property there^(AZ) and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.^(BA)

²⁸ Jacob lived in Egypt^(BB) seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.^{(BC) 29} When the time drew near for Israel^(BD) to die,^(BE) he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,^(BF) put your hand under my thigh^(BG) and promise that you will show me kindness^(BH) and faithfulness.^(BI) Do not bury me in Egypt, ³⁰ but when I rest with my fathers,^(BJ) carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”^(BK)

“I will do as you say,” he said.

³¹ “Swear to me,”^(BL) he said. Then Joseph swore to him,^(BM) and Israel^(BN) worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.^[d](BO)

Manasseh and Ephraim

48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim^(BP) along with him. ² When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel^(BQ) rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty^[e](BR) appeared to me at Luz^(BS) in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me^{(BT) 4} and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers.^(BU) I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land^(BV) as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’^(BW)

⁵ “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt^(BX) before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine,^(BY) just as Reuben^(BZ) and Simeon^(CA) are mine. ⁶ Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. ⁷ As I was returning from Paddan,^[f](CB) to my sorrow^(CC) Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).^(CD)

⁸ When Israel^(CE) saw the sons of Joseph,^(CF) he asked, “Who are these?”

⁹ “They are the sons God has given me here,”^(CG) Joseph said to his father.

Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless^(CH) them.”

¹⁰ Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see.^(CI) So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them^(CJ) and embraced them.^(CK)

¹¹ Israel^(CL) said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again,^(CM) and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”^(CN)

¹² Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees^(CO) and bowed down with his face to the ground.^{(CP) 13} And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand,^(CQ) and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ But Israel^(CR) reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head,^(CS) though he was the younger,^(CT) and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.^(CU)

¹⁵ Then he blessed^(CV) Joseph and said,

¹⁷ When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand^(DE) on Ephraim’s head^(DF) he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”^(DG)

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great.^(DH) Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he,^(DI) and his descendants will become a group of nations.^(DJ)” ²⁰ He blessed^(DK) them that day^(DL) and said,

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you^[h](DQ) and take you^[i] back to the land of your^[j] fathers.^{(DR) 22} And to you I give one more ridge of land^[k](DS) than to your brothers,^(DT) the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword^(DU) and my bow.”

Psalm 25^[a]

Of David.

Faith or Works of the Law

3 You foolish^(A) Galatians!^(B) Who has bewitched you?^(C) Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.^{(D) 2} I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit^(E) by the works of the law,^(F) or by believing what you heard?^{(G) 3} Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?^{[a] 4} Have you experienced^[b] so much in vain—if it really was in vain? ⁵ So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles^(H) among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?^{(I) 6} So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^[c](J)

⁷ Understand, then, that those who have faith^(K) are children of Abraham.^{(L) 8} Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”^{[d](M) 9} So those who rely on faith^(N) are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.^(O)

¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law^(P) are under a curse,^(Q) as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”^{[e](R) 11} Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God,^(S) because “the righteous will live by faith.”^{[f](T) 12} The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”^{[g](U) 13} Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law^(V) by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”^{[h](W) 14} He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,^(X) so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.^(Y)

The Law and the Promise

¹⁵ Brothers and sisters,^(Z) let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. ¹⁶ The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.^(AA) Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,”^[i](AB) meaning one person, who is Christ. ¹⁷ What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years^(AC) later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise;^(AD) but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

¹⁹ Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions^(AE) until the Seed^(AF) to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels^(AG) and entrusted to a mediator.^{(AH) 20} A mediator,^(AI) however, implies more than one party; but God is one.

²¹ Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not!^(AJ) For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.^{(AK) 22} But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin,^(AL) so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Children of God

²³ Before the coming of this faith,^[j] we were held in custody^(AM) under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.^{(AN) 24} So the law was our guardian until Christ came^(AO) that we might be justified by faith.^{(AP) 25} Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.^(AQ)

²⁶ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God^(AR) through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ^(AS) have clothed yourselves with Christ.^{(AT) 28} There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,^(AU) nor is there male and female,^(AV) for you are all one in Christ Jesus.^{(AW) 29} If you belong to Christ,^(AX) then you are Abraham’s seed,^(AY) and heirs^(AZ) according to the promise.^(BA)