Genesis 47:13-26

Expanded Bible

Joseph Buys Land for the King

¹³ The ·hunger became worse [^Lfamine was severe/intense/heavy], and since there was no food anywhere in the land, Egypt and Canaan ·became very poor [^Lwilted; languished]. ¹⁴ Joseph ·collected [gathered] all the ·money [silver] that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan. People paid for the grain they were buying, and Joseph brought that ·money [silver] to ·the king’s [^LPharaoh’s] palace. ¹⁵ After some time, when the people in Egypt and Canaan had no ·money [silver] left, ·they [^Lall Egypt] went to Joseph and said, “Please give us food. Our money is gone, ·and if we don’t eat, we will [^Lwhy should we…?] die here in front of you.”

¹⁶ Joseph answered, “Since you have no ·money [silver], give me your ·farm animals [livestock], and I will give you food in return [^Lfor your livestock].” ¹⁷ So people brought their ·farm animals [livestock] to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. And he ·kept them alive by trading [supplied them with] food for their ·farm animals [livestock] that year.

¹⁸ ·The next year [^LWhen that year ended] the people came to Joseph [^Lin the second year] and said, “·You know [^LWe cannot hide from my master/lord that] we have no money left, and all our ·animals [^Lherds of cattle] belong to you. ·We have [^LBefore our master/lord there is] nothing left except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ ·Surely both we and our land will [^LWhy should we and our land…?] die here in front of you. Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we will be ·slaves [servants] to ·the king [^LPharaoh], together with our land. Give us seed to plant so that we will live and not die, and the land will not become ·a desert [desolate].”

²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for ·the king [^LPharaoh; ^CJoseph’s plan led to the tremendous power of the Pharaoh in Egypt and the world]. Every Egyptian sold Joseph his field, because the ·hunger [famine] was very ·great [strong; intense]. So the land ·became the king’s [belonged to the Pharaoh], ²¹ and Joseph made the people ·slaves^[a] from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² The only land he did not buy was the land the priests owned. They did not need to sell their land because ·the king [^LPharaoh] ·paid them [gave them an allowance] for their work. So they had money to buy food.

²³ Joseph said to the people, “Now I have bought you and your land for ·the king [^LPharaoh], so I will give you seed and you can plant ·your fields [^Lthe land]. ²⁴ At harvest time you must give one-fifth to ·the king [^LPharaoh]. You may keep four-fifths for yourselves to use as seed for the field and as food for yourselves, your families, and your ·children [little ones].”

²⁵ The people said, “You have ·saved our lives [allowed us to live]. If ·you like [^Lwe have found favor in the eyes of my master/lord], we will become slaves of ·the king [^LPharaoh].”

²⁶ So Joseph made a law in Egypt, which continues today: One-fifth of everything from the land belongs to ·the king [^LPharaoh]. The only land ·the king [^LPharaoh] did not get was the priests’ land.