The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Genesis 47
1 Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh,
and said, “My father and my brothers,
with their flocks, their herds, and all that
they own, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land
of Goshen.”
2 From among his brothers he took five
men, and presented them to Pharaoh.
3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is
your occupation?”
They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are
shepherds, both we, and our fathers.”
4 They also said to Pharaoh, “We have
come to live as foreigners in the land,
for there is no pasture for your servants’
flocks. For the famine is severe in the land
of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your
servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
5 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 of the land. Let them dwell in the
land of Goshen. If you know any able men
among them, then put them in charge of
my livestock.”
7 Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and
set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed
Pharaoh.
8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are
you?”
9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my
pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years.
The days of the years of my life have been
few and evil. They have not attained to the
days of the years of the life of my fathers in
the days of their pilgrimage.”
10 Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out
from the presence of Pharaoh.
11 Joseph placed 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 Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
12 Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all of his father’s household with
bread, according to the sizes of their families.
13 There was no bread in all the land;
for the famine was very severe, so that
the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan
fainted by reason of the famine.
14 Joseph gathered up all the money that
was found in the land of Egypt, and in the
land of Canaan, 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, and said,
“Give us bread, for why should we die in
your presence? For our money fails.”
16 Joseph said, “Give me your livestock;
and I will give you food for your livestock,
if your money is gone.”
17 They broughttheir livestock to Joseph,
and Joseph gave them bread in exchange
for the horses, and for the flocks, and for
the herds, and for the donkeys: and he fed
them with bread in exchange for all their
livestock for that year.
18 When that year was ended, they came
to him the second year, and said to him,
“We will not hide from my lord how our
money is all spent, and the herds of livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left
in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and
our lands.
19 Why should we die before your eyes,
both we and our land? Buy us and our
land for bread, and we and our land will
be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that
we may live, and not die, and that the land
won’t be desolate.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt
for Pharaoh, for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine
was severe on them, and the land became
Pharaoh’s.
21 As for the people, he moved them to
the cities from one end of the border of
Egypt even to the other end of it.
22 Only he didn’t buy the land of the
priests, for the priests had a portion from
Pharaoh, and ate their portion which
Pharaoh gave them. That is why they
didn’t sell their land.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have bought you and your land
today for Pharaoh. Behold, here is seed for
you, and you shall sow the land.
24 It will happen at the harvests, that you
shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts
will be your own, for seed of the field, for
your food, for them of your households,
and for food for your little ones.”
25 They said, “You have saved our lives!
Letusfindfavor inthe sight ofmy lord, and
we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
26 Joseph made it a statute concerning
the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh
should have the fifth. Only the land of the
priests alone didn’t become Pharaoh’s.
27 Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the
land of Goshen; and they got themselves
possessions therein, and were fruitful, and
multiplied exceedingly.
28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years
of his life, were one hundred forty-seven
years.
29 The time came near that Israel must
die, and he called his son Joseph, and
said to him, “If now I have found favor in
your sight, please put your hand under my
thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me.
Please don’t bury me in Egypt,
30 but when I sleep with my fathers, you
shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in
their burying place.”
Joseph said, “I will do as you have said.”
31 Israel said, “Swear to me,” and he
swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself
on the bed’s head.