Genesis 47

1 Then Joseph *Gen. 46:31went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in *Gen. 45:10; 46:28; 50:8the land of Goshen." 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and *Acts 7:13presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, *Gen. 46:33; Jon. 1:8"What is your occupation?"

And they said to Pharaoh, *Gen. 46:32, 34; Ex. 2:17, 19"Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers." 4 And they said to Pharaoh, *Gen. 15:13; Deut. 26:5; Ps. 105:23"We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, *Gen. 43:1; Acts 7:11for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants *Gen. 46:34dwell in the land of Goshen."

5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 *Gen. 20:15; 45:10, 18; 47:11The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell *Gen. 47:4in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock."

7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob *Gen. 47:10; 48:15, 20; 2 Sam. 14:22; 1 Kin. 8:66; Heb. 7:7blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?"

9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, *Ps. 39:12; (Heb. 11:9, 13)"The days of the years of my pilgrimage are*Gen. 47:28one hundred and thirty years; *(Job 14:1)few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and *Gen. 5:5; 11:10, 11; 25:7, 8; 35:28they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." 10 So Jacob *Gen. 47:7blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

11 And Joseph situated 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 *Ex. 1:11; 12:37Rameses, *Gen. 47:6, 27as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all *Gen. 45:11; 50:21his father’s household with bread, according to the number in their families.

Joseph Deals with the Famine

13 Now therewas no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, *Gen. 41:30; Acts 7:11so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 *Gen. 41:56; 42:6And 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 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for *Gen. 47:19why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed."

16 Then Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone." 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread inexchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread inexchange for all their livestock that year.

18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. 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 of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may *Gen. 43:8live and not die, that the land may not be desolate."

20 Then Joseph *Jer. 32:43bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 *Lev. 25:34; Ezra 7:24Only the land of the *Gen. 41:45priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allottedtothem by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.

23 Then Joseph said to the people, "Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, hereis seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones."

25 So they said, "You have saved *Gen. 33:15our lives; let us find favor 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 to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, *Gen. 47:22except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.

Joseph’s Vow to Jacob

27 So Israel *Gen. 47:11dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and *Gen. 17:6; 26:4; 35:11; 46:3; Ex. 1:7; Deut. 26:5; Acts 7:17grew and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 When the time *Deut. 31:14; 1 Kin. 2:1drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "Now if I have found favor in your sight, please *Gen. 24:2–4put your hand under my thigh, and *Gen. 24:49; Josh. 2:14deal kindly and truly with me. *Gen. 50:25Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but *2 Sam. 19:37let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and *Gen. 49:29; 50:5–13; Heb. 11:21bury me in their burial place."

And he said, "I will do as you have said."

31 Then he said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. So *Gen. 48:2; 1 Kin. 1:47; Heb. 11:21Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.