1 José veio à presença de Faraó e anunciou-lhe: Meu pai e meus irmãos chegaram de Canaã com os rebanhos, o gado e tudo quanto têm. Encontram-se, para já, instalados na terra de Gosen.2 E tinha trazido consigo cinco dos seus irmãos, que apresentou a Faraó. Este perguntou-lhes: Qual é a vossa actividade? Somos pastores, tal como os nossos antepassados. Viemos viver aqui para o Egipto porque lá em Canaã não há pastagens para os rebanhos; a fome é muito maior do que cá. Nós queríamos pedir-te que nos deixasses viver na terra de Gosen.5 Faraó disse a José: Escolhe tu onde queres que eles vivam. Dá-lhes mesmo a melhor terra do Egipto. Se querem a terra de Gosen está muito bem. E se houver dentre eles alguns que sejam bastante capazes, põe-nos como responsáveis dos meus rebanhos.7 Então José trouxe o seu pai Jacob para o apresentar ao Faraó. E Jacob abençoou o rei. Qual é a tua idade?, perguntou-lhe o Faraó.9 Tenho 130 anos, anos difíceis e de labutas, e não são tantos quantos os meus antepassados viveram. Antes de sair da presença do rei, Jacob abençoou-o de novo.11 E assim José reservou a melhor terra do Egipto - a terra de Ramassés - para o seu pai e os irmãos viverem lá, tal como Faraó tinha indicado. E forneceu-lhes alimentos, de acordo com os seus agregados familiares.13 A fome era cada vez maior. As pessoas morriam de miséria, tanto na terra de Canaã como no Egipto. José conseguiu arrecadar todo o dinheiro tanto do Egipto como de Canaã, em troca de trigo, e fê-lo depositar nos cofres reais. E quando já não havia mais moeda de troca, a população veio ter com José, chorando outra vez por mais comida.Já não temos dinheiro. Arranja-nos contudo maneira de termos de comer. Porque é que haveríamos de morrer?16 Bom, então dêem-me o vosso gado. Recebê-lo-ei em troca de comida.17 Trouxeram assim o gado a José para terem com que se alimentarem. E depressa toda a espécie de animais - cavalos, ovelhas, bois, jumentos, etc. - que havia no Egipto tornaram-se propriedade de Faraó.18 No ano seguinte vieram de novo: Não temos dinheiro, os animais já são todos teus, só temos as nossas vidas e as terras. Não queremos morrer! Compra-nos a nós e às nossas terras para servirmos o rei. Se nos vendermos por alimento ao menos não morreremos e nem as terras ficarão abandonadas.20 Dessa sorte José comprou toda a terra do Egipto para Faraó, e os egípcios venderam-se para o seu serviço. As únicas terras que ele não comprou foram as que pertenciam aos sacerdotes porque estes recebiam a alimentação de Faraó e não necessitaram de vender coisa nenhuma.23 José disse ao povo: Comprei-vos, vocês e as vossas terras, para Faraó. Portanto aqui está o trigo. Agora vão e semeiem a terra. Quando fizerem as colheitas, um quinto de tudo o que obtiverem pertencerá a Faraó. Das quatro partes que ficam, terão de pôr de lado um tanto para semearem de novo em vistas do ano seguinte, e o resto é para se alimentarem - vocês, as vossas famílias, os vossos meninos.25 Salvaste-nos a vida, disseram. De bom grado seremos servos do rei.26 Foi dessa forma que José fez a lei, válida para todo o território do Egipto e que ainda hoje está em vigor, em como deve ser paga ao Faraó um imposto de um quinto de todos os cereais, excepto quanto ao que for produzido nas terras pertencentes aos templos.27 E viveu Israel na terra de Gosen, no Egipto, tomando posse da terra e trabalhando-a, começando a prosperar e multiplicando-se muito.28 Jacob viveu ainda dezassete anos depois que veio para o Egipto. Ao todo foram 147 os anos da sua vida.29 Quando sentiu que se aproximava o fim, chamou José e disse-lhe: Quero pedir-te que dês solenemente a garantia em como respeitarás este último pedido que te vou fazer, e que mostrarás assim a tua afeição para comigo: quero que me enterres, não aqui no Egipto, mas que me leves daqui e que ponhas o meu corpo, depois de eu morrer, junto com os meus pais.José garantiu-lhe que faria assim. E Jacob insistiu: Mas jura-me. E ele jurou-lhe srael adorou, inclinando a cabeça sobre a cabeceira da cama.

1 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.2 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them to Pharaoh.3 And Pharaoh said to his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said to Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.4 They said moreover to Pharaoh, We have come to sojourn in the land: for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.5 And Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren have come to thee:6 The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell; and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, How old art thou?9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, nor have they attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, 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 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread according to their families.13 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very distressing, so that the land of Egypt, and all the land of Canaan, fainted 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 brought the money into Pharaoh's house.15 And when 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 why should we die in thy presence: for the money faileth.16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money hath failed.17 And they brought their cattle to Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses; and he fed them with bread, for all their cattle, 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 that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not aught left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies and our lands:19 Why shall we die before thy eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them by Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.23 Then Joseph said to the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part to Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace 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 the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions in it and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was a hundred and forty seven years.29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.31 And he said, Swear to me: and he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.