Joseph Welcomes His Family
47 1 Joseph came and told Pharaoh, "My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen." 2 From among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh asked Joseph's brothers, "What is your occupation?" They answered Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, just as our fathers were."
4 They also said to Pharaoh, "We have come to live in the land for a while, because there is no pasture for your servants' flocks — the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants settle in the land of Goshen."
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen. And if you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock."
7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh asked Jacob, "How many years have you lived?"
9 Jacob answered Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are 130. My years have been few and hard, and they have not reached the years my fathers lived during their pilgrimage." a a v9 Jacob calls his life a "pilgrimage" — Hebrews 11:13-16 names the patriarchs as strangers and pilgrims who looked beyond Canaan and Egypt to the home our Father was preparing for them. 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a holding in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the region of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their children.
The Famine Deepens
13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 Joseph collected all the silver that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were buying, and Joseph brought the silver into Pharaoh's house. 15 When the silver was spent from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food! Why should we die before your eyes? For our silver is gone."
16 Joseph answered, "Give me your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, since your silver is gone." 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He sustained them with food that year in exchange for all their livestock. 18 When that year was ended, they came to him the second year and said, "We cannot hide from my lord that our silver is spent and the herds of livestock belong to my lord. There is nothing left for my lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed so we may live and not die, and so the land may not become desolate."
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, because every Egyptian sold his field — the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's. 21 As for the people, he moved them to the cities from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, "Look, today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you. Sow the land. 24 At the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households and for your little ones."
25 They said, "You have saved our lives! May we find favor in the eyes of my lord, and we will be servants to Pharaoh." 26 So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, still in force today, that a fifth should go to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's.
27 Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. 28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, so Jacob lived a total of 147 years. 29 When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor with you, please put your hand under my thigh and treat me with covenant love and faithfulness. Please do not bury me in Egypt, b b v29 Placing a hand under someone's thigh was an ancient solemn oath gesture, binding the promise on one's descendants. 30 but let me lie down with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place." Joseph answered, "I will do as you have said."
31 But Jacob said, "Swear to me." So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself at the head of his bed.