Genesis 47:13-26

13Now there was no 1food in all the land, because the famine was very severe, so that 2the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 143Joseph gathered 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. 15When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph 4and said, “Give us 5food, for 6why should we die in your presence? For our money 7is gone.” 16Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money 8is gone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them 9food in exchange for the horses and the 10flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he 11fed them with 12food in exchange for all their livestock 13that year. 18When that year was ended, they came to him the 14next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent, and the 15cattle are my lord’s. There is nothing left 16for my lord except our bodies and our lands. 19Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for 17food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for 18every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. Thus the land became Pharaoh’s. 21As for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other. 22Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they 19lived off the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. 23Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have today bought you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land. 2420At the harvest you shall give a 21fifth to Pharaoh, and 22four-fifths shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food and for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” 25So they said, “You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; 23only the land of the priests 24did not become Pharaoh’s.