Genesis 47

Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen

1Then 1Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of 2Goshen.” 2And he took five men from among his brothers and 3presented them to Pharaoh. 3Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “4What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are 5shepherds, both we and our fathers.” 4They also said to Pharaoh, “6We have come to reside in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for 7the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, please let your servants 8live in the land of Goshen.” 5Then Pharaoh said to 9Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6The land of Egypt is 10at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in 11the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any 12capable men among them, then 13put them in charge of my livestock.”

7Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and 14presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob 15blessed Pharaoh. 8And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many 16years have you lived?” 9So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The 1718years of my living abroad are 19130; few and 20unpleasant have been the 21years of my life, nor have they 22attained 23the 24years 25that my fathers lived during the days of their living abroad.” 10So Jacob 26blessed Pharaoh, and went out from 27his presence. 11Now Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in 28the best of the land, in the land of 29Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12Joseph also 30provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with 31food, according to the 32number of their little ones.

13Now there was no 33food in all the land, because the famine was very severe, so that 34the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14And 35Joseph collected all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in payment 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 saying, “Give us 36food, for 37why should we die in your presence? For our money is 38gone.” 16Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money is 39gone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them 40food in exchange for the horses and the 41flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he 42fed them with 43food in exchange for all their livestock 44that year. 18But when that year ended, they came to him the 45next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord the fact that our money is all spent, and the 46livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left 47for 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 48food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

Result of the Famine

20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for 49every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21As for the people, he relocated them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other. 22Only the land of the priests he did not buy, because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they 50lived off the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. 23Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, today I have purchased you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land. 2451At the harvest you shall give a 52fifth to Pharaoh, and 53four-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 was to have the fifth; 54only the land of the priests 55did not become Pharaoh’s.

27Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in 56Goshen, and they 57acquired property in it and 58were fruitful and became very numerous. 28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for 59seventeen years; so the 60length of Jacob’s life was 147 years.

29When 6162the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight, 63place your hand under my thigh now and 64deal with me in kindness and 65faithfulness: please do not bury me in Egypt, 30but when I 6667lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in 68their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” 31And he said, “69Swear to me.” So he swore to him. Then 70Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.