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. 14And 3Joseph 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 4food, for 5why should we die in your presence? For our money is 6gone.” 16Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money is 7gone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them 8food in exchange for the horses and the 9flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he 10fed them with 11food in exchange for all their livestock 12that year. 18But when that year ended, they came to him the 13next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord the fact that our money is all spent, and the 14livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left 15for 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 16food, 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.”

20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for 17every 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 18lived 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. 2419At the harvest you shall give a 20fifth to Pharaoh, and 21four-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; 22only the land of the priests 23did not become Pharaoh’s.