Genesis 47

1Then Joseph #Gen. 46:31went and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in #Gen. 45:10; 46:28; 50:8the land of Goshen.” 2And he took five men from among his brothers and #Acts 7:13presented them to Pharaoh. 3Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, #Gen. 46:33; Jon. 1:8“What is your occupation?”

And they said to Pharaoh, #Gen. 46:32, 34; Ex. 2:17, 19“Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.” 4And they said to Pharaoh, #Gen. 15:13; Deut. 26:5; Ps. 105:23“We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, #Gen. 43:1; Acts 7:11for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants #Gen. 46:34dwell in the land of Goshen.”

5Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6#Gen. 20:15; 45:10, 18; 47:11The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell #Gen. 47:4in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”

7Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob #Gen. 47:10; 48:15, 20; 2 Sam. 14:22; 1 Kin. 8:66; Heb. 7:7blessed Pharaoh. 8Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”

9And Jacob said to Pharaoh, #Ps. 39:12; (Heb. 11:9, 13)“The days of the years of my pilgrimage are #Gen. 47:28one hundred and thirty years; #(Job 14:1)few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and #Gen. 5:5; 11:10, 11; 25:7, 8; 35:28they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” 10So Jacob #Gen. 47:7blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

11And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of #Ex. 1:11; 12:37Rameses, #Gen. 47:6, 27as Pharaoh had commanded. 12Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all #Gen. 45:11; 50:21his father’s household with bread, according to the number in their families.

Joseph Deals with the Famine

13Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, #Gen. 41:30; Acts 7:11so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14#Gen. 41:56; 42:6And Joseph gathered up 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.

15So when the 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 #Gen. 47:19why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”

16Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.

18When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may #Gen. 43:8live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”

20Then Joseph #Jer. 32:43bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22#Lev. 25:34; Ezra 7:24Only the land of the #Gen. 41:45priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.

23Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.”

25So they said, “You have saved #Gen. 33:15our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.” 26And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, #Gen. 47:22except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.

Joseph’s Vow to Jacob

27So Israel #Gen. 47:11dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and #Gen. 17:6; 26:4; 35:11; 46:3; Ex. 1:7; Deut. 26:5; Acts 7:17grew and multiplied exceedingly. 28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. 29When the time #Deut. 31:14; 1 Kin. 2:1drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please #Gen. 24:2–4put your hand under my thigh, and #Gen. 24:49; Josh. 2:14deal kindly and truly with me. #Gen. 50:25Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30but #2 Sam. 19:37let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and #Gen. 49:29; 50:5–13; Heb. 11:21bury me in their burial place.”

And he said, “I will do as you have said.”

31Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So #Gen. 48:2; 1 Kin. 1:47; Heb. 11:21Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.

Genesis 47

Pharaoh Welcomes Jacob

1So Joseph went and informed Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their sheep and cattle and all that they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen.” # Gn 45:10; 46:28

2He took five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. # Ac 7:13 3Then Pharaoh asked his brothers, “What is your occupation? ”

And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants, both we and our fathers, are shepherds.” # Gn 46:32-34 4Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live in the land for a while because there is no grazing land for your servants’ sheep, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe. # Gn 15:13; Dt 26:5 So now, please let your servants settle in the land of Goshen.”

5Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have come to you, 6the land of Egypt is open before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. # Gn 45:10,18; 47:11 They can live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.” # Ex 18:21,25; 1Kg 11:28; Pr 22:29

7Joseph then brought his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8Then Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many years have you lived? ” # Lit many are the days of the years

9Jacob said to Pharaoh, “My pilgrimage # 1Ch 29:15; Ps 39:12; 119:19,54; Heb 11:9,13 has lasted 130 years. My years have been few and hard, # Jb 14:1; Ps 39:4-5; Jms 4:14 and they have not surpassed the years of my fathers during their pilgrimages.” # Gn 11:32; 25:7; 35:28 10So Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from Pharaoh’s presence.

11Then Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the land of Rameses, # Gn 45:10; Ex 1:11; 12:37 as Pharaoh had commanded. 12And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food for their dependents. # Gn 45:11; 50:21

The Land Becomes Pharaoh’s

13But there was no food in that entire region, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were exhausted by the famine. 14Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were purchasing, and he brought the money to Pharaoh’s palace. # Gn 41:56 15When the money from the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die here in front of you? The money is gone! ”

16But Joseph said, “Give me your livestock. Since the money is gone, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for the horses, the herds of sheep, the herds of cattle, and the donkeys. That year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.

18When that year was over, they came the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our lord that the money is gone and that all our livestock belongs to our lord. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19Why should we die here in front of you — both us and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. Then we with our land will become Pharaoh’s slaves. Give us seed so that we can live and not die, and so that the land won’t become desolate.”

20In this way, Joseph acquired all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, because every Egyptian sold his field since the famine was so severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21and Joseph moved the people to the cities # Sam, LXX, Vg read and he made the people servants from one end of Egypt to the other. 22The only land he didn’t acquire was the priests’ portion, for it was given to them by Pharaoh. They lived off # Lit They ate the rations Pharaoh had given them; therefore they did not sell their land.

23Then Joseph said to the people, “Understand today that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you. Sow it in the land. 24At harvest, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, # Gn 41:34 and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and as food for yourselves, your households, and your dependents.”

25And they said, “You have saved our lives. We have found favor in our lord’s eyes and will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26So Joseph made it a law, still in effect today in the land of Egypt, that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. Only the priests’ land does not belong to Pharaoh.

Israel Settles in Goshen

27Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property in it and became fruitful and very numerous. # Gn 17:6; 26:4; 35:11; Ex 1:7; Dt 26:5; Ac 7:17 28Now Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years, and his life span was 147 years. 29When the time drew near for him to die, # Dt 31:14; 1Kg 2:1 he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh # Gn 24:2 and promise me that you will deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. # Gn 24:49 Do not bury me in Egypt. 30When I rest with my fathers, carry me away from Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” # Gn 23:17-20; 25:9-10; 35:29; 49:29-32; 50:5,13; Ac 7:15-16

Joseph answered, “I will do what you have asked.”

31And Jacob said, “Swear to me.” So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed in thanks at the head of his bed. # Or Israel worshiped while leaning on the top of his staff # Gn 48:2; 1Kg 1:47; Heb 11:21

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Genesis 47

Genesis 47