Genesis 47
47
Chapter 47
Joseph works well for his master Pharaoh
1Joseph went to Pharaoh. He told him, ‘My father and brothers have arrived from Canaan. They have come with their animals and everything that belongs to them. They are now in Goshen.’ 2Joseph took five of his brothers to go with him to meet Pharaoh. 3Pharaoh asked the brothers, ‘What is your job?’ The brothers replied, ‘We are shepherds, sir. We take care of animals, just like our ancestors did.’ 4They also said to Pharaoh, ‘We have come to stay here for a short time because there is a bad famine in Canaan. Our animals do not have any grass to eat there. Please sir, let us stay in Goshen.’
5Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Your father and your brothers have now come to you. 6The whole land of Egypt is here for them. Your father and your brothers should stay in the best part of the land. They may live in Goshen. Choose the best shepherds from among them to take care of my own animals.’
7Then Joseph brought his father Jacob to meet Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8Then Pharaoh asked Jacob, ‘How old are you?’ 9Jacob replied, ‘I have been alive for 130 years. My years have been few, and they have been difficult. I have not lived for as long as my ancestors lived.’ #47:9 Abraham lived for 175 years (Genesis 25:7). And Isaac lived for 180 years (Genesis 35:28). 10Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again and he left.
11So Joseph helped his father and his brothers to make their home in Egypt. He gave them a good place to live in the best region of Egypt. This was in the region that is now called Rameses. Joseph did for his family what Pharaoh had told him to do. #47:11 Rameses is the Egyptian name for Goshen.
12Joseph also sent food to his father, his brothers and all his father's people. He gave them enough food for themselves and all their children.
13But because the famine was bad, no food grew in all of Egypt. As a result, the people of Egypt and Canaan became hungry and weak. 14Joseph received money from the people when he sold food to them. He took all the money to Pharaoh's palace. 15Soon the people of Egypt and Canaan did not have any more money. All the Egyptians went to Joseph and they said, ‘Give us food to eat. If not, we will die! We do not have any more money.’
16Joseph said to the people, ‘If you have no money, bring me your animals. I will give you food if you pay me with your animals instead of money.’ 17So the people brought their animals to Joseph. They brought horses, sheep, goats, cows and donkeys. Joseph sold food to them in return for their animals. In that way, he sold enough food for them to eat that year.
18When that year finished, the people came to Joseph again. They said to him, ‘Sir, you know that we do not have any money. Our animals now belong to you. We have nothing left to give to you. We only have our land and our own bodies. 19Do not let us die here and now! Do not destroy our land! If you give food to us, we will pay you with ourselves and with our land. We will become Pharaoh's slaves. Our land will become Pharaoh's land. Give us grain to eat and seed to plant. Then we will not die. Our fields will not be empty.’
20Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. Because the famine was very bad, all the Egyptians sold their fields to buy food. So all the land now belonged to Pharaoh. 21Joseph made all the people become slaves, wherever they lived in Egypt. 22But Joseph did not buy the land which belonged to the priests. Pharaoh himself gave the priests enough food. So the priests did not have to sell their land.
23Joseph said to the people, ‘Now I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. So I will give you some seed to plant in your fields. 24But when the plants are ready to eat, you must give one fifth part to Pharaoh. You may keep the other four parts. You may keep it for seed to plant again and you may eat it. It will be food for you, for your people and for your children.’ 25The people said, ‘You have saved our lives! Because you have been kind to us, we agree to become Pharaoh's slaves.’
26So Joseph made a law which everybody in Egypt has to obey. The law says that one fifth of all food that people grow belongs to Pharaoh. Only the priests' land did not become Pharaoh's land. This law still has authority today. #47:26 ‘still has authority today’ means that the law was still there when Genesis was written.
27The Israelites stayed in Egypt, in the region called Goshen. They had their own land there. They gave birth to many children so that they became very many people.
28Jacob lived in Egypt for 17 years. His whole life was 147 years. 29The time came for him to die. So he called his son Joseph to come to him. Jacob said to him, ‘If you agree, make a serious promise to me. Put your hand between my legs to show that I can trust you. Promise that you will be kind to me and that you will do as I ask. When I die, do not bury me here in Egypt. #47:29 See also Genesis 24:2. 30Carry my body out of Egypt. Bury me in the grave of my ancestors.’ Joseph said, ‘I will do as you say.’ 31Jacob said, ‘Promise me that you will do this.’ Then Joseph made a promise to him. After that, Jacob rested on his bed and he thanked God.
Currently Selected:
Genesis 47: EASY
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
MissionAssist 2018
Genesis 47
47
Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen
1Then Joseph 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 Goshen.” 2And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.” 4They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to reside in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.” 5Then Pharaoh said to #47:5 Lit Joseph, sayingJoseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6The land of Egypt is #47:6 Lit before youat your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any capable men among them, then #47:6 Lit appoint them rulersput them in charge of my livestock.”
7Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and #47:7 Lit set him beforepresented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many #47:8 Lit are the days of the years of your lifeyears have you lived?” 9So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The #47:9 Lit days of the yearsyears of my living abroad are #47:9 Lit 130 years130; few and #47:9 Lit evilunpleasant have been the #47:9 Lit days of the yearsyears of my life, nor have they #47:9 Lit reachedattained the #47:9 Lit days of the yearsyears #47:9 Lit of the life of my fathersthat my fathers lived during the days of their living abroad.” 10So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from #47:10 Lit Pharaoh’shis presence. 11Now Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with #47:12 Or breadfood, according to the #47:12 Lit mouthnumber of their little ones.
13Now there was no #47:13 Or breadfood in all the land, because the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14And Joseph 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 #47:15 Or breadfood, for why should we die in your presence? For our money is #47:15 Lit at an endgone.” 16Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money is #47:16 Lit at an endgone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them #47:17 Or breadfood in exchange for the horses and the #47:17 Lit livestock of the flocks and livestock of the herdsflocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he #47:17 Lit led them as a shepherdfed them with #47:17 Or breadfood in exchange for all their livestock #47:17 Lit in that yearthat year. 18But when that year ended, they came to him the #47:18 Lit secondnext year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord the fact that our money is all spent, and the #47:18 Lit livestock of the cattlelivestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left #47:18 Lit in the presence offor 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 #47:19 Or breadfood, 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 #47:20 Lit Egypt, every manevery 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 #47:22 Lit ate their allotmentlived 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. 24#47:24 Lit It shall come about...that you shallAt the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and #47:24 Lit four partsfour-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; only the land of the priests #47:26 Lit alone diddid not become Pharaoh’s.
27Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in #47:27 Lit the land of GoshenGoshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and became very numerous. 28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years; so the #47:28 Lit days of Jacob, the years of his lifelength of Jacob’s life was 147 years.
29When #47:29 Lit the days of Israelthe 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, place your hand under my thigh now and deal with me in kindness and #47:29 Lit truthfaithfulness: please do not bury me in Egypt, 30but when I #47:30 I.e., dielie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” 31And he said, “Swear to me.” So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE® NASB®
Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977,1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation
A Corporation Not for Profit
La Habra, CA
All Rights Reserved
www.lockman.org