A   And Ioseph went ∧ tolde Pharao and sayde: my father and my brethr&ebar; their shepe and their beastes ∧ al that they haue, are come oute of the lande of Canaan and are in the lande of Gosan. And Ioseph toke a parte of his brethren: eu&ebar; fyue of them, and presented them vnto Pharao. And Pharao said vnto his brethren: what is youre occupacion? And they sayde vnto Pharao: sheppardes are thy seruauntes, both we ∧ also oure fathers. They said moreouer vnto Pharao: for to ^note sogeorne in the lande are we come, for thy seruauntes haue no pasture for their shepe so sore is the fameshm&ebar;t in the land of Canaan. Now therfore let thy seruauntes dwell in the lande of Gosan.

B   And Pharao said vnto Ioseph: thy father and thy brethren are come vnto the. The land of Egypt is open before the: In þe; best place of the lande make both thy father ∧ thy brethren dwell: And euen in the lande of Gosan let th&ebar; dwell. Moreouer yf thou knowe any men of actiuyte amonge them, make them ruelars ouer my catell. And Ioseph brought in Iacob his father and set hym before Pharao. And Iacob blessed Pharao, and Pharao axed Iacob, how olde art thou? And Iacob sayd vnto Pharao: the dayes of my05Q0100 pilgremage are an h&ubar;dred and .xxx. yeres. Fewe ∧ euell haue the dayes of my lyfe bene, ∧ haue not attayned vnto the yeres of the lyfe of my fathers in the dayes of their pilgremages. And Iacob05Q0101 blessed Pharao and went out, from hym. And Ioseph prepared dwellinges for his father and his brethren, ∧ gaue them possessions in the land of Egypte, in the best of the lande: euen in the lande of Rameses, as Pharao commaunded. And Ioseph made prouysion for hys father, hys brethren ∧ all hys fathers housholde, as yonge chyldr&ebar; are fedd with bread.

There was no bread in all the lande, for þe; derth was exceadyng sore: so that the land of Egypt ∧ the land of Cana&abar;, were fameshyd by the reason of þe; derth. And Ioseph brought together al the money that was found in that lande of Egypte and of Cana&abar;, for the corne which they bought: ∧ he layde vp the money in Pharaos house. When money fayled in þe; lande of Egypte ∧ of Canaan, all the Egypcians came vnto Ioseph and sayde: geue vs sustena&ubar;ce: wherfore suffrest thou vs to dye before the: for our money is spent. Th&ebar; sayde

Ioseph. Ioseph: D   brynge your catell, and I wyll geue you for your catell, yf ye be without money. And they brought their catell vnto Ioseph. And he gaue them bread for horsses ∧ shepe, and oxen and asses: so he fed them with bread for al their catell that yere.

When that yere was ended, they came vnto hym the nexte yere and sayde vnto him: we wyll not hyde it from my Lorde, howe that we haue nether money nor catell for my Lorde: there is no moare left for my Lorde, but euen our bodies and our landes. Wherfore lettest thou vs dye before thine eyes, and the lande to go to noughte? bye vs and oure landes for bread: and let both vs and our landes be bonde to Pharao. Geue vs seed, that we may lyue and not dye, and that the lande go nat to wast.

And Ioseph bought al the land of Egypte for Pharao. For the Egypcians solde euery man hys lande because the derth was sore vpon them: and so the lande be came05Q0102 Pharaos. And he appoynted the people vnto the cyties, from one syde of Egypte, vnto the other: only the land of the Prestes bought he not. For there was an ordinaunce made by Pharao for the prestes, that they shoulde eate þt; which was appoynted vnto th&ebar;: whyche Pharao had geuen them wherfore they solde not their landes.

Then Ioseph sayde vnto the folke: beholde I haue boughte you thys daye ∧ youre landes for Pharao. F   Take there seed, and go sowe the lande. And of the encrease, ye shall geue the fyfte parte vnto Pharao, and .iiij. partes shalbe youre owne, for seed to sowe the felde: and for you, and them of your hous holdes, and for youre chyldren, to eate. And they answered: Thou haste saued our lyues. Let vs fynde grace in the syghte of my Lord, and let vs be Pharaos seruauntes. And Ioseph made it a lawe ouer the lande of Egypte vnto thys daye: that men muste geue Pharao the fyfte parte, G   excepte the lande of the preastes only, whych was not bond vnto Pharao.

And Israel dwelt in Egypte: euen in the countre of Gosan. And they had their possessions therin, and they grewe and multiplyed exceadynglye. Moreouer Iacob, lyued in the lande of Egypte .xvij. yeres, so that the whole age of Iacob was an hundred ∧ .xlvij yere.

When the tyme drewe nye, that Israel must dye: he sent for hys sonne Ioseph and sayde vnto hym: If I haue founde grace in thy syghte, put thy hande vnder my05Q0103 thye ∧ deale mercyfully and truely wyth me, that thou burye me not in Egypte: but let me lye by my fathers, and carye me out of Egypte, and burye me in their buryall. And he answered: I wyll do as thou hast sayde. And he sayde ^note swere vnto me. And he sware vnto hym. And than Israell bowed hym vnto the beddes head.

Previous section

Next section