1   Joseph came and told Pharaoh, ‘My father and my brothers have arrived from Canaan, with their flocks and their cattle and all that they have, and they are now in Goshen.’ 2   Then he chose five of his brothers

Joseph in Egypt and presented them to Pharaoh, 3   who asked them what their occupation was, and they answered, ‘My lord, we are shepherds, we and our fathers before us, and we have come to stay in this land; 4   for there is no pasture in Canaan for our sheep, because the famine there is so severe. We beg you, my lord, to let us settle now in Goshen.’ 5   Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘So your father and your brothers have come to you. 6   The land of Egypt is yours; settle them in the best part of it. Let them live in Goshen, and if you know of any capable men among them, make them chief herdsmen over my cattle.’

7   Then Joseph brought his father in and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob gave Pharaoh his blessing. 8    9   Pharaoh asked Jacob his age, and he answered, ‘The years of my earthly sojourn are one hundred and thirty; hard years they have been and few, not equal to the years that my fathers lived in their time.’ 10   Jacob then blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. 11   So Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and gave them lands in Egypt, in the best part of the country, in the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12   He supported his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with all the food they needed. ^note

13   There was no bread in the whole country, so very severe was the famine, and Egypt and Canaan were laid low by it. 14   Joseph collected all the silver in Egypt and Canaan in return for the corn which the people bought, and deposited it in Pharaoh's treasury. 15   When all the silver in Egypt and Canaan had been used up, the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, ‘Give us bread, or we shall die before your eyes. Our silver is all spent.’ 16   Joseph said, ‘If your silver is spent, give me your herds and I will give you bread in return.’ 17   So they brought their herds to Joseph, who gave them bread in exchange for their horses, their flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, and their asses. He maintained them that year with bread in exchange for their herds. 18   The year came to an end, and the following year they came to him again and said, ‘My lord, we cannot conceal it from you: our silver is all gone and our herds of cattle are yours. Nothing is left for your lordship but our bodies and our lands. 19   Why should we perish before your eyes, we and our land as well? Take us and our land in payment for bread, and we and our land alike will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed-corn to keep us alive, or we shall die and our land will become desert.’ 20   So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, because the Egyptians sold all their fields, so severe was the famine; the land became Pharaoh's. 21   As for the people, Pharaoh set them to work as slaves ^note from one end of the territory of Egypt to the other. 22   But Joseph did not buy the land which belonged to the priests; they had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on this, so that they had no need to sell their land.

Joseph in Egypt

23   Joseph said to the people, ‘Listen; I have today bought you and your land for Pharaoh. 24   Here is seed-corn for you. Sow the land, and give one fifth of the crop to Pharaoh. Four fifths shall be yours to provide seed for your fields and food for yourselves, your households, and your dependants.’ 25   The people said, ‘You have saved our lives. If it please your lordship, we will be Pharaoh's slaves.’ 26   Joseph established it as a law in Egypt that one fifth should belong to Pharaoh, and this is still in force. It was only the priests' land that did not pass into Pharaoh's hands.

27   Thus Israel settled in Egypt, in Goshen; there they acquired land, and were fruitful and increased greatly. 28   Jacob stayed in Egypt for seventeen years and lived to be a hundred and forty-seven years old. 29   When the time of his ^note death drew near, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, ‘If I may now claim this favour from you, put your hand under my thigh and swear by the Lord ^note that you will deal loyally and truly with me and not bury me in Egypt. 30   When I die like my forefathers, you shall carry me from Egypt and bury me in their grave.’ 31   He answered, ‘I will do as you say’; but Jacob said, ‘Swear it.’ So he swore the oath, and Israel sank down over the end of the bed. ^note

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