Genesis 47

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 So Joseph went and told Pharaoh, 'My father and brothers have arrived from Canaan with their flocksand cattle and al their possessions. Here they are, in the region of Goshen.'	1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, "My father and my brothers have come from the land of Canaan, with their flocks and herds and everything else they own; and they are now in the region of Goshen."
2 He had taken five of his brothers, and he now presented them to Pharaoh.	2 He then presented to Pharaoh five of his brothers whom he had selected from their full number.
3 Pharaoh asked his brothers, 'What is your occupation?' and they gave Pharaoh the answer, 'Yourservants are shepherds, like our fathers before us.'	3 When Pharaoh asked them what their occupation was, they answered, "We, your servants, like our ancestors, are shepherds.
4 They went on to tel Pharaoh, 'We have come to stay in this country for the time being, since there isno pasturage for your servants' flocks, Canaan being stricken with famine. So now please al ow your servants tosettle in the region of Goshen.'	4 We have come," they continued, "in order to stay in this country, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks in the land of Canaan, so severe has the famine been there. Please, therefore, let your servants settle in the region of Goshen."
5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,'They may stay in the region of Goshen, and if you know of any capablemen among them, put them in charge of my own livestock.' Jacob and his sons went to Egypt where Josephwas. Pharaoh king of Egypt heard about this and said to Joseph, 'Your father and brothers have come to you.	5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "They may settle in the region of Goshen; and if you know any of them to be qualified, you may put them in charge of my own livestock." Thus, when Jacob and his sons came to Joseph in Egypt, and Pharaoh, king of Egypt, heard about it, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Now that your father and brothers have come to you,
6 The country of Egypt is open to you: settle your father and brothers in the best region.'	6 the land of Egypt is at your disposal; settle your father and brothers in the pick of the land."
7 Joseph brought his father and presented him to Pharaoh. Jacob paid his respects to Pharaoh.	7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh. After Jacob had paid his respects to Pharaoh,
8 Pharaoh asked Jacob, 'How many years have you lived?'	8 Pharaoh asked him, "How many years have you lived?"
9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The years of my stay on earth add up to one hundred and thirty years. Fewand unhappy my years have been, fal ing short of my ancestors' years in their stay on earth.'	9 Jacob replied: "The years I have lived as a wayfarer amount to a hundred and thirty. Few and hard have been these years of my life, and they do not compare with the years that my ancestors lived as wayfarers."
10 Jacob then took leave of Pharaoh and withdrew from his presence.	10 Then Jacob bade Pharaoh farewell and withdrew from his presence.
11 Joseph then settled his father and brothers, giving them land holdings in Egypt, in the best part of thecountry, the region of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered.	11 As Pharaoh had ordered, Joseph settled his father and brothers and gave them holdings in Egypt on the pick of the land, in the region of Rameses.
12 Joseph provided his father, brothers and al his father's family with food, down to the least of them.	12 And Joseph sustained his father and brothers and his father's whole household, down to the youngest, with food.
13 And on al the earth around there was now no food anywhere, for the famine had grown very severe,and Egypt and Canaan were both weak with hunger.	13 Since there was no food in any country because of the extreme severity of the famine, and the lands of Egypt and Canaan were languishing from hunger,
14 Joseph accumulated al the money to be found in Egypt and Canaan, in exchange for the suppliesbeing handed out, and put the money in Pharaoh's palace.	14 Joseph gathered in, as payment for the rations that were being dispensed, all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan, and he put it in Pharaoh's palace.
15 When al the money in Egypt and Canaan was exhausted, al the Egyptians came to Joseph,pleading, 'Give us food, unless you want us to die before your eyes! For our money has come to an end.'	15 When all the money in Egypt and Canaan was spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, pleading, "Give us food or we shall perish under your eyes; for our money is gone."
16 Joseph replied, 'Hand over your livestock and I shal issue you food in exchange for your livestock, ifyour money has come to an end.'	16 "Since your money is gone," replied Joseph, "give me your livestock, and I will sell you bread in return for your livestock."
17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for horses andlivestock, whether sheep or cattle, and for donkeys. Thus he saw them through that year with food in exchangefor all their livestock.	17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he sold them food in return for their horses, their flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, and their donkeys. Thus he got them through that year with bread in exchange for all their livestock.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year, and said to him, 'We cannot hide it frommy lord: the truth is, our money has run out and the livestock is in my lord's possession. There is nothing left formy lord except our bodies and our land.	18 When that year ended, they came to him in the following one and said: "We cannot hide from my lord that, with our money spent and our livestock made over to my lord, there is nothing left to put at my lord's disposal except our bodies and our farm land.
19 If we and our land are not to perish, take us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our landwil become Pharaoh's serfs; only give us seed, so that we can survive and not die and the land not revert todesert!'	19 Why should we and our land perish before your very eyes? Take us and our land in exchange for food, and we will become Pharaoh's slaves and our land his property; only give us seed, that we may survive and not perish, and that our land may not turn into a waste."
20 Thus Joseph acquired all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, since one by one the Egyptians sold theirfields, so hard pressed were they by the famine; and the whole country passed into Pharaoh's possession,	20 Thus Joseph acquired all the farm land of Egypt for Pharaoh, since with the famine too much for them to bear, every Egyptian sold his field; so the land passed over to Pharaoh,
21 while the people he reduced to serfdom from one end of Egypt to the other.	21 and the people were reduced to slavery, from one end of Egypt's territory to the other.
22 The only land he did not acquire belonged to the priests, for the priests received an al owance fromPharaoh and lived on the al owance that Pharaoh gave them. Hence they had no need to sel their land.	22 Only the priests' lands Joseph did not take over. Since the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived off the allowance Pharaoh had granted them, they did not have to sell their land.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, 'This is how we stand: I have bought you out, with your land, onPharaoh's behalf. Here is seed for you to sow the land.	23 Joseph told the people: "Now that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh, here is your seed for sowing the land.
24 But of the harvest you must give a fifth to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you can have for sowingyour fields, to provide food for yourselves and your households, and food for your children.'	24 But when the harvest is in, you must give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, while you keep four-fifths as seed for your fields and as food for yourselves and your families (and as food for your children)."
25 'You have saved our lives!' they replied. 'If it please my lord, we will become serfs to Pharaoh.'	25 "You have saved our lives!" they answered. "We are grateful to my lord that we can be Pharaoh's slaves."
26 So Joseph made a law, still in force today, as regards the soil of Egypt, that one-fifth should go toPharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not go to Pharaoh.	26 Thus Joseph made it a law for the land in Egypt, which is still in force, that a fifth of its produce should go to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not pass over to Pharaoh.
27 Thus Israel settled in Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there; they were fruitfuland grew very numerous.	27 Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. There they acquired property, were fertile, and increased greatly.
28 Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt; thus Jacob's total age came to a hundred and forty-sevenyears.	28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years; the span of his life came to a hundred and forty-seven years.
29 When Israel's time to die drew near he sent for his son Joseph and said to him, 'If you real y love me,place your hand under my thigh as pledge that you will act with faithful love towards me: do not bury me inEgypt!	29 When the time approached for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him: "If you really wish to please me, put your hand under my thigh as a sign of your constant loyalty to me; do not let me be buried in Egypt.
30 When I lie down with my ancestors, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their tomb.' 'I shal do asyou say,' he replied.	30 When I lie down with my ancestors, have me taken out of Egypt and buried in their burial place."
31 'Swear to me,' he insisted. So he swore to him, and Israel sank back on the pil ow.	31 "I will do as you say," he replied. But his father demanded, "Swear it to me!" So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed at the head of the bed.