Genesis 47

Jacob Blesses Pharaoh Genesis 47:7–10

⁷Verse 7. Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸Verse 8. Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” ⁹Verse 9. Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” ¹⁰Verse 10. Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.

Settlement in Goshen Genesis 47:11–12

¹¹Verse 11. Joseph placed 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 Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. ¹²Verse 12. Joseph nourished his father, his brothers, and all of his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.

Joseph's Economic Policies Genesis 47:13–26

¹³Verse 13. There was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. ¹⁴Verse 14. 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. ¹⁵Verse 15. When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For our money fails.”

¹⁶Verse 16. Joseph said, “Give me your livestock; and I will give you food for your livestock, if your money is gone.” ¹⁷Verse 17. They brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the donkeys: and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock for that year. ¹⁸Verse 18. When that year was ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord how our money is all spent, and the herds of livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands.

¹⁹Verse 19. Why 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 to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land won’t be desolate.” ²⁰Verse 20. So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe on them, and the land became Pharaoh’s. ²¹Verse 21. As for the people, he moved them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end of it.

²²Verse 22. Only he didn’t buy the land of the priests, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them. That is why they didn’t sell their land. ²³Verse 23. Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Behold, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. ²⁴Verse 24. It will happen at the harvests, that you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts will be your own, for seed of the field, for your food, for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.”

²⁵Verse 25. They said, “You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.” ²⁶Verse 26. Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth. Only the land of the priests alone didn’t become Pharaoh’s.

Israel’s Prosperity in Egypt Genesis 47:27–28

²⁷Verse 27. Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. ²⁸Verse 28. Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years.

Jacob's Deathbed Request Genesis 47:29–31

²⁹Verse 29. The time came near that Israel must die, and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please don’t bury me in Egypt, ³⁰Verse 30. but when I sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place.” He said, “I will do as you have said.” ³¹Verse 31. He said, “Swear to me,” and he swore to him. Israel bowed himself on the bed’s head.