Genesis 47-48

New International Version

47 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan^(A) and are now in Goshen.”^{(B) 2} He chose five of his brothers and presented them^(C) before Pharaoh.

³ Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”^(D)

“Your servants^(E) are shepherds,^(F)” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” ⁴ They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while,^(G) because the famine is severe in Canaan^(H) and your servants’ flocks have no pasture.^(I) So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”^(J)

⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, ⁶ and the land of Egypt is before you; settle^(K) your father and your brothers in the best part of the land.^(L) Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability,^(M) put them in charge of my own livestock.^(N)”

⁷ Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him^(O) before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed^[a] Pharaoh,^{(P) 8} Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”

⁹ And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty.^(Q) My years have been few and difficult,^(R) and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.^(S)” ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed^[b] Pharaoh^(T) and went out from his presence.

¹¹ So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land,^(U) the district of Rameses,^(V) as Pharaoh directed. ¹² Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.^(W)

Joseph and the Famine

¹³ There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.^{(X) 14} Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying,^(Y) and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace.^{(Z) 15} When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone,^(AA) all Egypt came to Joseph^(AB) and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes?^(AC) Our money is all gone.”

¹⁶ “Then bring your livestock,^(AD)” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.^(AE)” ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses,^(AF) their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys.^(AG) And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.

¹⁸ When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone^(AH) and our livestock belongs to you,^(AI) there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we perish before your eyes^(AJ)—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food,^(AK) and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh.^(AL) Give us seed so that we may live and not die,^(AM) and that the land may not become desolate.”

²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe^(AN) for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, ²¹ and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,^[c](AO) from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² However, he did not buy the land of the priests,^(AP) because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment^(AQ) Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

²³ Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed^(AR) for you so you can plant the ground.^{(AS) 24} But when the crop comes in, give a fifth^(AT) of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”

²⁵ “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord;^(AU) we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”^(AV)

²⁶ So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth^(AW) of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.^(AX)

²⁷ Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen.^(AY) They acquired property there^(AZ) and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.^(BA)

²⁸ Jacob lived in Egypt^(BB) seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.^{(BC) 29} When the time drew near for Israel^(BD) to die,^(BE) he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,^(BF) put your hand under my thigh^(BG) and promise that you will show me kindness^(BH) and faithfulness.^(BI) Do not bury me in Egypt, ³⁰ but when I rest with my fathers,^(BJ) carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”^(BK)

“I will do as you say,” he said.

³¹ “Swear to me,”^(BL) he said. Then Joseph swore to him,^(BM) and Israel^(BN) worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.^[d](BO)

Manasseh and Ephraim

48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim^(BP) along with him. ² When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel^(BQ) rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty^[e](BR) appeared to me at Luz^(BS) in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me^{(BT) 4} and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers.^(BU) I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land^(BV) as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’^(BW)

⁵ “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt^(BX) before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine,^(BY) just as Reuben^(BZ) and Simeon^(CA) are mine. ⁶ Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. ⁷ As I was returning from Paddan,^[f](CB) to my sorrow^(CC) Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).^(CD)

⁸ When Israel^(CE) saw the sons of Joseph,^(CF) he asked, “Who are these?”

⁹ “They are the sons God has given me here,”^(CG) Joseph said to his father.

Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless^(CH) them.”

¹⁰ Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see.^(CI) So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them^(CJ) and embraced them.^(CK)

¹¹ Israel^(CL) said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again,^(CM) and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”^(CN)

¹² Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees^(CO) and bowed down with his face to the ground.^{(CP) 13} And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand,^(CQ) and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ But Israel^(CR) reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head,^(CS) though he was the younger,^(CT) and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.^(CU)

¹⁵ Then he blessed^(CV) Joseph and said,

¹⁷ When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand^(DE) on Ephraim’s head^(DF) he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”^(DG)

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great.^(DH) Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he,^(DI) and his descendants will become a group of nations.^(DJ)” ²⁰ He blessed^(DK) them that day^(DL) and said,

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you^[h](DQ) and take you^[i] back to the land of your^[j] fathers.^{(DR) 22} And to you I give one more ridge of land^[k](DS) than to your brothers,^(DT) the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword^(DU) and my bow.”