the Fourth Week of Advent
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Read the Bible
George Lamsa Translation
Genesis 47
1 THEN Joseph came and informed Pharaoh, and said to him, My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, are come from the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are now settled in the land of Goshen.2 And he took from among his brothers five men and presented them to Pharaoh.3 And Pharaoh said to Josephs brothers, What is your occupation? And they said to Pharaoh, Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers, from our youth.4 They said moreover to Pharaoh, We have come to sojourn in the land; for there is no pasture for your servants flocks; for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan; now, therefore, let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.5 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Your father and your brothers have come to you;6 The land of Egypt is before you settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen; and if you know of any able men among them make them overseers over all my cattle.7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father and presented him to Pharaoh and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, How old are you?9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh. The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years; few and difficult have been the years o my life. and I have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh.11 Then Joseph settled 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.12 And Joseph supplied his father and his brothers and all his fathers household with wheat according to their families.
13 And there was no grain in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were desolate by reason of the famine.14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaohs house.15 And when the money was spent from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said to him, Give us wheat that we may live, and not die in your presence; for the money is spent.16 And Joseph said to them, Give me your cattle, and I will give you grain for your cattle, if your money is spent.17 So they brought their cattle to Joseph; and Joseph gave them grain in exchange for horses and for flocks, and for herds and for asses; and he supplied them with food in exchange for all their herds that year.18 When that year was ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him, We will not hide it from our lord, for the money is spent; and our lord also has all the herds and cattle; there is nothing left in the sight of our lord but our persons and our lands;19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our lands? Buy us and our lands for bread, and we and our lands will be servants to Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live, and not die and that the land be not desolate.20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them; so the land became Pharaohs.21 And as for the people, he removed them from town to town from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end thereof.22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had a grant from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.23 Then Joseph said to the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your lands for Pharaoh; 1o, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.24 And it shall come to pass when the crops are gathered in, you shall give the fifth part to Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field and for your food and for food for your household and for food for your little ones.25 And they said, You have saved our lives; let us find mercy in the sight of our lord, and we will be Pharaohs servants.26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, for it did not belong to Pharaoh.
27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt in the region of Goshen; and they became powerful in it, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the whole age of Jacob was a hundred and forty-seven years.29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If now I have found grace in your sight, put your hand under my girdle, and I will make you to swear by the LORD that you will deal graciously and truly with me; do not bury me in Egypt;30 But when I sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place. And Joseph said, I will do as you have said.31 And he said, Swear to me. And he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself upon the head of his staff.