Genesis 47:13 – 48:22

Genesis 47

The Famine

¹³ There was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan grew weak because of the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph collected all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan as payment for the grain that they purchased, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace. ¹⁵ When all the money in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan had been spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die right in front of your eyes? Look, our money is running out.”

¹⁶ So Joseph said, “Give me your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock if your money is gone.”

¹⁷ They brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the donkeys. He supplied them with food for that year in exchange for all their livestock. ¹⁸ When that year was ended, they came to him during the second year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord the fact that our money is all spent, and the herds of livestock belong to my lord. My lord can see that we have nothing left but our bodies and our lands. ¹⁹ Why should we die right in front of your eyes, both we and our land? Purchase us and our land in exchange for bread, and we along with our land will serve Pharaoh. Give us seed, so that we may live and not die, so that the land will not be desolate.”

²⁰ So Joseph purchased all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, because every man among the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine had them in its grip, and the land became Pharaoh’s. ²¹ As for the people, he made them all servants from one end of the territory of Egypt all the way to the other end of it. ^{[1] 22} The land that belonged to the priests was the only land that he did not purchase, because the priests had a regular allotment from Pharaoh and ate from the allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. ²³ Then Joseph said to the people, “Since I have purchased you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you to sow the land. ²⁴ This is what you shall do at the harvests: Give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths will be your own share, which you can use as seed to sow the field and as food for yourselves, for everyone in your household, and for your little ones.”

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.”

²⁶ Joseph made it a regulation concerning the farmland in Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should receive a fifth of the produce. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.

²⁷ Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they acquired possessions for themselves there. They were fruitful and multiplied greatly. ²⁸ Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years. ²⁹ The time drew near that Israel must die, so 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 truthfully with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, ³⁰ but when I rest with my fathers, you are to carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.”

He said, “I will do as you have said.”

³¹ He said, “Swear to me,” and he swore to him. Israel bowed himself on the head post of the bed. ^[2]

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

Genesis 48

¹ Sometime after these things Joseph was told, “Come right away. Your father is sick.” So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him. ² Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you,” so Israel gathered his strength and sat up on the bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. ⁴ He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you into a community of peoples, and I will give this land to your descendants after you as a permanent possession.’ ⁵ Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, will be counted as mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will count as my sons the same as Reuben and Simeon. ⁶ Your sons that you father after them will count as your own. For receiving their inheritance they will be registered under the name of their brothers. ⁷ As for me, when I came back from Paddan, to my loss ^[3] Rachel died on the journey in the land of Canaan when we were still some distance from Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

⁸ Israel saw Joseph’s sons and asked, “Who are these boys?”

⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.”

Israel said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.”

¹⁰ Now the eyes of Israel were failing because of his age, and he could not see. Joseph brought the boys close to Jacob, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ Israel said to Joseph, “I did not think I would see your face, but now God has let me see your offspring also.” ¹² Joseph moved them from Jacob’s lap, and he bowed down with his face to the ground. ¹³ Joseph led them both. He led Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ But Israel, crossing his hands, stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, though Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵ He blessed Joseph and said,

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, he was displeased. He held up his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ His father refused and said, “I know, my son. I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. However, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” ²⁰ He blessed them that day with these words: “Israel will pronounce a blessing using your name, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’” So he placed Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

²¹ Israel said to Joseph, “You see that I am dying, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. ²² In addition, I have given to you one share more than your brothers: the ridge of Shechem ^[4] that I took out of the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”