[10] And Jacob blessed Pharaoh,
and went out from before Pharaoh. [11]
And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, 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 nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household,
with bread, according to their families. [13]
And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so
that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of
the famine. [14] And Joseph gathered
up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of
Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into
Pharaoh's house. [15] And when money
failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians
came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy
presence? for the money faileth. [16]
And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle,
if money fail. [17] And they brought
their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses,
and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses:
and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year. [18]
When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said
unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent;
my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight
of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: [19]
Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us
and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh:
and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, 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 Pharaoh's.
And Jacob blessed Pharaoh - Which was not only an act
of civility but an act of piety; he prayed for him, as one having the authority
of a prophet and a patriarch: and a patriarch's blessing was not a thing
to be despised, no not by a potent prince.
[21] And as for the people,
he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to
the other end thereof. [22] Only the
land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned
them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore
they sold not their lands. [23] Then
Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your
land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
[24] And it shall come to pass in the increase,
that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be
your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your
households, and for food for your little ones. [25]
And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight
of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. [26]
And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh
should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which
became not Pharaoh's. [27] And Israel
dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions
therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.
He removed them to cities - He transplanted them, to
shew Pharaoh's sovereign power over them, and that they might, in time,
forget their titles to their lands, and be the easier reconciled to their
new condition of servitude. How hard soever this seems to have been upon
them, they themselves were sensible of it as a great kindness, and were
thankful they were not worse used.
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