Farao byder Jakob og hans familie velkommen
1Josef vendte så tilbage til Farao og sagde: „Min far og mine brødre er ankommet fra Kana’an med deres får, geder, kvæg og alt, hvad de ejer. De befinder sig lige nu i Goshen.” 2Josef havde fem af sine brødre med sig. Dem præsenterede han for Farao, 3og Farao spurgte dem: „Hvad er jeres beskæftigelse?”
„Vi er hyrder ligesom vores forfædre,” svarede de. 4„Vi er kommet for at bo som gæster i Egypten. Der er ikke mere græs til vores dyr i Kana’an, for hungersnøden er meget streng der. Vi beder derfor om tilladelse til at bo i Goshen.”
5Henvendt til Josef sagde Farao: „Nu, da din far og dine brødre er kommet, 6må du lade dem slå sig ned i den bedste del af landet. Hvis de gerne vil bosætte sig i Goshen, så lad dem gøre det. Og hvis nogle af dem er særlig gode hyrder, kan du give dem opsyn med mit kvæg.”
7Derefter bragte Josef sin gamle far Jakob til Farao, og Jakob hilste på Farao med en velsignelse.
8„Hvor gammel er du?” spurgte Farao ham.
9Jakob svarede: „I mine 130 år har jeg rejst i mange lande og været igennem et utal af problemer, men jeg har ikke levet nær så længe, som mange af mine forfædre.” 10Jakob velsignede igen kongen som afsked og forlod ham.
11Så gav Josef den bedste del af Egypten—området omkring byen Ramses—til sin far og sine brødre, sådan som Farao havde sagt. 12Og han sørgede for korn til sin far og sine brødre i forhold til størrelsen af deres familier.
Hungersnøden bliver værre
13Hungersnøden blev værre og værre, og der var stadig ingenting at høste hverken i Egypten eller i Kana’an, hvor jorden blev totalt udtørret. 14Alle de penge, Josef havde modtaget som betaling for korn, der var solgt til folk i Egypten og Kana’an, opbevarede han i Faraos skatkammer. 15Men selv om folks penge var sluppet op både i Egypten og Kana’an, kom alle egypterne alligevel til Josef og tiggede om mad. „Vores penge er sluppet op,” sagde de. „Men giv os korn alligevel! Hvorfor skal vi dø for øjnene af dig?”
16„Hvis I ingen penge har, så giv mig jeres dyr,” svarede Josef, „så skal I få korn i bytte.” 17Derfor kom de til Josef med deres husdyr og byttede dem for mad, og han forsørgede dem det år med korn. Inden længe tilhørte alle landets heste, køer, får, geder og æsler Farao.
18Da året var omme kom folk tilbage og sagde: „Nu har vi hverken penge eller dyr tilbage. Det eneste, vi råder over, er vores arbejdskraft og vores jord. 19Lad os ikke dø for øjnene af dig. Køb os og vores jord og gør os til Faraos fæstebønder. Og giv os så korn og såsæd, så vi ikke skal dø, og så markerne ikke skal ligge brak.”
20Således opkøbte Josef al Egyptens jord til Farao, for egypterne havde ingen anden udvej end at sælge deres jord, fordi hungersnøden fortsatte. På den måde kom hele landet til at tilhøre Farao, 21og alle landets indbyggere blev fæstebønder. 22Kun præsternes jord blev ikke opkøbt, for de fik deres løn direkte fra Farao og behøvede derfor ikke at sælge deres jord.
23Josef sagde derpå til folket: „Jeg har nu købt jer og jeres jord til Farao. Her er såsæd, så I kan tilså jeres marker. 24Når I til sin tid høster, skal en femtedel af afgrøden tilhøre Farao. De fire femtedele må I beholde og bruge til mad til jer selv og jeres børn og til såsæd næste år.”
25„Du har reddet vores liv,” svarede de. „Vi er taknemmelige og vil med glæde være Faraos fæstebønder.” 26Josef gjorde det til en lov i Egypten, som gælder den dag i dag, at Farao skulle have en femtedel af alle landets produkter. Men siden Farao ikke havde købt præsternes jord, blev de fritaget fra at betale denne afgift.
27Israelitterne slog sig altså ned i Goshen i Egypten, hvor de trivedes godt og hurtigt voksede i antal. 28Jakob levede 17 år efter sin ankomst til Egypten, så han var 147 år, da han døde. 29Da han mærkede, at hans sidste time nærmede sig, sendte han bud efter sin søn Josef og sagde: „Læg din hånd under min lænd og sværg på, at du vil opfylde min sidste bøn: Begrav mig ikke her i det fremmede land, 30men lov mig, at du vil bringe mig ud af Egypten og begrave mig hos mine forfædre.” Det lovede Josef, 31men Jakob insisterede: „Sværg på, at du vil gøre, som jeg siger!” Det svor Josef på, og Jakob bøjede hovedet over sin stav47,31 Ifølge den græske oversættelse, Septuaginta. Den hebraiske tekst siger: „over hovedgærdet af sin seng.” Formodentligt har Jakob siddet på kanten af sin seng og støttet sig til sin stav. Verset er citeret i Hebr. 11,21 fra den græske oversættelse. i tilbedelse.
1Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. 2And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. 3And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers. 4They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen. 5And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: 6The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. 7And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?47.8 How…: Heb. How many are the days of the years of thy life? 9And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. 10And 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. 12And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.47.12 according…: or, as a little child is nourished: Heb. according to the little ones
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. 14And 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. 15And 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. 16And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17And 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.47.17 fed…: Heb. led them 18When 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: 19Wherefore 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. 20And 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. 21And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. 22Only 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.47.22 priests: or, princes 23Then 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. 24And 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. 25And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants. 26And 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.47.26 priests: or, princes
27¶ And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. 28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.47.28 the whole…: Heb. the days of the years of his life 29And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: 30But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. 31And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.
