1Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.” 2He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.
3Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”
“Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” 4They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”
5Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
7Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed47:7 Or greeted Pharaoh, 8Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”
9And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” 10Then Jacob blessed47:10 Or said farewell to Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
11So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. 12Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.
Joseph and the Famine
13There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. 14Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. 15When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone.”
16“Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18When 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 and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,47:21 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Vulgate); Masoretic Text and he moved the people into the cities from one end of Egypt to the other. 22However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 24But when the crop comes in, give a fifth 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; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”
26So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.
27Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.
28Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. 29When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”
“I will do as you say,” he said.
31“Swear to me,” he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.47:31 Or Israel bowed down at the head of his bed
1Yakob mma no beduu Misraim asase so no, Yosef kɔka kyerɛɛ Farao se, “Mʼagya ne me nuanom no de wɔn nguan ne wɔn anantwi ne wɔn agyapade nyinaa afi Kanaan asase so aba, na wɔwɔ Gosen asase so.” 2Yosef yii ne nuabarimanom no mu baanum de wɔn kokyia Farao.
3Farao bisaa anuanom no se, “Adwuma bɛn na moyɛ?”
Wobuaa no se, “Wo nkoa yɛ nguanhwɛfo, sɛnea na yɛn agyanom nso yɛ nguanhwɛfo no.” 4Anuanom no toaa so se, “Yɛaba ha sɛ ananafo a yɛrebɛtena ha kakra, efisɛ ɔkɔm no ano yɛ den yiye wɔ Kanaan asase so hɔ, na wo nkoa nguan nnya aduan nni. Enti yɛresrɛ wo kwan na yɛatena Gosen asase so ha.”
5Farao ka kyerɛɛ Yosef se, “Wʼagya ne wo nuanom aba wo nkyɛn. 6Misraim asase nyinaa hyɛ wo nsa. Ma wʼagya ne wo nuabarimanom baabi pa na wɔntena. Ma wɔntena Gosen asase so. Sɛ wunim wɔn mu bi a wɔwɔ mmoayɛn ho nimdeɛ a, ma wɔnhwɛ me nguan so mma me.”
Yakob Hyira Farao
7Afei, Yosef kɔfaa nʼagya Yakob de no bekyiaa Farao ma Yakob hyiraa no. 8Farao bisaa Yakob se, “Woadi mfe ahe?”
9Yakob buaa Farao se, “Madi mfe ɔha ne aduasa a ɔhaw ne abɛbrɛsɛ wɔ mu. Minnu mʼagyanom nkwanna a wɔde tenaa asase so no ho hwee.” 10Na Yakob hyiraa Farao, na ofii nʼanim kɔe.
11Enti Yosef bɔɔ nʼagya ne ne nuanom no atenase wɔ Misraim asase so. Ɔmaa wɔn agyapade wɔ asase no fa baabi a eye pa ara wɔ Rameses mansin mu, sɛnea Farao hyɛe no. 12Yosef maa nʼagya ne ne nuanom no aduan sɛnea wɔn mma dodow te.
13Na aduan nni hɔ baabiara, efisɛ na ɔkɔm a aba no ano ayɛ den yiye. Saa ɔkɔm yi kaa Misraim ne Kanaan asase nyinaa ma emu nnipa ne nnɔbae twintwamee. 14Yosef prapraa Misraim ne Kanaan asase so sika nyinaa a onya fii aduantɔn no mu no baa Farao ahemfi. 15Bere a nnipa a wɔwɔ Misraim ne Kanaan asase so ho sika nyinaa sae no, Misraim nnipa nyinaa baa Yosef nkyɛn bɛka kyerɛɛ no se, “Yɛn ho sika nyinaa asa, enti ma yɛn aduan nni! Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ yewuwu?”
16Yosef buaa wɔn se, “Sɛ mo sika asa de a, momfa mo nguan ne mo anantwi mmra mmegye aduan.” 17Enti wɔde wɔn mmoa no brɛɛ Yosef. Mmoa a wɔde wɔn bɛsesaa aduan no yɛ apɔnkɔ, nguan, mmirekyi, anantwi ne mfurum. Saa afe no mu no, wɔde wɔn mmoa nyinaa bɛsesaa aduan.
18Afe akyi no, Misraimfo no nyinaa baa Yosef nkyɛn bɛkae se, “Yɛrentumi mfa biribiara nhintaw yɛn wura. Yɛn ho sika nyinaa asa, na yɛn anantwi nso yɛ wo dea. Hwee nni hɔ bio a yebetumi de abrɛ wo, yɛn wura, sɛ yɛn nnipadua ne yɛn nsase nko. 19Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ yɛhwere yɛn nkwa ne yɛn nsase wɔ wʼanim! Afei, ma yɛmfa yɛn nnipadua ne yɛn nsase nyinaa mmɛsesa aduan. Yɛde yɛn ho ne yɛn nsase nyinaa bɛkɔ nkoasom mu. Ma yɛn aburow, na ɔkɔm ankum yɛn, amma asase no nso anna mpan.”
20Enti Yosef tɔɔ Misraim nsase nyinaa maa Farao. Esiane ɔkɔm no ano den nti, Misraimfo no tɔn wɔn nsase no nyinaa. Ɛyɛɛ saa ma nsase no nyinaa bedii Farao nsam. 21Efi Misraim ti kosi ti, Yosef de mu nnipa nyinaa bɛyɛɛ ne nkoa. 22Asɔfo nko ara nsase na wantɔ, efisɛ asɔfo no de, na Farao atwa anoduan bi de ama wɔn. Ne saa nti na wɔn de, wɔantɔn wɔn nsase no.
23Yosef ka kyerɛɛ nnipa no se, “Afei a matɔ mo ne nsase de ama Farao yi, mo nso, munnye aburow nkodua. 24Na sɛ aburow no yɛ yiye, na mutwa a, momfa nkyɛmu anum mu baako mmrɛ Farao. Na nkyɛmu anum mu anan a ɛbɛka no, mo ne mo fifo ne mo mma nni bi, na munnyaw bi nso a mubedua.”
25Wɔkae se, “Anokwa, woagye yɛn nkwa. Ka kyerɛ yɛn wura Farao se, onnye yɛn nto mu, na yɛnyɛ nkoa.”
26Ɛnam saa asɛm yi so maa mmara a Yosef hyɛe sɛ wɔmfa asase no so nnɔbae nyinaa mu nkyɛmu anum mu baako mma Farao no da so wɔ hɔ besi nnɛ. Asɔfo no nsase nko ara na ankodi Farao nsam.
Yosef Hyɛ Nʼagya Bɔ
27Israelfo no bɔɔ atenase wɔ Gosen mansin a ɛwɔ Misraim asase so no so. Wonyaa agyapade wɔ hɔ, na wɔn ase nso fɛee yiye.
28Yakob tenaa Misraim mfe dunson. Odii mfirihyia ɔha ne aduanan ason ansa na ɔrewu. 29Eduu sɛ Yakob rebewu no, ɔfrɛɛ ne ba Yosef, ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Me ba, sɛ wodɔ me de a, ka ntam di nsew sɛ, wobɛyɛ me adɔe, adi me nokware. Sɛ miwu a, nsie me wɔ Misraim ha. 30Sɛ miwu a, momfa me mfi Misraim ha, nkosie me wɔ faako a wosiee me mpanyimfo no.”
Yosef hyɛɛ bɔ se, “Medi asɛm a woaka no so.”
31Yakob kaa bio se, “Ka ntam kyerɛ me.” Yosef kaa ntam no, na Israel nso butuw ne pema so sɔree Onyankopɔn.
