1Joseph went to Pharaoh. He told him, “My father and brothers have come from the land of Canaan. They’ve brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own. They are now in Goshen.” 2Joseph had chosen five of his brothers to meet with Pharaoh.
3Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What do you do for a living?”
“We’re shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh. “And that’s what our fathers were.” 4They also said to him, “We’ve come to live in Egypt for a while. There isn’t enough food anywhere in Canaan. There isn’t any grass for our flocks. So please let us live in Goshen.”
5Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6The land of Egypt is open to you. Let your father and brothers live in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. Do any of them have special skills? If they do, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
7Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in to meet Pharaoh. Jacob gave Pharaoh his blessing. 8Then Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”
9Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my journey through life are 130. My years have been few and hard. They aren’t as many as the years of my father and grandfather before me.” 10Jacob gave Pharaoh his blessing. Then he left him.
11So Joseph helped his father and his brothers make their homes in Egypt. He gave them property in the best part of the land, just as Pharaoh had directed him to do. That part was known as the territory of Rameses. 12Joseph also provided food for his father and brothers. He provided for them and the rest of his father’s family. He gave them enough for all their children.
Joseph Saves Many Lives
13But there wasn’t any food in the whole area. In fact, there wasn’t enough food anywhere. The people of Egypt and Canaan lost their strength because there wasn’t enough food to go around. 14Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan. People paid it to him for the grain they were buying. And Joseph brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. 15When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. They said, “Give us food. What good would it do you to watch us all die? Our money is all gone.”
16“Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “You say your money is gone. So I’ll trade you food for your livestock.” 17They brought their livestock to Joseph. He traded them food for their animals. They gave him their horses, sheep, goats, cattle and donkeys. He helped the people live through that year by trading them food for all their livestock.
18When that year was over, they came to him the next year. They said, “We can’t hide the truth from you. Our money is gone. Our livestock belongs to you. We don’t have anything left to give you except our bodies and our land. 19What good would it do you to watch us die? Why should our land be destroyed? Trade us food for ourselves and our land. Then we and our land will belong to Pharaoh. Give us some seeds so we can live and not die. We don’t want the land to become a desert.”
20So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. All the people of Egypt sold their fields. They did that because there wasn’t enough food anywhere. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21Joseph made the people slaves from one end of Egypt to the other. 22But Joseph didn’t buy the land that belonged to the priests. They received a regular share of food from Pharaoh. They had enough food from what Pharaoh gave them. That’s why they didn’t have to sell their land.
23Joseph said to the people, “I’ve bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. So here are some seeds for you to plant in the ground. 24But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. Keep the other four-fifths for yourselves. They will be seeds for the fields. And they will be food for yourselves, your children, and the other people who live with you.”
25“You have saved our lives,” they said. “If you are pleased with us, we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”
26So Joseph made a law about land in Egypt. It’s still the law today. A fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land belonging to the priests didn’t become Pharaoh’s.
27The people of Israel lived in Egypt in the area of Goshen. They received property there. They had children and so became many.
28Jacob lived 17 years in Egypt. He lived a total of 147 years. 29The time came near for Israel to die. So he sent for his son Joseph. He said to him, “If you are pleased with me, put your hand under my thigh. Promise me that you will be kind and faithful to me. Don’t bury me in Egypt. 30When I join the members of my family who have already died, carry me out of Egypt. Bury me where they are buried.”
“I’ll do exactly as you say,” Joseph said.
31“Give me your word that you will do it,” Jacob said. So Joseph gave him his word. And Israel worshiped God as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.
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.
