Genesis 47

Bishops(i) 1 Ioseph came therfore & tolde Pharao, and said: My father & my brethre, theyr sheepe, and theyr cattell, and all that they haue, are come out of ye lande of Chanaan: and beholde, they are in the lande of Gosen 2 And Ioseph toke of the company of his brethren [euen] fiue men, and presented them vnto Pharao 3 And Pharao sayd vnto his brethren: what is your occupation? And they aunswered Pharao: thy seruauntes are kepers of cattell, both we, and also our fathers 4 They said moreouer vnto Pharao, for to soiourne in the land are we come, for thy seruaunts haue no pasture for their cattell, so sore is the famishment in the lande of Chanaan: Nowe therefore let thy seruauntes dwell in the lande of Gosen 5 And Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: thy father & thy brethre are come vnto thee 6 The lande of Egypt is before thee: In the best place of the lande make both thy father and thy brethren dwell, eue in the land of Gosen let them dwel. Moreouer, if thou knowest any man of actiuitie amongest them, make them rulers ouer my [cattell] 7 And Ioseph brought in Iacob his father, and set hym before Pharao: and Iacob blessed Pharao 8 And Pharao said vnto Iacob: howe olde art thou 9 Iacob sayd vnto Pharao, The dayes of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirtie yeres: Fewe and euill haue the dayes of my life ben, and haue not attayned vnto the yeres of ye lyfe of my fathers, in the dayes of theyr pilgrimage 10 And Iacob blessed Pharao, and went out of his presence 11 And Ioseph prepared dwellinges for his father, and his brethren, and gaue them possessions in the lande of Egypt, in the best of the land, euen the land of Rameses, as Pharao had comaunded 12 And Ioseph made prouision for his father and his brethren, and all his fathers housholde with bread: euen to the mouthes of the young chyldren 13 There was no bread in all the lande, for the dearth was exceedyng sore, so that the lande of Egypt, and the land of Chanaan were famished by reason of the dearth 14 And Ioseph brought together all the money that was founde in the lande of Egypt and of Chanaan, for the corne which they bought: and he layed vp the money in Pharaos house 15 When money fayled in the lande of Egypt and of Chanaan, all the Egyptians came vnto Ioseph, and saide, Geue vs bread: wherefore suffrest thou vs to dye before thee whe our money is spent 16 Then sayde Ioseph, Bryng your cattell: and I wyll geue you for your cattell yf money fayle 17 And they brought their cattell vnto Ioseph: and Ioseph gaue them bread for horses and sheepe, and oxen, & asses, and fedde them with bread for all their cattell that yere 18 But when that yere was ended, they came vnto hym the next yere, and sayde vnto hym: We wyl not hyde it from my lorde, howe that our money is spent: my lorde also had our heardes of cattel, nether is ther ought left in ye sight of my lorde but euen our bodies & our landes 19 Wherefore lettest thou vs dye before thine eyes, both we and our lande? bye vs and our land for bread, and both we and our lande wyll be bounde vnto Pharao: onlye geue vs seede, that we may lyue, and not dye, & that the lande go not to waste 20 And so Ioseph bought all the lande of Egypt for Pharao: For the Egyptians solde euery man his possessions, because the dearth was so sore vpon them: and so the lande became Pharaos 21 And he caused the people to moue from citie to citie, fro one syde of Egypt into the other 22 Only the lande of the priestes bought he not: for the priestes had a portion assigned them of Pharao, and dyd eate their portio which Pharao gaue them: wherfore they solde not their landes 23 Then Ioseph sayde vnto the folke: beholde, I haue bought you this daye and your lande for Pharao: Lo, here is seede for you, & ye shall sowe the land 24 And of the increase you shall geue the fyfth part vnto Pharao, and foure partes shalbe your owne for seede of the fielde, and for you & them of your householdes, and for your chyldren to eate 25 And they aunswered: Thou hast saued our lyues, let vs fynde grace in the syght of my lorde, and we wylbe Pharaos seruauntes 26 And Ioseph made it a lawe ouer the lande of Egypt vnto this daye, that Pharao shoulde haue the fyft part, except ye lande of the priestes only, which was not Pharaos 27 And Israel dwelt in Egypt, euen in they countrey of Gosen, and they had their possessions therin, and grewe and multiplied exceedyngly 28 Moreouer Iacob lyued in the lande of Egypt seuenteene yeres, so that ye whole age of Iacob was an hundred and fourtie and seuen yeres 29 When the tyme drewe nye that Israel must dye, he sent for his sonne Ioseph and sayde vnto him: If I haue founde grace in thy syght, oh put thy hande vnder my thygh, and deale mercifully and truly with me, that thou bury me not in Egypt 30 But I shall sleepe with my fathers, and thou shalt cary me out of Egypt, & bury me in their buryall. And he aunswered: I wyll do as thou hast sayde 31 And he sayde: Sweare vnto me. And he sware vnto him. And Israel worshipped towarde the beddes head