Rotherham(i)
18 When that year was ended, then came they unto him, in the second year, and said to him––We will not hide from my lord, how that the silver, and the herds of beasts for my lord, are come to an end,––there is nothing left before my lord, save only our bodies, and our ground:
19 Wherefore, should we die before thine eyes, both we, and our ground? Buy thou, us and our ground, for bread,––and, we, and our ground will become servants to Pharaoh, and give seed, that we may live, and not die, and, the ground, not lie waste.
20 So Joseph bought all the ground of the Egyptians for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine had laid fast hold upon them,––so the land became Pharaoh’s.
21 And, as for the people, he brought them into bondage as servants,––from one end of the boundary of Egypt unto the other end thereof.
22 Only, the ground of the priests, bought he not,––for the priests had, a statutory–portion, from Pharaoh, and they had been eating their statutory–portion, which Pharaoh had given them, for which cause, they had not sold their ground.
23 And Joseph said unto the people, Lo! I have bought you this day, and your ground, for Pharaoh,––see, here is seed for you, so shall ye sow the ground;
24 and it shall come to pass that, of the yield, ye shall give a fifth, to Pharaoh,––but, the four parts, shall be your own––for seed for the field, and for your food, and for them who are in your households, and for food for your little ones.
25 And they said––Thou hast saved our lives! let us find favour in the eyes of my lord, so will we become Pharaoh’s servants.
26 And Joseph appointed it for a statute––until this day, regarding the ground of Egypt, that, Pharaoh, should take a fifth,––only, the ground of the priests, was theirs alone, it had not become Pharaoh’s.