Genesis 47:1 - Prayer Tents

47After this, Joseph went to inform Pharaoh. "My father and brothers have come here from Canaan," he said, "and they've come with their flocks, herds, and everything else they have. I settled them in the Goshen territory!"H3130H935H5046H6547H559H1H251H6629H1241H935H776H3667H776H1657 2He brought along five of his brothers to present before Pharaoh.H3947H7097H251H2568H582H3322H6440H6547 3Pharaoh asked his brothers, "What are your occupations?" "Your servants are shepherds," they replied, "both we and our ancestors.H6547H559H251H4639H559H6547H5650H7462H6629H1 4We've come to live for a while in this region, since there is no pasture back in Canaan for your servants' flocks. May your servants please live in the Goshen territory?"H559H6547H1481H776H935H5650H4829H6629H7458H3515H776H3667H5650H3427H776H1657 5Then Pharaoh replied to Joseph, "Now that your father and your brothers have come to you,H6547H559H3130H559H1H251H935 6Egypt is at your disposal, so settle your father and brother in the best part of the land! Let them live in the Goshen territory. If you learn that any of them are especially skilled, put them in charge of my livestock."H776H4714H6440H4315H776H3427H1H251H3427H776H1657H3427H3045H3426H582H2428H7760H8269H4735 7Later on, Joseph brought his father Jacob, introduced him to Pharaoh, and blessed Pharaoh.H3130H935H3290H1H5975H6440H6547H3290H1288H6547 8"How old are you?" he asked Jacob.H6547H559H3290H4100H2416H3117H8141 9"I'm 130 years old," Jacob replied. "My years have turned out to be few and unpleasant, but I haven't yet reached the age my ancestors did during their sojourn on earth."H3290H559H6547H3117H8141H4033H3967H7970H8141H4592H7451H3117H8141H2416H5381H3117H8141H2416H1H3117H4033 10Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and then left the throne room.H3290H1288H6547H3318H6440H6547 11Jacob settled his father and brothers, assigned them land to own in the best part of Egypt, in the territory of Rameses, just as Pharaoh had ordered.H3130H3427H1H251H5414H272H776H4714H4315H776H776H7486H6547H6680 12Joseph provided food for his father, his brothers, and all of his father's household, proportionate to the number of young children.H3130H3557H1H251H1H1004H3899H6310H2945 13Meanwhile, there continued to be no food throughout the land, because the famine remained very severe. As a result, both Egypt and Canaan languished under the effects of the famine.H3899H776H7458H3966H3515H776H4714H776H3667H3856H6440H7458 14So Joseph kept on gathering all the money that was to be found throughout Egypt and Canaan in exchange for the grain that was being purchased. He stored the money in Pharaoh's palace.H3130H3950H3701H4672H776H4714H776H3667H7668H7666H3130H935H3701H6547H1004 15After all the money had been spent throughout Egypt and Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and demanded, "Give us food! Why should we die right in front of you - Our money is spent!H3701H8552H776H4714H776H3667H4714H935H3130H559H3051H3899H4191H3701H656 16"You can surrender your livestock," Joseph replied. "I'll feed them in exchange, since your money is gone."H3130H559H3051H4735H5414H4735H3701H656 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph traded them for food in exchange for horses, various flocks and herds, and donkeys. He fed them with food in exchange for their livestock during that year.H935H4735H3130H3130H5414H3899H5483H6629H4735H1241H2543H5095H3899H4735H8141 18The following year, they came to him and reminded him, "We won't hide from you, your Excellency, that we've spent all of our money, and that our livestock all belong to you. There's nothing left to trade with you, your Excellency, except our bodies and our territories.H8141H8552H935H8145H8141H559H3582H113H3701H8552H113H413H4735H929H7604H6440H113H1472H127 19So why should we and our land die right in front of you - Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed, so we can survive and not die, and so the land won't stay desolate."H4191H5869H127H7069H127H3899H127H5650H6547H5414H2233H2421H4191H127H3456 20So Joseph purchased all of the Egyptian territory for Pharaoh. Every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine's effect was so severe. That's how Pharaoh came to own the land.H3130H7069H127H4714H6547H4714H4376H376H7704H7458H2388H776H6547 21Then Joseph transported the people to cities from one end of Egypt to the other.H5971H5674H5892H7097H1366H4714H7097 22However, he did not purchase land belonging to the priests, because the priests held an allotment, previously provided to them by Pharaoh, from which they lived. That's why they did not sell their land.H127H3548H7069H3548H2706H6547H398H2706H6547H5414H4376H127 23After this, Joseph addressed the people. "Pay attention," he said, I've bought you and your land for Pharaoh today, in exchange for seed for you. Now go sow the land.H3130H559H5971H7069H853H3117H127H6547H1887H2233H2232H127 24When harvest season arrives, you are to provide a fifth of the harvest to Pharaoh. The remaining four fifths are to be for your use, for seed, and to feed you, your households, and your little ones."H8393H5414H2549H6547H702H3027H2233H7704H400H1004H398H2945 25"You've saved our lives," they replied. "Let us be approved by you, your Excellency, and we'll be Pharaoh's slaves."H559H2421H4672H2580H5869H113H6547H5650 26So Joseph crafted a statute concerning Egypt that remains valid to this day that Pharaoh should own a fifth of the produce, excluding the land belonging to the priests, which remained outside of Pharaoh's control.H3130H7760H2706H127H4714H3117H6547H2569H7535H127H3548H6547 27Israel remained in Egypt's Goshen territory, acquired land there, became prosperous, and grew very numerous.H3478H3427H776H4714H776H1657H270H6509H7235H3966 28He lived for seventeen more years in Egypt, until he had lived a total of 147 years.H3290H2421H776H4714H6240H7651H8141H2416H3117H3290H3967H705H8141H7651H8141 29As the time approached for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and addressed him. "Please," he asked, "if you're happy with me, make a solemn promise that you'll treat me fairly and kindly by not burying me in Egypt.H3117H7126H3478H4191H7121H1121H3130H559H4672H2580H5869H7760H3027H3409H6213H2617H571H6912H4714 30Instead, when I've died, as my ancestors have, you are to carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their tomb." "I'll do what you've asked," he replied.H7901H1H5375H4714H6912H6900H559H6213H1697 31"Promise me," Israel insisted. So Joseph promised. Then Israel collapsed on the bed.H559H7650H7650H3478H7812H4296H7218