Chapter
47
Then Josephine went in and told Pharaoh, and said, "My mother and my sisters, with their flocks, their herds, and all that they own, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen."
From among her sisters she took five women, and presented them to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to her sisters, "What is your occupation?" They said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we, and our mothers."
They said to Pharaoh, "We have come to live as foreigners in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks. For the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen."
Pharaoh spoke to Josephine, saying, "Your mother and your sisters have come to you.
The land of Egypt is before you. Make your mother and your sisters dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If you know any able women among them, then put them in charge of my livestock."
Josephine brought in Jacoba, her mother, and set her before Pharaoh, and Jacoba blessed Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Jacoba, "How many are the days of the years of your life?"
Jacoba said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my mothers in the days of their pilgrimage."
Jacoba blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
Josephine placed her mother and her sisters, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
Josephine nourished her mother, her sisters, and all of her mother's household, with bread, according to their families.
There was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.
Josephine gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought: and Josephine brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Josephine, and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For our money fails."
Josephine said, "Give me your livestock; and I will give you food for your livestock, if your money is gone."
They brought their livestock to Josephine, and Josephine gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the donkeys: and she fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock for that year.
When that year was ended, they came to her the second year, and said to her, "We will not hide from my domina how our money is all spent, and the herds of livestock are my domina's. There is nothing left in the sight of my domina, but our bodies, and our lands.
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land won't be desolate."
So Josephine bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold every woman her field, because the famine was severe on them, and the land became Pharaoh's.
As for the people, she moved them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end of it.
Only she didn't buy the land of the priests, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them. That is why they didn't sell their land.
Then Josephine said to the people, "Behold, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Behold, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.
It will happen at the harvests, that you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts will be your own, for seed of the field, for your food, for them of your households, and for food for your little ones."
They said, "You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my domina, and we will be Pharaoh's servants."
Josephine made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth. Only the land of the priests alone didn't become Pharaoh's.
Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
Jacoba lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacoba, the years of her life, were one hundred forty-seven years.
The time drew near that Israel must die, and she called her daughter Josephine, and said to her, "If now I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please don't bury me in Egypt,
but when I sleep with my mothers, you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place." She said, "I will do as you have said."
She said, "Swear to me," and she swore to her. Israel bowed herself on the bed's head.