1. IOꜱᴇᴘʜ therfore going in told Pharao, saing: My father & brethren, their sheepe
and heardes, & al thinges that they possesse, are come out of the Land of Chanaan: & behold
they stay in the Land of Gessen.
2. The vtmost also of his brethren fiue persons he presented before the king:
3. whom he asked: What trade haue you? They answered: We thy seruantes are pastours of
sheepe, both we, and our fathers.
4. We are come to soiourne in the land, because there is no grasse for thy seruantes
flockes, the famine being very sore in the land of Chanaan: and we desire thee to command that
we thy seruantes may be in the Land of Gessen.
5. And the King therfore said to Ioseph: Thy father and thy brethren are come to thee.
6. The Land of Ægypt, is in thy sight: make them to dwel in the best place, and deliuer
them the Land of Gessen. And if so be thou knowe that there are industrious men among them,
appoint them maisters of my cattel.
7. After this Ioseph brought in his father to the King, and set him before him: who
blessing him,
8. and being asked of him: How manie be the dayes of the yeares of thy life?
9. He answered: The dayes of the pilgrimage of my life are an hundred thirtie yeares,
few, and 403.9 euil, and they are not come to the dayes of my fathers, in which they were
pilgrimes.
10. And blessing the king, he went forth.
11. But Ioseph gaue possession to his father and his brethren in Ægypt, in the best place
of the land, in Rhamesses, as Pharao had commanded.
12. And he nourished them, and al his fathers house, alowing victuales to euerie one.
13. For in the whole world there wanted bread, and famine oppressed the land, especially
of Ægypt and Chanaan.
14. Out of which he gethered together al the money for the selling of corne, and brought
it in vnto the kings treasure.
15. And when the byers wanted money, al Ægypt came to Ioseph, saying: Geue vs bread: why
die we before thee, our money failing?
16. To whom he answered: Bring your cattel, and for them I wil geue you victuales, if
you haue not to pay.
17. Which when they had brought, he gaue them sustenance for horses, and sheepe, and
oxen, and asses: and he sustayned them that yeare for the exchange of the cattel.
18. And they came the second yeare, and said to him: We wil not conceale from our lord,
that our money fayling, our cattel withal haue fayled: neither art thou ignorant, that we haue
nothing besides our bodies and land.
19. Why therfore shal we die in thy sight? both we and our land wil be thyne: bye vs to
be the kings bondmen, and geue vs sede, lest for default of tillers the land be turned into a
wildernes.
20. Ioseph therfore bought al the Land of Ægypt, euery man selling his possessions for
the greatnes of the famine. And he brought it vnder Pharaos handes,
21. and al the people therof from the fardest ends of Ægypt, euen to the vttermost
coasts therof,
22. sauing the land of the Priests, which the king had deliuered them: to whom
also a certaine alowance of victuals was geuen out of the common barnes, and
therfore they were not driuen to sel their possessions.
23. Ioseph therfore said to the people: Behold as you see, Pharao possesseth both you
and your land: take sede, and sowe the fields,
24. that you may haue corne. The fifth part you shal geue to the king: the other foure
I am content you shal haue for sede, and for foode to your families and your children.
25. Who answered: Our life is in thy hand: only let our lord haue a respect vnto vs,
and we wil gladly serue the king.
26. From that time vntil this present day in the whole land of Ægypt, the fifth part is
paied to the kings, and it became as it were a lawe, sauing the land of the priests, which was
free from this condition.
27. Israel therfore dwelt in Ægypt, that is, in the Land of Gessen, and possessed it:
and was increased, and multiplied exceedingly.
28. And he liued in it seuenteene yeares: and al the dayes of his life came to an
hundred fourtie seuen yeares.
29. And when he sawe that the day of his death approched, he called his sonne Ioseph,
and said to him: If I haue found grace in thy sight, put thy hand vnder my thigh: and thou
shalt doe me this mercie and truth, not to bury me in Ægypt:
30. but I wil sleepe with my fathers, and take me away out of this land, and burie me in
the sepulchre of my ancesters. To whom Ioseph answered: I wil doe that thou hast commanded.
31. And he said: Sweate then to me. Who swearing, Israel adored God, turning to the beds
head.