Genesis Chapter 47
Showing all 31 verses for Genesis Chapter 47.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. "
"Joseph went and told Pharaoh, 'My father and brothers, with their flocks, herds, and everything they own, have arrived from Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen.'"
Joseph tells Pharaoh plainly that his father and brothers have arrived with all they own. Straightforward honesty with those in authority over your circumstances lays the groundwork for a trustworthy, lasting relationship.
"And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. "
"He chose five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh."
Joseph presents five of his brothers to Pharaoh. Careful, thoughtful preparation before an important introduction shows real respect both for the person you're introducing and the one receiving them.
"And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers. "
"Pharaoh asked the brothers, 'What is your occupation?' They answered, 'Your servants are shepherds, just as our fathers were.'"
The brothers tell Pharaoh plainly that they are shepherds, as their fathers were before them. Owning your background honestly, rather than dressing it up to impress, reflects a settled confidence in who you genuinely are.
"They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen. "
"They added, 'We have come to stay here for a while, because there is no pasture for our flocks — the famine is severe in Canaan. Please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.'"
The brothers explain the famine has left no pasture in Canaan, and ask to dwell in Goshen. There's no shame in naming a real need plainly and asking directly for what would help; honest requests are easier to meet than hidden ones.
"And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: "
"Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Your father and brothers have come to you.'"
Pharaoh acknowledges to Joseph that his father and brothers have come. Simple acknowledgement of another person's situation, without complication or delay, is itself a form of welcome.
"The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. "
"'The land of Egypt is open to you. Settle your father and brothers in the best part of it — let them live in Goshen. And if you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock.'"
Pharaoh offers the best of the land and even invites capable men among them to oversee his own livestock. Generosity that goes further than what was asked for reflects a genuinely open and trusting heart.
"And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. "
"Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh."
Jacob is brought before Pharaoh and blesses him. However humble your current circumstances, you still carry something valuable to offer even the most powerful people you meet, if you're willing to offer it freely.
"And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? "
"Pharaoh asked Jacob, 'How old are you?'"
Pharaoh simply asks Jacob his age. A respectful, curious question to an elder is a small act of honour that costs little and means a great deal.
"And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. "
"Jacob answered Pharaoh, 'The years of my life on this earth have been a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and hard, and haven't matched the years my fathers lived through in their own journeys.'"
Jacob describes his hundred and thirty years as 'few and evil,' falling short of his fathers' years. Honest reflection on a hard life, without pretending it was easier than it was, is a form of integrity that deserves respect, not judgement.
"And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. "
"Jacob blessed Pharaoh once more, and then left his presence."
Jacob blesses Pharaoh again before leaving his presence. A grateful heart tends to express itself more than once; let genuine gratitude be felt fully rather than rationed carefully.
"And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, 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. "
"Joseph settled his father and brothers, giving them land in the best part of Egypt, in the region of Rameses, exactly as Pharaoh had instructed."
Joseph settles his family in the best land of Egypt, exactly as Pharaoh commanded. Faithfully carrying out what you've been trusted to do, down to the smallest detail, is its own quiet form of integrity.
"And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families. "
"Joseph provided food for his father, his brothers, and his father's whole household, giving each family what it needed."
Joseph provides bread for his father, brothers, and all their households, according to their need. Real love pays close attention to the specific needs of each person in a family, rather than treating everyone identically.
"And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. "
"There was no food anywhere, because the famine was extremely severe; both Egypt and Canaan were worn down by it."
The famine grows so severe that both Egypt and Canaan faint from hunger. Widespread suffering, even when you personally are provided for, deserves to be seen and acknowledged rather than looked past.
"And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. "
"Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan in exchange for grain, and brought that money into Pharaoh's treasury."
Joseph gathers all the money paid for grain and brings it faithfully into Pharaoh's house. Trustworthiness in handling what belongs to someone else, down to the last coin, is a mark of real integrity in any position of responsibility.
"And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. "
"When the money ran out, the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, 'Give us bread — why should we die right in front of you just because our money is gone?'"
When their money runs out, the people cry out to Joseph, 'why should we die in thy presence?' Desperate honesty about your own need, spoken directly to someone who can help, takes real courage and deserves a compassionate response.
"And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. "
"Joseph said, 'Then give me your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange, since your money is gone.'"
Joseph offers to exchange food for livestock once money fails. Practical creativity in meeting real need, even when the usual means have run dry, reflects wisdom rather than rigid adherence to how things were done before.
"And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year. "
"So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them bread in exchange for horses, sheep, cattle, and donkeys, feeding them with bread for their animals throughout that year."
The people trade their horses, flocks, and herds for bread throughout that year. Letting go of valued possessions in order to survive a genuine crisis is a hard but sometimes necessary form of practical wisdom.
"When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: "
"When that year ended, the people came to Joseph the next year and said, 'We won't hide it from you, my lord — our money is gone, and our livestock now belongs to you. There's nothing left to offer except our bodies and our land.'"
The following year, the people admit they have nothing left but their bodies and their land. There is real dignity in admitting complete need honestly, rather than pretending to have resources you no longer possess.
"Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate. "
"'Why should we die before your eyes — both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we will become Pharaoh's servants. Just give us seed, so we can live and not die, and so the land doesn't become a wasteland.'"
The people offer themselves and their land to Pharaoh in exchange for food and seed. Choosing survival and a future over pride, even when it means significant sacrifice, reflects a clear-eyed wisdom in the face of real crisis.
"And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s. "
"So Joseph bought all the farmland of Egypt for Pharaoh, because the Egyptians sold their fields one by one, overwhelmed by the famine — and the land became Pharaoh's."
Joseph buys all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh as the famine prevails. A crisis, however painful, can reshape an entire system; wise leadership steers that reshaping towards the survival and good of the people within it.
"And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. "
"As for the people themselves, he relocated them into cities, from one end of Egypt's territory to the other."
Joseph relocates the people into cities across the land. Thoughtful reorganisation in service of practical need, even when it changes people's whole way of life, can be an act of genuine care rather than mere control.
"Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands. "
"The only land he didn't buy belonged to the priests, because they received a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived off that, so they had no need to sell their land."
The priests' land is left untouched, since Pharaoh already provided for them directly. Fairness sometimes means recognising that not everyone's situation is the same, and adjusting your response accordingly rather than applying one rule to all.
"Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. "
"Then Joseph said to the people, 'Understand this — I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you; go and plant the land.'"
Joseph gives the people seed and tells them to sow the land Pharaoh now owns. Even within a hard new arrangement, Joseph makes sure people are equipped with what they need to keep working and providing for themselves.
"And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. "
"'When the harvest comes in, you will give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours — for seed for the fields, for food for yourselves and your households, and for your children.'"
Joseph sets the terms: a fifth to Pharaoh, four-fifths kept for themselves, their households, and their children. A fair system, one that still leaves enough for a family to eat, plant, and hope, reflects real wisdom balanced with real compassion.
"And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants. "
"They replied, 'You have saved our lives. Let us find favour in your sight, my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.'"
The people thank Joseph, saying he has saved their lives, and willingly become Pharaoh's servants. Genuine gratitude flows naturally towards someone who has faithfully saved you, even when the new arrangement asks something significant of you in return.
"And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s. "
"So Joseph made it law throughout Egypt — still true when this was written — that Pharaoh would receive a fifth of the harvest, except for the priests' land, which never became Pharaoh's."
Joseph's fifth-part law becomes a lasting statute throughout Egypt, except for the priests' land. A wise system, fairly established in a moment of crisis, can go on serving people long after the crisis itself has passed.
"And Israel in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"So Israel settled in Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there, and became very fruitful, growing greatly in number."
Israel dwells in Goshen, gaining possessions and multiplying greatly. God's promises unfold quietly and steadily, sometimes measured not in dramatic moments but in the patient, ordinary growth of a family over years.
"And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years. "
"Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years, so his whole life came to a hundred and forty-seven years."
Jacob lives in Egypt seventeen years, reaching a hundred and forty-seven years old. A long life, even one that began with hardship, can still close in a season of genuine peace, provision, and family closeness.
"And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: "
"When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said, 'If I have found favour with you, please put your hand under my thigh and promise to treat me with kindness and honesty — please don't bury me in Egypt.'"
Jacob calls Joseph and asks him, with an oath, not to bury him in Egypt. Naming your wishes plainly to someone you trust, especially near the end of life, is a meaningful way of honouring both your own story and your family's roots.
"But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. "
"'Instead, I will lie down with my fathers — carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.' Joseph replied, 'I will do as you have asked.'"
Jacob asks to be buried with his fathers in Canaan, and Joseph agrees to carry him there. Honouring a loved one's final wishes, even when it requires real effort and sacrifice, is one of the deepest expressions of respect you can offer them.
"And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head. "
"Jacob said, 'Swear it to me.' So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself down at the head of his bed."
Jacob asks Joseph to swear the promise, then bows in worship at the head of his bed. Trust that is confirmed and then met with genuine worship reflects a heart at peace, resting fully in both a kept promise and in God.