Genesis · Catholic Public Domain Version
Genesis 47 Catholic Public Domain Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (3)
- Esther and Daniel are the Vulgate books (Esther 1–16 with the Greek additions as chapters 10:4–16; Daniel 1–14 with the Song of the Three, Susanna and Bel). Baruch 6 is the Letter of Jeremiah.
- The translator's footnotes, cross-references, chapter summaries and book introductions in the CrossWire module are not shown.
- No imprimatur; single translator.
1 And so Joseph entered and reported to Pharaoh, saying: “My father and brothers, their sheep and herds, and everything that they possess, have arrived from the land of Canaan. And behold, they stand together in the land of Goshen.”
1 Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, 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.”
2 Likewise, he stood in the sight of the king five men, the last of his brothers.
2 From among his brothers he took five men, and presented them to Pharaoh.
3 And he questioned them, “What do you have for work?” They responded: “Your servants are pastors of sheep, both we and our fathers.
3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.”
4 We came to sojourn in your land, because there is no grass for the flocks of your servants, the famine being very grievous in the land of Canaan. And we petition you that you may order us, your servants, to be in the land of Goshen.”
4 They also 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.”
5 And so the king said to Joseph: “Your father and brothers have come to you.
5 Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you.
6 The land of Egypt is in your sight. Cause them to live in the best place, and deliver to them the land of Goshen. And if you know there to be industrious men among them, appoint these as foremen over my cattle.”
6 The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If you know any able men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 After this, Joseph brought in his father to the king, and he stood him in his sight. He blessed him,
7 Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 and he questioned him: “How many are the days of the years of your life?”
8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”
9 He responded, “The days of my sojourn are one hundred and thirty years, few and unworthy, and they do not reach even to the days of the sojourning of my fathers.”
9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years. The days of the years of my life have been few and evil. They have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”
10 And blessing the king, he went outside.
10 Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
11 Truly, Joseph gave his father and brothers a possession in Egypt, in the best place of the land, in Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed.
11 Joseph placed his father and his brothers, 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.
12 And he fed them, along with all his father’s house, providing portions of food to each one.
12 Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all of his father’s household with bread, according to the sizes of their families.
13 For in the whole world there was a lack of bread, and a famine had oppressed the land, most of all Egypt and Canaan,
13 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.
14 from which he gathered together all the money for the grain that they bought, and he took it into the treasury of the king.
14 Joseph 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 Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
15 And when the buyers had run out of money, all Egypt came to Joseph, saying: “Give us bread. Why should we die in your sight, lacking money?”
15 When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For our money fails.”
16 And he responded to them: “Bring me your cattle, and I will give food to you in exchange for them, if you do not have money.”
16 Joseph said, “Give me your livestock; and I will give you food for your livestock, if your money is gone.”
17 And when they had brought them, he gave them food for their horses, and sheep, and oxen, and donkeys. And he sustained them in that year in exchange for their cattle.
17 They brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the donkeys: and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock for that year.
18 Likewise, they came the second year, and they said to him: “We will not conceal from our lord that our money is gone; likewise our cattle are gone. Neither are you unaware that we have nothing left but our bodies and our land.
18 When that year was ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord how our money is all spent, and the herds of livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands.
19 Therefore, why should you watch us die? Both we and our land will be yours. Buy us into royal servitude, but provide seed, lest by the dying off of cultivators the land be reduced to a wilderness.”
19 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.”
20 Therefore, Joseph bought all the land of Egypt, each one selling his possessions because of the magnitude of the famine. And he subjected it to Pharaoh,
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe on them, and the land became Pharaoh’s.
21 along with all of its people, from the newest borders of Egypt, even to its furthest limits,
21 As for the people, he moved them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end of it.
22 except the land of the priests, which had been delivered to them by the king. To these also a portion of food was supplied out of the public storehouses, and, for this reason, they were not compelled to sell their possessions.
22 Only he 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.
23 Therefore, Joseph said to the people: “So, as you discern, both you and your lands are possessed by Pharaoh; take seed and sow the fields,
23 Then Joseph 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.
24 so that you may be able to have grain. One fifth part you will give to the king; the remaining four I permit to you, as seed and as food for your families and children.
24 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.”
25 And they responded: “Our health is in your hand; only let our lord look kindly upon us, and we will serve the king with gladness.”
25 They said, “You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
26 From that time, even to the present day, in the entire land of Egypt, the fifth part is turned over to the kings, and it has become like a law, except in the land of the priests, which was free from this condition.
26 Joseph 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.
27 And so, Israel lived in Egypt, that is, in the land of Goshen, and he possessed it. And he increased and was multiplied exceedingly.
27 Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
28 And he lived in it seventeen years. And all the days of his life that passed were one hundred and forty-seven years.
28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years.
29 And when he discerned that the day of his death was approaching, he called his son Joseph, and he said to him: “If I have found favor in your sight, place your hand under my thigh. And you shall show me mercy and truth, not to bury me in Egypt.
29 The time came near that Israel must die, and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, “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,
30 But I shall sleep with my fathers, and you will carry me from this land and bury me in the sepulcher of my ancestors.” And Joseph answered him, “I will do what you have ordered.”
30 but when I sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place.” Joseph said, “I will do as you have said.”
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Jacob
He wrestled with God through the night and rose as Israel, father of twelve tribes.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 25–35; 46–49
Joseph
Betrayed and enslaved, he rose to rule Egypt and saved his family from famine.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 37; 39–50
Cross references (28)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 45:10; Genesis 46:31; Genesis 46:28; Genesis 45:16; Exodus 9:26
- 2 Acts 7:13; 2 Corinthians 4:14; Jude 24; Colossians 1:28
- 3 Genesis 46:33–34; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; Amos 7:14–15; Jonah 1:8; Genesis 4:2
- 4 Genesis 46:34; Deuteronomy 26:5; Genesis 15:13; Genesis 43:1; Acts 7:11
- 6 Exodus 18:21; Genesis 47:11; Proverbs 22:29; 2 Chronicles 26:10; Exodus 18:25
- 7 Genesis 47:10; 2 Samuel 14:22; Exodus 12:32; Luke 22:19; Matthew 26:26
- 9 Job 14:1; Psalm 39:12; Genesis 35:28; Psalm 39:5; Exodus 7:7
- 10 Genesis 47:7; Deuteronomy 33:1; Hebrews 7:7; 2 Samuel 8:10; Genesis 14:19
- 11 Genesis 47:6; Exodus 12:37; Exodus 1:11; John 17:24; John 14:2
- 12 Genesis 45:11; Mark 7:10–13; Exodus 20:12; Genesis 47:1; Ruth 4:15
- 13 Acts 7:11; Jeremiah 9:12; Lamentations 4:9; Genesis 41:30–31; 1 Kings 18:5
- 14 Genesis 41:56; Luke 16:10–12; 1 Peter 4:10; Luke 16:1–2; 1 Corinthians 4:2
- 15 Judges 8:8; Judges 8:5; Matthew 6:11; Psalm 37:3; Genesis 47:18–19
- 16 Philippians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 10:32; Proverbs 12:17; Colossians 4:5; Daniel 6:5–7
- 17 Isaiah 31:1; Job 2:4; Matthew 6:24; 1 Kings 10:28; Exodus 9:3
- 18 Jeremiah 38:9; 2 Kings 6:26
- 19 Nehemiah 5:2–3; Job 2:4; Lamentations 1:11; Lamentations 5:9; Lamentations 5:6
- 21 Genesis 41:48
- 22 Ezra 7:24; Joshua 21:1–45; Nehemiah 13:10; 1 Corinthians 9:13; Genesis 41:50
- 23 Isaiah 55:10; Isaiah 28:24–25; Genesis 45:6; Psalm 112:5; Proverbs 12:11
- 24 Genesis 41:34; Psalm 112:5; Psalm 41:1; Genesis 47:25; 1 Samuel 8:15–17
- 25 Genesis 33:15; Proverbs 11:26–27; Genesis 41:45; Genesis 50:20; Genesis 45:6–8
- 26 Genesis 47:22; Ezekiel 7:24
- 27 Genesis 46:3; Exodus 1:7; Acts 7:17; Psalm 107:38; Psalm 105:24
- 28 Psalm 90:10; Psalm 119:84; Psalm 90:12; Genesis 47:8–9; Genesis 37:2
- 29 Genesis 24:2; Deuteronomy 31:14; Genesis 24:49; 1 Kings 2:1; Genesis 50:24–25
- 30 Genesis 49:29–32; Genesis 25:9; Genesis 23:19; Genesis 50:25; 2 Samuel 19:37
- 31 1 Kings 1:47; Genesis 24:3; Hebrews 11:21; Genesis 47:29; Genesis 24:26
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
Why does my Bible say something different?
- Hebrews 11:21 and Genesis 47:31: Jacob’s staff or Jacob’s bed?
In the Hebrew text of Genesis 47:31 Israel bows “upon the bed’s head.” In the Septuagint he bows “on the top of his staff,” and Hebrews 11:21 quotes the Greek. The Hebrew consonants can be read either way; only the later vowel marks decide. The Orthodox Church reads “staff,” and St John of Damascus used the verse in defending the veneration of holy things.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
"Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been," said Jacob, and elsewhere "all the days of my life." Thus under the form of history the law is laid down for what is to follow.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)