المثول بـين يدي فرعون
1 فدَخلَ يوسُفُ على فِرعَونَ وقالَ لَه: «أبـي وإخوتي جاؤوا منْ أرضِ كنعانَ بِــغنَمِهِم وبقَرِهِم وكُلِّ ما هوَ لهُم، وها هُم في أرضِ جاسانَ». 2 وأخذَ يوسُفُ خَمْسَةَ رِجالٍ مِنْ إخوتِهِ وأحضَرَهم أمامَ فِرعونَ. 3 فقالَ فِرعَونُ لإخوةِ يوسُفَ: «ما حِرْفَتُكُم؟» فقالوا لِفِرعَونَ: «نحنُ يا سيِّدي رُعاةُ غنَمٍ، نحنُ وآباؤُنا جميعا». 4 وقالوا لَه: «جِئْنا لِنتَغَرَّبَ في أرضِكَ يا سيِّدَنا، لأنَّ لا مَرعى لِغنَمِنا مِن اشتدادِ الجُوعِ في أرضِ كنعانَ. فاسمَحْ لنا أنْ نُقيمَ بأرضِ جاسانَ». 5 فقالَ فِرعَونُ ليوسُفَ: «أبوكَ وإخوتُكَ جاؤوا إليكَ، 6 فهذِهِ أرضُ مِصْرَ بَينَ يَدَيكَ، أنزِلْهُم بأجودِها، ودَعْهُم يُقيمُونَ بأرضِ جاسانَ، وإنْ كُنتَ تعلَمُ أنَّ فيهِم قادرينَ على العَملِ، فأوكِلْهُم على ماشيتي».
7 وأدخَلَ يوسُفُ يعقوبَ أباه وأوقفَهُ بَينَ يَدَيّ فِرعَونَ، فبارَكَهُ يَعقوبُ 8 فقالَ لَه فِرعونُ: «كم لكَ مِنَ العُمرِ؟» 9 فأجابَهُ يعقوبُ: «أيّامُ غُربَتي مئةٌ وثلاثونَ سنَةً. قليلةً وسَيِّئةً كانَت أيّامُ حياتي، على غيرِ ما كانَت أيّامُ حياةِ آبائي في غُربَتِهم». 10 وباركَ يعقوبُ فِرعَونَ وخرَجَ مِنْ بَينِ يَدَيهِ.
11 وأسكَنَ يوسُفُ أباه وإخوَتَه وأعطاهُم مُلْكا في أرضِ مِصْرَ، في أجوَدِ موضِعٍ مِنها، وهوَ أرضُ رَعَمْسيسَ، كما أمرَ فِرعَونُ. 12 وعيَّنَ يوسُفُ لأبـيهِ وإخوتهِ وسائرِ أهلِ بَيتِ أبـيهِ مِقدارَ ما يحتاجونَ إليهِ مِنَ الطَّعامِ على حسَبِ عيالِهِم.
خطة يوسف الزراعية
13 ونفَدَ الخبزُ في كُلِّ مكانٍ، واشتدَّتِ المَجاعَةُ حتّى خارت قِوى أهلِ مِصْرَ وأرضِ كنعانَ منَ الجُّوعِ. 14 وكانَ يوسُفُ يَجمَعُ كُلَّ الفِضَّةِ الّتي كانوا يشتَرونَ بِها القمحَ ويَجـيءُ بها إلى بَيتِ فِرعَونَ. 15 فلمَّا نَفَدَتِ الفِضَّةُ مِنْ أرضِ مِصْرَ ومِنْ أرضِ كنعانَ أقبلَ المِصْريُّونَ إلى يوسُفَ وقالوا لَه: «أعطِنا خبزا. أنموتُ أمامَ عينَيكَ لأنَّ الفِضَّةَ نفَدَت؟» 16 فقالَ لهُم يوسُفُ: «إذا كانت فضَّتُكُم نَفَدَت، فهاتوا ماشيتَكُم لأُعطيَكُم عِوَضَها خبزا». 17 فجاؤوا بِماشيَتهِم إلى يوسُفَ، فأعطاهُم خبزا بَدَلَ الخَيلِ والماشيةِ مِنَ الغنَمِ والبقَرِ والحميرِ. أعطاهُم خُبزا بِكُلِّ ماشيَتهِم في تِلكَ السَّنةِ.
18 فلمَّا انْقَضَت تِلكَ السَّنَةُ جاؤوا في السَّنةِ الثَّانيةِ وقالوا لَه: «لا نُخفي علَيكَ يا سيِّدي أنَّ الفِضَّةَ نَفَدَت، ومُقْتَنانَا مِنَ البَهائِمِ هوَ عِندَك، وما بقِـيَ عِندَنا لِنُعطيَكَ إلاَّ أبدانَنا وأراضينا. 19 أَنَهلَكُ أمامَ عينَيكَ نحنُ وأراضينا؟ إشتَرِنا نحنُ وأراضيَنا بالخبزِ، فنَصيرَ بأراضينا عبـيدا لِفِرعَونَ، وأعطِنا بِذارا فنَحيا ولا نموتَ، ولا تصِيرُ أراضينا بُورا».
20 فاشترى يوسُفُ جميعَ أراضي المِصْريِّينَ لِفِرعَونَ، لأنَّ كُلَّ واحدٍ مِنهُم باعَ حقلَهُ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الجُّوعِ. فصارتِ الأرضُ لِفِرعَونَ 21 والشَّعبُ عبـيدا لَه مِنْ أقصى حُدودِ مِصْرَ إلى أقصاها. 22 أمَّا أراضي الكَهنَةِ فلم يَشتَرِها، لأنَّ الكهَنَةَ كانوا يعتاشون ممَّا خَصَّصَهُم بِه فِرعَونُ، فاستَغنَوا عَن بَيعِ أراضيهِم.
23 وقالَ يوسُفُ للشَّعبِ: «أنا اشْترَيتُكُم اليومَ أنتُم وأراضيَكُم لِفِرعَونَ، فخُذُوا لَكُم بِذارا تزرَعُونه في الأرضِ. 24 وعِندَ الحَصادِ تُعطُونَ خُمْسَ غِلالِكُم لِفِرعَونَ، والأربَعةُ الأخماسُ الباقيةُ تكونُ لكُم بِذارا للحُقولِ وطعاما لكُم ولأهلِ بُيوتِكُم وعِيالِكُم». 25 فقالوا: «أنقَذْتَ حياتَنا. ليَتنا نحظَى بِرضاكَ يا سيِّدي، فنَكونَ عبـيدا لِفِرعَونَ». 26 فجَعَلَ يوسُفُ هذا الإجراءَ فريضةً على أرضِ مِصْرَ إلى هذا اليومِ، وهوَ أنْ يكونَ الخُمْسُ لِفِرعَونَ، ما عدا أراضيَ الكهَنةِ وحدَها لأنَّها لم تَصِرْ لِفِرعَونَ.
وصية يعقوب قبل موته
27 وأقامَ يعقوبُ والّذينَ معَه بِـجاسانَ في أرضِ مِصْرَ، فتَمَلَّكوا فيها ونَمَوا وتكاثَروا. 28 وعاشَ يعقوبُ في أرضِ مِصْرَ سَبْعَ عشْرَةَ سنَةً فصارَ جميعُ عُمْرِهِ مئةً وسَبْعا وأربَعينَ سنَةً. 29 ولمَّا دنَت ساعتُهُ دعا ابنَه يوسُفَ وقالَ لَه: «بِرِضاكَ عليَّ ضَعْ يَدَكَ تَحتَ فَخذي واحْلِفْ لي بأنْ تكونَ وفيًّا وأمينا لي. لا تدفنّي في مِصْرَ 30 بل إذا مُتُّ احمِلْني وادفنِّي في مقبرةِ آبائي». قالَ: «سأفعَلُ كما قُلتَ». 31 فقال لَه: «احْلِفْ لي». فحَلَفَ لَه يوسُفُ. فسجَدَ يعقوبُ على رأسِ سريرِهِ.
1 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. 2 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. 3 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. 4 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. 5 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: 6 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. 7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? 9 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. 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
11 ¶ 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. 12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.
13 ¶ 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17 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. 18 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: 19 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. 20 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. 21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. 22 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. 23 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. 24 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. 25 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. 26 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.
27 ¶ And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years. 29 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: 30 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. 31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.