18. Then the people came to him and said:Sir, there's no way we can hide the truth from you. We are broke, and we don't have any more animals. We have nothing left except ourselves and our land.
19. Don't let us starve and our land be ruined. If you'll give us grain to eat and seed to plant, we'll sell ourselves and our land to the king. We'll become his slaves.
20. The famine became so severe that Joseph finally bought every piece of land in Egypt for the king
21. and made everyone the king's slaves,
22. except the priests. The king gave the priests a regular food allowance, so they did not have to sell their land.
23. Then Joseph said to the people, “You and your land now belong to the king. I'm giving you seed to plant,
24. but one-fifth of your crops must go to the king. You can keep the rest as seed or as food for your families.”
25. “Sir, you have saved our lives!” they answered. “We are glad to be slaves of the king.”
26. Then Joseph made a law that one-fifth of the harvest would always belong to the king. Only the priests did not lose their land.
27. The people of Israel made their home in the land of Goshen, where they became prosperous and had large families.
28. Jacob himself lived there for seventeen years, before dying at the age of one hundred and forty-seven.
29. When Jacob knew he did not have long to live, he called in Joseph and said, “If you really love me, you must make a solemn promise not to bury me in Egypt.
30. Instead, bury me in the place where my ancestors are buried.”“I will do what you have asked,” Joseph answered.
31. “Will you give me your word?” Jacob asked.“Yes, I will,” Joseph promised. After this, Jacob bowed down and prayed at the head of his bed.