19. Do you want us to die right in front of you? Do you want the land to be ruined? Take us and our land in exchange for food. Then we will be Pharaoh’s slaves and our land will be his property. But give us seed so that we won’t starve to death and the ground won’t become a desert.”
20. Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. Every Egyptian sold his fields because the famine was so severe. The land became Pharaoh’s.
21. All over Egypt Joseph moved the people to the cities.
22. But he didn’t buy the priests’ land because the priests received an income from Pharaoh, and they lived on that income. That’s why they didn’t sell their land.
23. Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Plant crops in the land.
24. Every time you harvest, give one-fifth of the produce to Pharaoh. Four-fifths will be yours to use as seed for your fields and as food for your households.”
25. “You have saved our lives,” they said. “Please, sir, we are willing to be Pharaoh’s slaves.”
26. Joseph made a law concerning the land in Egypt which is still in force today: One-fifth ⌊of the produce⌋ belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests didn’t belong to Pharaoh.
27. So the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and had many children.
28. Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years, so he lived a total of 147 years.
29. Israel was about to die. He called for his son Joseph and said to him, “I want you to swear that you love me and are faithful to me. Please don’t bury me here.
30. I want to rest with my ancestors. Take me out of Egypt, and bury me in their tomb.”“I will do as you say,” Joseph answered.