Through My Bible Year 03 – April 26

Genesis 47:13 – 48:22

genesis 47

Draught

¹³ There was no food in the whole country, because the famine was so severe, so much so that the countries of Egypt and Canaan became weak because of the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph collected the money he found in Egypt and Canaan to pay for the grain they bought, and Joseph brought the money to Pharaoh’s palace. ¹⁵ When all the wealth of Egypt and Canaan was spent, then all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, Give us bread, why should we die in front of you? Look, our money is running out.

¹⁶ Joseph said, “Give me your cattle, and if your money runs out, I will give you food for your animals.”

¹⁷ They brought their animals to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for horses, sheep, oxen, and donkeys. He provided them with food for that year in exchange for all their animals. ¹⁸ When that year ended, they came to him in the second year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord the fact that all our wealth is spent, and the herds of livestock belong to my lord. May my lord see that we have nothing left except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we and our land die before your eyes? Buy us and our land in exchange for bread, and we will serve Pharaoh along with our land. Give us seed, that we may not die, but live, and that the land not become desolate.”

²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, because every man among the Egyptians sold his field because they were trapped by the famine, and the land became Pharaoh’s. ²¹ As for the people, he enslaved them all from one end of Egypt to the other. ^{(1) 22} The land that belonged to the priests was the only land that he did not buy, because the priests had regular allotments from Pharaoh and they ate from the allotments that Pharaoh gave them. That is why he did not sell his land. ²³ Then Joseph said to the people, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, so here is the seed for you to sow the land. ²⁴ At harvest time you must do this: give one-fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be your own share, which you can sow in the field as seed and use for food for yourself, all the people in your household, and your children.

²⁵ They said, “You have saved our lives! May we be blessed by my lord, and may we become slaves of Pharaoh.”

²⁶ Joseph made a rule regarding farming in Egypt, that Pharaoh should get one-fifth of the produce. Only the land of the priests did not belong to Pharaoh.

²⁷ Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they acquired wealth for themselves there. They became fruitful and increased in number. ²⁸ Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years. Thus, Jacob’s entire life span was one hundred and forty-seven years. ²⁹ When the time of Israel’s death drew near, he called his son Joseph and said, If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh, and deal with me kindly and faithfully; Don’t bury me in Egypt. ³⁰ But when I sleep with my ancestors, then you take me out of Egypt and bury me in their graveyard.”

He said, “I will do as you have said.”

³¹ He said, “Swear to me,” and he swore to her. Israel bowed his head on the headboard of the bed. ⁽²⁾

Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh

genesis 48

¹ Some time after these things, Joseph was told, “Come immediately. Your father is sick.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. ² It was told to Jacob, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you,” then Israel gathered his strength and sat down on the bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. ⁴ He said to me, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you a community of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants after you as an inheritance forever. ⁵ Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, will be counted as mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be counted among my sons, like Reuben and Simeon. ⁶ Your sons born after him will be considered equal to you. They would be registered in their brothers’ names to receive their inheritance. ⁷ As for me, when I came back from Paddan, I felt very loss ⁽³⁾ When we were a short distance from Ephrat, Rachel died on the way in the land of Canaan, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrat (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸ Israel saw Joseph’s sons and asked, “Who are these boys?”

⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.”

Israel said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.”

¹⁰ Now Israel’s eyes were failing due to old age, and he could no longer see. Joseph brought the boys near Jacob, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ Israel said to Joseph, I did not think that I would see your face, but now God has let me see your descendants also. ¹² Joseph removed them from Jacob’s lap and bowed his face to the ground. ¹³ Joseph led them both. He took Ephraim with his right hand to Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand to Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ But Israel reached out and put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, although Manasseh was the elder son. ¹⁵ He blessed Joseph and said,

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased. He took his father’s hand away from Ephraim’s head and placed it on Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, “No, my father, this is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ His father refused and said, “I know, my son. I know. He too will become a nation, and he too will be great. However, his younger brother will be greater than him, and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” ²⁰ He blessed them that day with these words: “Israel will bless you in your name, saying, ‘God will make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'” So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

²¹ Israel said to Joseph, You see that I am dying, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your ancestors. ²² Moreover, I have given you a share more than your brothers: the top of Shechem ⁽⁴⁾ Which I snatched from the hands of the Amorites with my sword and bow.