Joseph went in to Pharaoh and said, "My father and my brothers and all their families are here. They have all their animals and everything they own from the land of Canaan with them. They are now in the land of Goshen."
Pharaoh said to the brothers, "What work do you do?" The brothers said to Pharaoh, "Sir, we are shepherds, just as our ancestors were shepherds before us."
They said to Pharaoh, "The famine is very bad in Canaan. There are no fields left with grass for our animals, so we have come to live in this land. We ask you to please let us live in Goshen."
You can choose any place in Egypt for them to live. Give your father and your brothers the best land. Let them live in the land of Goshen. And if they are skilled shepherds, they can also care for my cattle."
Jacob said to Pharaoh, "I have had a short life with many troubles. I am only 130 years old. My father and his ancestors lived to be much older than I am."
Joseph did what Pharaoh said and gave his father and brothers land in Egypt. It was the best land in Egypt, in the eastern part of the country, around Rameses.
After some time the people in Egypt and Canaan had no money left. They had spent all their money to buy grain. So the people of Egypt went to Joseph and said, "Please give us food. Our money is gone. If we don't eat, we will die while you are watching."
But the next year the people had no animals and nothing to buy food with. So they went to Joseph and said, "You know that we have no money left, and all our animals belong to you. So we have nothing left—only what you see—our bodies and our land.
Surely we will die while you are watching. But if you give us food, we will give Pharaoh our land, and we will be his slaves. Give us seed so that we can plant. Then we will live and not die, and the land will grow food for us again."
The only land Joseph didn't buy was the land that the priests owned. The priests didn't need to sell their land because Pharaoh paid them for their work. So they used this money to buy food to eat.
At harvest time, you must give one-fifth of your crops to Pharaoh. You can keep four-fifths for yourselves. You can use the seed you keep for food and planting the next year. Now you can feed your families and your children."
So Joseph made a law at that time in the land, and that law still continues today. The law says that one-fifth of everything from the land belongs to the Pharaoh who owns all the land. The only land he does not own is the land of the priests.
The time came when Israel knew he would soon die, so he called his son Joseph to him. He said, "If you love me, put your hand under my leg and make a promise. Promise that you will do what I say and that you will be truthful with me. When I die, don't bury me in Egypt.
Bury me in the place where my ancestors are buried. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in our family grave." Joseph answered, "I promise that I will do what you say."