Grain During Famine

13There was no food in all the land, because the famine was very severe; and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.

14And Joseph gathered up all the silver found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain that they were buying, and Joseph brought the silver into Pharaoh’s house.

15When the money from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, saying, "Give us bread. Why should we die before you? For the money is gone."

16And Joseph said, “Bring your livestock, and I will give to you in exchange for your livestock, if the money is gone.”

17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys; and he provided for them with bread in exchange for all their livestock during that year.

18When that year ended, they came to him in the second year and said to him, “We will not hide it from my lord: the money is gone, and the livestock of the herds belongs to my lord. Nothing is left before my lord except our bodies and our land.”

19Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give seed, so that we may live and not die, and the land may not become desolate.

20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, because every Egyptian sold his field, for the famine was severe upon them; and the land became Pharaoh’s.

21As for the people, he moved them to the cities, from one end of the territory of Egypt to the other.

22Only the land of the priests he did not buy, because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they ate their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land.

23Then Joseph said to the people, “Look, today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.”

24And at the harvest, you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be yours for seed for the field, for your food, for those in your households, and for food for your little ones.

25And they said, “You have kept us alive. May we find favor in the eyes of my lord, and we will be servants to Pharaoh.”

26So Joseph made it a statute that stands to this day concerning the land of Egypt: the fifth is for Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.