Vayigash, Aliyah 7 ויגש, שביעי

Yoseif settled his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Ramseis, as Pharaoh had ordered.

Yoseif provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread according to [the needs of] the children.

There was no bread in all the land, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt, and Canaan were worn out because of the famine.

Yoseif gathered up all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, through the purchases they made. Yoseif brought the money to the house of Pharaoh.

When the money was used up in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all [the people of] Egypt came to Yoseif, saying, Give us bread; why should we die in your presence, [just] because there is no money?

Yoseif said, Bring your livestock, and I will give you [food] [in exchange] for your livestock if there is no more money.

They brought their livestock to Yoseif, and Yoseif gave them bread [in exchange] for their horses, their flocks of sheep, their herds of cattle and their donkeys. He tended them with bread in exchange for all their livestock, in that year.

That year came to an end. They came to him in the second year, and they said to him, We are holding nothing back from my master, for the money is used up, and the herds of cattle belong to my master. There is nothing left before my master except our bodies and our land.

Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land [in exchange] for bread. We and our land will become slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed grain, let us live and not die, and let the land not become desolate.

Yoseif bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. Thus the land became Pharaoh’s [property.]

He [Yoseif] then transferred the people to cities, from one end of the border of Egypt to the other.

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

Yoseif said to the people, Behold, I have today purchased you and your lands for Pharaoh. Here is seed, plant [it in] the soil.

When it produces you must give a fifth to Pharaoh. Four parts shall be yours for seed for your fields and for your food, and for those of your households, and for food for your little ones.

They said, You have saved our lives. May we find favor in the eyes of my master, and we will be slaves to Pharaoh.

Yoseif enacted a statute over the land of Egypt to this day, that a fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Except the land of the priests alone, did not belong to Pharaoh.

Yisrael lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. They acquired property there. They were fruitful and [their population] increased greatly.