16
To whom he answered, Bring ye your beasts (to me), and I shall give you meats for those, if ye have not price (and I shall give you food in return, if ye have no more money).
17
And when they had brought those, he gave them meats for horses, and sheep, and oxen, and asses; and he sustained them in that year for the (ex)change of beasts. (And so when they brought their beasts, Joseph gave them food in return for their horses, and sheep, and oxen, and donkeys; and so he sustained them with food that year in exchange for their beasts.)
18
And they came in the second year, and said to him, We cover not from our lord, that the while money faileth, also (our) beasts failed altogether, neither it is hid from thee, that without bodies and land, we have nothing; (And they came back to him the following year, and they said to him, We hide it not from our lord, that now our money is all gone, and that all our beasts be thine; nor is it hid from thee, that except for our bodies and our land, we have nothing left;)
19
why therefore shall we die, while thou seest this? both we and our land shall be thine; buy thou us into the king's servage, and give thou us seeds to sow, lest while the tiller perisheth, the land be turned into wilderness. (and so why should we die, in front of thine eyes? let both us and our land be thine; yea, buy thou us into slavery to the king, and give us seeds to sow, lest while the worker perisheth, the land be turned into wilderness.)
20
Therefore Joseph bought all the land of Egypt, while all men sold (him) their possessions, for the greatness of hunger (for the greatness of the famine); and (so) he made it and all the peoples thereof subject to Pharaoh,
21
from the last terms of Egypt till to the last ends thereof,
22
except the land of priests, that was given of the king to them, to which priests also meats were given of the common barns, and therefore they were not compelled to sell their possessions. (except for the priests? land, which the king gave them, and to whom food was also given out of the common barns, and so they were not compelled to sell their land.)
23
Therefore Joseph said to the peoples, Lo! as ye see, Pharaoh wieldeth both you and your land; (now) take ye seeds, and sow ye (the) fields,
24
that ye may have fruits; ye shall give the fifth part to the king; I suffer to you the four residue parts into seed, and into meats, to you, and to your free children. (so that ye shall have increase; ye shall give the fifth part to the king; but I shall grant you the remaining four parts for seed, and for food, for you, and for your children.)
25
Which answered, Our health is in thine hand(s); only our God behold us, and we shall joyfully serve the king. (And they answered, Our salvation is in thy hands; only let our lord continue to care about us, and then we shall gratefully be the king's slaves.)
26
From that time till to this present day, in all the land of Egypt, the fifth part is paid to the kings, and it is made as into a law, without the land of priests, that was free from this condition. (And so from that time unto this present day, in all the land of Egypt, the fifth part of the harvest is paid to the king, for this was made a law, from all except the priests, whose land did not become Pharaoh's property.)