1 At that time the children of Tarshish came against the sons of Yishma’ĕl, and fought against them, and the children of Tarshish plundered the Yishma’ĕlites for a long time.
2 And the children of Yishma’ĕl were small in number in those days, and they could not prevail over the children of Tarshish, and they were bitterly oppressed.
3 And the old men of the Yishma’ĕlites sent a record to the sovereign of Mitsrayim, saying, “Please send to your servants officers and armies to help us to fight against the children of Tarshish, for we have been consuming away for a long time.”
4 And Pharaoh sent Yosĕph with the mighty men and army which were with him, and also his mighty men from the sovereign’s house.
5 And they went to the land of Ḥawilah to the children of Yishma’ĕl, to assist them against the children of Tarshish. And the children of Yishma’ĕl fought with the children of Tarshish, and Yosĕph smote the Tarshishites and he subdued all their land, and the children of Yishma’ĕl dwell there to this day.
6 And when the land of Tarshish was subdued, all the Tarshishites ran away, and came to the border of their brothers the children of Yawan, and Yosĕph with all his mighty men and army returned to Mitsrayim, not one man of them missing.
7 And at the turn of the year, in the second year of Yosĕph’s reigning over Mitsrayim, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 gave great plenty throughout the land for seven years as Yosĕph had spoken, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 baraḵ all the produce of the earth in those days for seven years, and they ate and were greatly satisfied.
8 And Yosĕph at that time had officers under him, and they collected all the food of the good years, and heaped grain year by year, and they placed it in the storehouses of Yosĕph.
9 And at any time when they gathered the food, Yosĕph commanded that they should bring the grain in the heads, and also bring with it some of the soil of the field, that it should not spoil.
10 And Yosĕph did according to this year by year, and he heaped up large quantities of grain like the sand of the sea, for his stores were immense and of such great amount that could not be numbered.
11 And also all the inhabitants of Mitsrayim gathered all kinds of food in their stores in great quantities during the seven good years, but they did not do to it as Yosĕph did.
12 And all the food which Yosĕph and the Mitsrites had gathered during the seven years of plenty, was secured for the land in stores for the seven years of scarcity of food, for the support of the whole land.
13 And each man of the inhabitants of Mitsrayim filled his store and his concealed place with grain, to be for food during the scarcity of food.
14 And Yosĕph placed all the food that he had gathered in all the cities of Mitsrayim, and he closed all the stores and placed watchmen over them.
15 And Yosĕph’s wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-Phera bore him two sons: Menashsheh and Ephrayim. And Yosĕph was thirty-four years old when he brought them forth.
16 And the youths grew up and they went in His Ways and in His Torot, they did not deviate from the Way which their father taught them, either to the right or left.
17 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was with the youths, and they grew up and had understanding and skill in all wisdom and in all the affairs of the reign. And all the sovereign’s officers and his great men of the inhabitants of Mitsrayim exalted the lads, and they were brought up among the sovereign’s children.
18 And the seven years of plenty that were throughout the land were at an end, and the seven years of scarcity of food came after them as Yosĕph had spoken, and the scarcity of food was throughout the land.
19 And all the people of Mitsrayim saw that the scarcity of food had begun in the land of Mitsrayim, and all the people of Mitsrayim opened their stores of grain for the scarcity of food was severe upon them.
20 And they found all the food that was in their stores, full of rats and not fit to eat. And the scarcity of food was severe throughout the land, and all the inhabitants of Mitsrayim came and cried before Pharaoh, for the scarcity of food was heavy upon them.
21 And they said to Pharaoh, “Give food to your servants, and why shall we die through hunger before your eyes, even we and our little ones?”
22 And Pharaoh answered them, saying, “And why do you cry to me? Did Yosĕph not command that the grain should be laid up during the seven years of plenty for the years of scarcity of food? And why did you not listen to his voice?”
23 And the people of Mitsrayim answered the sovereign, saying, “As your being lives, our master, your servants have done all that Yosĕph ordered, for your servants also gathered in all the produce of their fields during the seven years of plenty and laid it in the stores to this day.
24 “And when the scarcity of food was severe on your servants we opened our stores, and look, all our produce was filled with rats and was not fit for food.”
25 And when the sovereign heard all that had befallen the inhabitants of Mitsrayim, the sovereign was greatly afraid because of the scarcity of food, and he feared greatly. And the sovereign answered the people of Mitsrayim, saying, “Since all this has come upon you, go to Yosĕph, do whatever he shall say to you, do not transgress his commands.”
26 And all the people of Mitsrayim went out and came to Yosĕph, and said to him, “Give food to us, and why should we die before you from hunger? For we gathered in our produce during the seven years as you commanded, and we put it in store, and thus has it befallen us.”
27 And when Yosĕph heard all the words of the people of Mitsrayim and what had befallen them, Yosĕph opened all his stores of the produce and he sold it to the people of Mitsrayim.
28 And the scarcity of food was severe throughout the land, and the scarcity of food was in all countries, but in the land of Mitsrayim there was produce for sale.
29 And all the inhabitants of Mitsrayim came to Yosĕph to buy grain, for the scarcity of food was severe on them, and all their grain was spoiled. And Yosĕph daily sold it to all the people of Mitsrayim.
30 And all the inhabitants of the land of Kena’an and the Pelishtites, and those beyond the Yardĕn, and the children of the East and all the cities of the lands far and near heard that there was grain in Mitsrayim, and they all came to Mitsrayim to buy grain, for the scarcity of food was severe on them.
31 And Yosĕph opened the stores of grain and placed officers over them, and they stood daily and sold to all that came.
32 And Yosĕph knew that his brothers would also come to Mitsrayim to buy grain, for the scarcity of food was severe throughout the earth. And Yosĕph commanded all his people that they should cause it to be proclaimed throughout the land of Mitsrayim, saying,
33 “It is the pleasure of the sovereign, by his second and of their great men, that any person who wishes to buy grain in Mitsrayim shall not send his servants to Mitsrayim to purchase, but his sons. And also any Mitsrite or Kena’anite, who shall come from any of the stores from buying grain in Mitsrayim, and shall go and sell it throughout the land, he shall die, for no one shall buy but for the support of his household.
34 “And any man leading two or three beasts shall die, for a man shall only lead his own beast.”
35 And Yosĕph placed watchmen at the gates of Mitsrayim, and commanded them, saying, “Any person who may come to buy grain, do not allow him to enter until his name, and the name of his father, and the name of his father’s father be written down. And whatever is written by day, send their names to me in the evening that I may know their names.”
36 And Yosĕph placed officers throughout the land of Mitsrayim, and he commanded them to do all these matters.
37 And Yosĕph did all these matters, and made these laws, in order that he might know when his brothers should come to Mitsrayim to buy grain. And Yosĕph’s people caused it to be proclaimed daily in Mitsrayim according to these words and laws which Yosĕph had commanded.
38 And all the inhabitants of the East and West country, and of all the earth, heard of the laws and regulations which Yosĕph had established in Mitsrayim, and the inhabitants of the ends of the earth came and they bought grain in Mitsrayim day after day, and then went away.
39 And all the officers of Mitsrayim did as Yosĕph had commanded, and all that came to Mitsrayim to buy grain, the gatekeepers would write their names, and their fathers’ names, and daily bring them in the evening before Yosĕph.