13 Then the time came when there was no bread in that entire part of the world, because the drought was now extremely severe, and both Egypt and Canaan were suffering from food shortages. 14 People all over came to buy grain, and over time Yosef had received in payment all the silver that could be found in Egypt and Canaan, and he in turn took it to Far’oh’s house. 15 So once there was no more silver left in Egypt and in Canaan, all the Egyptians demanded from Yosef, “Give us food. Why should we die right here in front of you? All our money is gone!”

16 “Bring your livestock,” Yosef answered, “and I’ll give grain to you in exchange for them, since the silver is gone.” 17 So the people brought their livestock to him, and he gave them grain in exchange for their horses and sheep and cattle and donkeys. So he provided them with food that year in exchange for all their livestock.

18 The next year they came to Yosef and begged, “We can’t hide it from our master that since there’s no silver left and since all the livestock now belongs to our lord, there’s nothing left to offer other than our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die right in front of you—both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Far’oh. And give us seed so that we’ll live and not die, and so that the land won’t be barren.”

20 So Yosef bought all the farmland of Egypt for Far’oh, because every Egyptian sold his field. In that way, all the land became Far’oh’s because the famine was so extreme. 21 As for the people, he moved them to the cities[fn] from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 The only land he didn’t buy was that of the priests, because they were given a regular allowance by Far’oh. Because they could live on what they were supplied with, they didn’t need to sell their land. 23 Then Yosef told the people, “Listen, now that I’ve bought you and your land for Far’oh, here is seed for you so that you can work the ground. 24 Every time you harvest a crop, you must give a fifth of it to Far’oh. The other four parts will be for you to use as seed and as food for yourselves and your households and your young children.”

25 “You’ve kept us alive,” they agreed. “Master, continue to show us your favour, and we’ll be slaves for Far’oh.” 26 So Yosef established it as a law to this day concerning the Egyptian farmland: that the fifth belongs to Far’oh. (Only the priests’ land didn’t become Far’oh’s.)