Genesis 47:19 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition 2021

¹⁹ Shall we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. We with our land will become slaves to Pharaoh; just give us seed, so that we may live and not die and that the land may not become desolate.”

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

¹⁹ wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

¹⁹ Why should we perish before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed [to plant], that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.

American Standard Version (1901)

¹⁹ wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.

Common English Bible

¹⁹ Why should we die before your eyes, we and our farmland too? Buy us and our farms for food, and we and our farms will be under Pharaoh’s control. Give us seed so that we can stay alive and not die, and so that our farmland won’t become unproductive.”

Catholic Public Domain Version

¹⁹ Therefore, why should you watch us die? Both we and our land will be yours. Buy us into royal servitude, but provide seed, lest by the dying off of cultivators the land be reduced to a wilderness."

Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version

¹⁹ Why therefore shall we die before thy eyes? We will be thine, both we and our lands. Buy us to be the king's servants, and give us seed, lest for want of tillers the land be turned into a wilderness.

Genesis 47:19 Cross References

Genesis 41:36

That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to befall the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”

Genesis 47:15

When the money from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan was spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.”

Genesis 47:18

When that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We cannot hide from my lord that our money is all spent, and the herds of cattle are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

Genesis 47:20

So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe upon them, and the land became Pharaoh’s.

Job 2:4

Then the accuser answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! All that the man has he will give for his life.

Lamentations 1:11

All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their lives. Look, O Lord, and see how worthless I have become.

Lamentations 5:6

We have made a pact with Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread.

Lamentations 5:9

We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.

Matthew 16:26

For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?