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NASB | Genesis 47:19 "Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 47:19 "Why should we die 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." |
Subject: Joseph's iron fist |
Bible Note: I agree that 20 percent is a very fair taxation rate. I am a Canadian so, hey, I acknowledge govenments can have a constructive role. In my first post, I mentioned that that might be a societal benefit worth the suffering they went through. The people were offering their freedom because they had already paid EVERYTHING they had. Can you imagine? Property, livestock, everything. Joseph could have said, "no, there's another way." I suggest that your desire to commend Joseph is preventing you from reading the harshness of the text.... There are more options than "the people starve or they forfeit all they own to the Empire." What about "the people receive the food they grew at an affordable rate, so that all Egyptians will benefit" ? If you were Joseph, and you saw people starving and bankrupt, wouldn't that idea occur to you? |