Thematic Bible: By pharaoh

Do not let us die. Do something! Do not let our fields be deserted. Buy us and buy our land in exchange for food. We will be the king's slaves. He will own our land. Give us grain to keep us alive and seed so that we can plant our fields. Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for the king. Every Egyptian was forced to sell his land, because the famine was so severe. All the land became the king's property. He [Joseph] removed the people into the cities from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other. read more.
The only land he did not buy was the land that belonged to the priests. The king gave the priests an allowance to live on. So they did not have to sell their lands. Joseph said to the people: I have now bought you and your lands for the king. Here is seed for you to sow in your fields. You must give one-fifth to the king at the time of harvest. You can use the rest for seed and for food for yourselves and your families. They answered: You have saved our lives. You have been good to us. We will be the king's slaves. Joseph made it a law for the land of Egypt that one-fifth of the harvest should belong to the king. This law still remains in force today. Only the lands of the priests did not become the king's property.