23 Sarah lived for 127 years. 2 She died in the land of Canaan, at Kiriath Arba. That place is also called Hebron. Abraham was very sad. He went to her tent and he cried very much, because she was dead.
3 Then Abraham went to the Hittite people and he said to them, 4 ‘I am living as a stranger among you. Please, sell me some land here, so that it belongs to me. Then I can use it to bury my wife properly.’
5 The Hittites replied, 6 ‘Sir, please listen to what we say. We respect you as a great and powerful person. We have good places where we bury our people who have died. Choose the best one that you like. None of us will refuse to give you the place that you choose. Then you will be able to bury your dead wife there.’
7 Abraham stood up. He turned his face towards the ground to respect the Hittites who lived in that place. 8 He said to them, ‘Since you have agreed to help me, please do this. Speak to Zohar's son, Ephron, for me. 9 Ask him to sell the cave of Machpelah to me. It belongs to Ephron. It is at the edge of his field. You will see that I pay the proper price to him. Then it will belong to me. I can bury my family there when they die.’
10 Ephron was sitting there with his people, at the city gate. He spoke so that all the Hittites could hear him. 11 Ephron said, ‘No sir. Please listen to me. You may take my field as well as the cave. I promise in front of my people that I will give all this to you. Then you can bury your dead wife there.’
12 Abraham again turned his face towards the ground to respect the people who lived in that place. 13 While they were listening, he said to Ephron, ‘Let me say this. I will pay you the price to buy the field. Please accept the money from me. Then I can bury my dead wife there.’
14 Ephron replied to Abraham, 15 ‘Listen to me, sir. The land is worth 400 shekels of silver. But the price is not important, because we are friends. Now bury your dead wife there.’ [ a ]
16 Abraham agreed to the price that Ephron had asked for. He weighed the correct amount of silver to give to Ephron. The Hittites there knew that it had been done properly. The weight of 400 shekels agreed with the weights that people used at that time.
17 In that way, Ephron's field in Machpelah, near Mamre, now belonged to Abraham. This included the field, the cave in the field and all the trees in the field as far as its edge. 18 All the Hittite people who were sitting there at the city gate agreed that Abraham was the new owner.
19 After this, Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, in the cave in the field of Machpelah. This field was near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. That place is also called Hebron. 20 That is how Abraham bought the field and the cave that was in it from the Hittite people. He bought it so that he could bury there his family who died.
23 Sarah lived to be 127 years old. 2 She died in the city of Kiriath Arba (Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham was very sad and cried for her there. 3 Then he left his dead wife and went to talk to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am only a foreigner staying in your country. I have no place to bury my wife. Please give me some land so that I can bury her.”
5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Sir, you are a great leader [ a ] among us. You can have the best place we have to bury your dead. You can have any of our burying places that you want. None of us will stop you from burying your wife there.”
7 Abraham got up and bowed to the people. 8 He said to them, “If you really want to help me bury my dead wife, speak to Ephron the son of Zohar for me. 9 I would like to buy the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to Ephron. It is at the end of his field. I will pay him the full price. I want all of you to be witnesses that I am buying it as a burial place.”
10 Ephron was sitting there among the people. He answered Abraham, 11 “No, sir. Here in front of my people, I give you that land and the cave on it so that you can bury your wife.”
12 Abraham bowed before the Hittites. 13 He said to Ephron before all the people, “But I want to give you the full price for the field. Accept my money, and I will bury my dead.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Sir, listen to me. Ten pounds [ b ] of silver mean nothing to you or me. Take the land and bury your dead wife.”
16 Abraham understood that Ephron was telling him the price of the land. [ c ] So Abraham paid him for the land. He weighed out ten pounds of silver for Ephron and gave it to the merchant. [ d ]
17-18 So the field of Ephron changed owners. This field was in Machpelah, near Mamre. Abraham became the owner of the field, the cave in it, and all the trees in the field. Everyone in the city saw the agreement between Ephron and Abraham. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of that field near Mamre (Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 Abraham bought the field and the cave in it from the Hittites. So this became his property to be used as a burial place.
23 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
7 And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.
10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.
12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
17 And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
23 Now [ a ] Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 Sarah died in ( A ) Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham [ b ] came in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 Then Abraham arose from mourning before his dead, and spoke to the ( B ) sons of Heth, saying, 4 “I am ( C ) a stranger and a foreign resident among you; ( D ) give me [ c ] a ( E ) burial site among you so that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6 “Hear us, my lord: you are a [ d ] ( F ) mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead.” 7 So Abraham stood up and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 8 And he spoke with them, saying, “If [ e ] you are willing to let me bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me, and plead with ( G ) Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in [ f ] your presence for [ g ] a burial site.” 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham [ h ] so that the sons of Heth heard, ( H ) that is, all who entered the gate of his city, saying, 11 “No, my lord, listen to me; ( I ) I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.” 12 And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 13 But he spoke to Ephron [ i ] so that the people of the land heard, saying, “If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me so that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a plot of land worth [ j ] four hundred ( J ) shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham ( K ) weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the [ k ] presence of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency acceptable to a merchant.
17 So ( L ) Ephron’s field, which was in Machpelah, which faced Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field, that were [ l ] within all the confines of its border, [ m ] were deeded over 18 to Abraham as a possession ( M ) in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who entered the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave that was in it [ n ] were ( N ) deeded over to Abraham for [ o ] a burial site by the sons of Heth.
23 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba ( A ) (that is, Hebron) ( B ) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. ( C )
3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. [ a ] ( D ) He said, 4 “I am a foreigner and stranger ( E ) among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead. ( F ) ”
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince ( G ) among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar ( H ) on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, ( I ) which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”
10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites ( J ) who had come to the gate ( K ) of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give [ b ] ( L ) you the field, and I give [ c ] you the cave that is in it. I give [ d ] it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels [ e ] of silver, ( M ) but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”
16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, ( N ) according to the weight current among the merchants. ( O )
17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah ( P ) near Mamre ( Q ) —both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded 18 to Abraham as his property ( R ) in the presence of all the Hittites ( S ) who had come to the gate ( T ) of the city. 19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah ( U ) near Mamre (which is at Hebron ( V ) ) in the land of Canaan. ( W ) 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded ( X ) to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site. ( Y )
