23
1 Sarah
lived one hundred
twenty-seven years.
This was the
length of Sarah’s
life.
2 Sarah
died in Kiriath Arba (also
called Hebron), in
the land of Canaan.
Abraham came to mourn
for Sarah, and
to weep for
her.
3 Abraham rose
up from before
his dead and
spoke to the
children of Heth,
saying,
4 “I am
a stranger and
a foreigner living
with you. Give
me a possession of
a burying-place with
you, that I
may bury my
dead out of
my sight.”
5 The
children of Heth
answered Abraham, saying to
him,
6 “Hear
us, my lord. You
are a prince
of God among
us. Bury your
dead in the best
of our tombs.
None of us
will withhold from
you his tomb.
Bury your dead.”
7 Abraham rose
up, and bowed
himself to the
people of the land,
to the children
of Heth.
8 He
talked with them,
saying, “If you
agree that I should
bury my dead
out of my
sight, hear me,
and entreat for
me to Ephron
the son of
Zohar,
9 that
he may sell
me the cave
of Machpelah,
which he has,
which is in
the end of
his field. For
the full price
let him sell
it to me
among you as
a possession for a
burial place.”
10 Now Ephron
was sitting in
the middle of
the children of
Heth. Ephron the
Hittite answered Abraham
in the hearing of
the children of
Heth, even of all
who went in
at the gate
of his city,
saying,
11 “No,
my lord, hear me.
I give you
the field, and
I give you
the cave that
is in it.
In the presence
of the children
of my people
I give it
to you. Bury
your dead.”
12 Abraham
bowed himself down
before the people
of the land.
13 He
spoke to Ephron
in the audience of
the people of
the land, saying,
“But if you
will, please hear
me. I will
give the price
of the field.
Take it from
me, and I
will bury my
dead there.”
14 Ephron
answered Abraham, saying to
him,
15 “My lord,
listen to me.
What is a piece
of land worth four hundred
shekels of silver
between me and you?
Therefore bury your
dead.”
16 Abraham
listened to Ephron.
Abraham weighed to
Ephron the silver
which he had
named in the
hearing of the
children of Heth,
four hundred shekels
of silver,
according to the
current merchants’
standard.
17 So
the field of
Ephron, which was
in Machpelah,
which was before
Mamre, the field,
the cave which
was in it,
and all the
trees that were
in the field,
that were in
all of its
borders, were
deeded
18 to Abraham
for a possession
in the presence
of the children
of Heth, before
all who went
in at the
gate of his
city.
19 After
this, Abraham buried
Sarah his wife in
the cave of
the field of
Machpelah before
Mamre (that is,
Hebron), in the
land of Canaan.
20 The
field, and the
cave that is
in it, were
deeded to Abraham
by the children
of Heth as
a possession for a
burial place.