Genesis 23
1 Now Sarah lived for one hundred and twenty-seven years.
When Sarah was 127 years old,
2 And she died in the city of Arba, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn and weep for her.
she died at Kiriath-Arba [town], which is now called Hebron, in the Canaan region. After Abraham mourned for her,
3 And when he had risen up from the funeral duties, he spoke to the sons of Heth, saying:
he left the body of his wife and [went and] spoke to some of the descendants of Heth, saying,
4 “I am a newcomer and a sojourner among you. Give me the right of a sepulcher among you, so that I may bury my dead.”
“I am a foreigner [DOU] living among you, [so I do not own any land here]. Sell me some land here so that I can bury my wife’s body.”
5 The sons of Heth responded by saying:
They replied to him,
6 “Hear us, O lord, you are a leader of God among us. Bury your dead in our chosen sepulchers. And no man shall be able to prohibit you from burying your dead within his memorial.”
“Sir, you are a powerful prince among us. Choose one of our finest tombs and bury your wife’s [body] in it. None of us will refuse to sell land to you for a tomb for your relatives’ bodies.”
7 Abraham arose, and he reverenced the people of the land, namely, the sons of Heth.
Then Abraham stood up and bowed [in respect] in front of the people who owned the land, the descendants of Heth.
8 And he said to them: “If it pleases your soul that I should bury my dead, hear me, and intercede on my behalf with Ephron, the son of Zohar,
He said to them, “If you say that you are willing for me to bury my wife’s body here, listen to me, and ask Ephron, the son of Zohar for me,
9 so that he may give me the double cave, which he has at the far end of his field. He may transfer it to me for as much money as it is worth in your sight, for the possession of a sepulcher.”
to sell to me the cave in the Machpelah area, which is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price he wants, so that I can have a burial ground among you.”
10 Now Ephron dwelt in the midst of the sons of Heth. And Ephron responded to Abraham in the hearing of everyone who was entering at the gate of his city, saying:
Ephron was sitting among the people near the city gate where many [HYP] descendants of Heth had gathered. He heard what Abraham said to them.
11 “Let it never be so, my lord, but you should pay greater heed to what I say. The field I will transfer to you, and the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people, bury your dead.”
[So, just to make the customary reply to start the real discussion about a price], Ephron said, “No, sir, listen to me. I will give to you the field and the cave in it, without charge, with the people here as witnesses.”
12 Abraham reverenced in the sight of the people of the land.
Abraham again bowed before the people who lived in the area,
13 And he spoke to Ephron, standing in the midst of the people: “I ask you to hear me. I will give you money for the field. Take it, and so I will bury my dead in it.”
and said to Ephron, as all the others were listening, “[No], listen to me. If you are willing, I will pay for the field. You tell me what the price is, and I will give it to you. If you accept it, the field will become mine, and I can bury my wife’s body there.”
14 And Ephron responded: “My lord, hear me.
Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 The land that you request is worth four hundred shekels of silver. This is the price between me and you. But how much is this? Bury your dead.”
“Sir, listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver. But the price is not important to you and me. Give me the money and bury your wife’s body there.”
16 And when Abraham had heard this, he weighed out the money that Ephron had requested, in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, of the approved public currency.
Abraham agreed with Ephron about the price, and weighed for Ephron the 400 pieces of silver he had suggested, as everyone was listening, using the standard weights for silver used [in that area] by people who sold things.
17 And having confirmed that the field, in which there was a double cave overlooking Mamre, formerly belonged to Ephron, both it and the sepulcher, and all its trees, with all its surrounding limits,
So Ephron’s field in the Machpelah area, near Mamre, and the cave in the field, and all the trees that were in the field inside the boundaries of the land, became Abraham’s possession.
18 Abraham took it as a possession, in the sight of the sons of Heth and of everyone who was entering at the gate of his city.
It became Abraham’s property as all the descendants of Heth were listening there at the city gate.
19 So then, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the double cave of the field that overlooked Mamre. This is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
After that, Abraham buried his wife Sarah’s body in the cave in the field in the Machpelah area near Mamre, which is now called Hebron [city], in the Canaan region.
20 And the field was confirmed to Abraham, with the cave that was in it, as a memorial possession before the sons of Heth.
So the field and the cave in it were officially sold to Abraham by the descendants of Heth, to be used as a burial ground.
