< Genesis 23 >

1 And Sara lived a hundred and twenty-seven years.
And the life of Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2 And she died in the city of Arbee which is Hebron, in the land of Chanaan: and Abraham came to mourn and weep for her.
And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3 And after he rose up from the funeral obsequies, he spoke to the children of Heth, saying:
And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spake unto the children of Heth, saying,
4 I am a stranger and sojourner among you: give me the right of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead.
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 The children of Heth answered, saying:
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6 My Lord, hear us, thou art a prince of God among us: bury thy dead in our principal sepulchres: and no man shall have power to hinder thee from burying thy dead in his sepulchre.
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 Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, to wit the children of Heth:
And Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
8 And said to them: If it please your soul that I should bury my dead, hear me, and intercede for me to Ephron the son of Seor.
And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind 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 give me the double cave, which he hath in the end of his field: for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me before you, for a possession of a burying place.
that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a possession of a buryingplace.
10 Now Ephron dwelt in the midst of the children of Heth. And Ephron made answer to Abraham in the hearing of all that went in at the gate of the city, saying:
Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of 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 Let it not be so, my lord, but do thou rather hearken to what I say: The field I deliver to thee, and the cave that is therein, in the presence of the children of my people, bury thy dead.
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 Abraham bowed down before the people of the land,
And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land.
13 And he spoke to Ephron, in the presence of the people: I beseech thee to hear me: I will give money for the field: take it, and so I will bury my dead in it.
And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me: I will give the price of the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
14 And Ephron answered:
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
15 My lord, hear me. The ground which thou desirest, is worth four hundred sicles of silver: this is the price between me and thee: but what is this? bury thy dead.
My lord, hearken unto me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16 And when Abraham had heard this, he weighed out the money that Ephron had asked, in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred sicles of silver of common current money.
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant.
17 And the field that before was Ephron’s, wherein was the double cave, looking towards Mambre, both it and the cave, and all the trees thereof in all its limits round about,
So 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 border thereof round about, were made sure
18 Was made sure to Abraham for a possession, in the sight of the children of Heth, and of all that went in at the gate of his city.
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 so Abraham buried Sara his wife, in a double cave of the field, that looked towards Mambre, this is Hebron in the land of Chanaan.
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 was made sure to Abraham, and the cave that was in it, for a possession to bury in, by the children of Heth.
And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the children of Heth.

< Genesis 23 >