Genesis 23
1 When Sarah was 127 years old,
And the life of Sarah came to be, a hundred and twenty-seven years, —the years of the life of Sarah.
2 she died at Kiriath-Arba [town], which is now called Hebron, in the Canaan region. After Abraham mourned for her,
And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba, the same, is Hebron in the land of Canaan, —and Abraham went in to wail for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 he left the body of his wife and [went and] spoke to some of the descendants of Heth, saying,
And Abraham rose up from over the face of his dead, —and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying;
4 “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.”
A sojourner and settler, am I with you, —Give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, That I may bury my dead, from before me.
5 They replied to him,
And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him:
6 “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.”
Hear us, my lord! A prince of God, art thou in our midst, In the choice of our buryingplaces, bury thy dead, —Not, a man from among us his, burying-place, will withhold from thee, from burying thy dead.
7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed [in respect] in front of the people who owned the land, the descendants of Heth.
And Abraham rose up, and bowed himself down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth;
8 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,
and spake with them, saying, —If it is with the consent of your minds that I should bury my dead from before me, hear me, and intercede for me, with Ephron son of Zohar:
9 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.”
That he would give me, the cave of Machpelah, which pertaineth unto him, which is within the bounds of his field, —For full silver, let him give it me in your midst, For a possession of a buryingplace.
10 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.
Now, Ephron, was sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth, —so Ephron the Hittite responded to Abraham, in the ears of the sons of Heth, even all that were entering the gate of his city, saying:
11 [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.”
Nay, my lord, hear me, The field, have I given to thee And, the cave that is therein, to thee, have I given it, —In the eyes of the sons of my people, have I given it thee Bury thy dead.
12 Abraham again bowed before the people who lived in the area,
So Abraham boweth himself down, before the people of the land:
13 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.”
and spake unto Ephron in the ears of the people of the land saying, Only if, thou, wouldst, hear me, —I have given the silver of the field Take it of me, That I may bury my dead here.
14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
And Ephron responded to Abraham, saying to him,
15 “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.”
My lord, hear me, —Land worth four hundred shekels of silver—betwixt me and thee, what is that? And thy dead., bury thou.
16 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.
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver of which he had spoken in the ears of the sons of Heth, —four hundred shekels of silver, current with the merchant,
17 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.
So was confirmed the field of Ephron, which is in Machpelah, which is before Mamre, —the field and the cave which is therein, and all the timber which was in the field, which was in all the boundary thereof round about,
18 It became Abraham’s property as all the descendants of Heth were listening there at the city gate.
to Abraham as a purchase in the eyes of the sons of Heth, —with all who were entering the gate of his city.
19 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.
And after this, did Abraham bury Sarah his wife, within the cave of the field of Machpelah, over against Mamre, the same, is Hebron, —in the land of Canaan.
20 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.
So was confirmed the field with the cave which was therein to Abraham, for a possession of a buryingplace, —from the sons of Heth.
