Genesis 23
1 When Sarah was 127 years old,
Sara was an hundred and. xxvij. yere olde (for so longe lyued she)
2 she died at Kiriath-Arba [town], which is now called Hebron, in the Canaan region. After Abraham mourned for her,
and than dyed in a heade cyte called Hebron in the londe of Canaan. Than Abraham came to morne Sara and to wepe for her.
3 he left the body of his wife and [went and] spoke to some of the descendants of Heth, saying,
And Abraham stode vp from the coorse and talked with the sonnes of heth saynge:
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.”
I am a straunger ad a foryner amonge yow geue me a possession to bury in with you that I may bury my dead oute of my sighte.
5 They replied to him,
And the children of heth answered Abraham saynge vnto 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.”
heare vs lorde thou art a prynce of God amonge vs. In the chefest of oure sepulchres bury thy dead: None of vs shall forbydd ye his sepulchre yt thou shuldest not bury thy deade therein.
7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed [in respect] in front of the people who owned the land, the descendants of Heth.
Abraha stode vp and bowed hi selfe before ye people of ye lade ye childre 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 he comoned with them saynge: Yf it be youre myndes yt I shall bury my deade oute of my sighte heare me ad speke for me to Ephron the sonne of Zoar:
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.”
and let him geue me the dubill caue which he hath in the end of his felde for as moch money as it is worth let him geue it me in the presence of you for a possession to bury in.
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.
For Hephron dwelled amoge ye childern of heth. Than Ephron the Hethite answered Abraham in the audyece of the childern of Heth and of all that went in at the gates of his cyte saynge:
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.”
Not so my lorde but heare me: The felde geue I the and the caue that therein is geue I the also And even in the presence of the sonnes of my people geve I it the to bury thy deede in.
12 Abraham again bowed before the people who lived in the area,
Than Abraham bowed himselfe before the people of the lade
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 vnto Ephro in the audyence of the people of the contre saynge: I praye the heare me I will geue sylver for the felde take it of me ad so will I bury my deed there.
14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
Ephron answered Abraha saynge vnto 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 lorde harken vnto me. The lande is worth iiij. hundreth sycles of syluer: But what is that betwixte the and me? bury thy deede.
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 harkened vnto Ephron and weyde him the sylver which he had sayde in the audyence of the sonnes of Heth. Euen. iiij. hudred syluer sycles of currant money amonge marchauntes
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.
Thus was the felde of Ephron where in the dubbill caue is before Mamre: euen the felde and the caue that is therein and all the trees of the felde which growe in all the borders rounde aboute made sure
18 It became Abraham’s property as all the descendants of Heth were listening there at the city gate.
vnto Abraham for a possession in the syghte of the childern of Heth and of all that went in at the gates of the cyte.
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 then Abraham buried Sara his wyfe in the double caue of the felde that lyeth before Mare otherwise called Ebron in the lande 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.
And so both the felde ad the caue that is therein was made vnto Abraham a sure possession to bury in of the sonnes of Heth.
