Genesis 23
1 When Sarah was 127 years old,
Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years. These were 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,
Sarah died in Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham mourned and wept for Sarah.
3 he left the body of his wife and [went and] spoke to some of the descendants of Heth, saying,
Then Abraham rose up and went from his dead wife, and spoke to 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.”
“I am a foreigner among you. Please grant me a property for a burial place among you, so that I may bury my dead.”
5 They replied to him,
The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying,
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.”
“Listen to us, my master. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb, so that you may bury your dead.”
7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed [in respect] in front of the people who owned the land, the descendants of Heth.
Abraham arose and bowed 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,
He spoke to them, saying, “If you agree that I should bury my dead, then hear me and plead with Ephron son of Zohar, for me.
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.”
Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns, which is at the end of his field. For the full price let him sell it to me publicly as a property for a burial place.”
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 among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth, of all those who had come into 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.”
“No, my master, hear me. I give you the field, and the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you to bury your dead.”
12 Abraham again bowed before the people who lived in the area,
Then Abraham bowed 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.”
He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “But if you are willing, please hear me. I will pay for the field. Take the money from me, and I will bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
Ephron answered Abraham, saying,
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.”
“Please, my master, listen to me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.”
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.
Abraham listened to Ephron and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the amount of silver that he had spoken in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard measurement of the merchants.
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 the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was next to Mamre, that is, the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, passed
18 It became Abraham’s property as all the descendants of Heth were listening there at the city gate.
to Abraham by purchase in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all those who had come into 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.
After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is next to Mamre, that 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 the field and the cave in it passed to Abraham as a property for a burial place from the sons of Heth.
