Senesi 23
1 Pea naʻe teau ma uofulu ma fitu ʻae taʻu ʻa Sela; ko e ngaahi taʻu eni ʻoe moʻui ʻa Sela;
When Sarah was 127 years old,
2 Pea naʻe pekia ʻa Sela ʻi Kesa ʻAlipa; ʻaia ko Hepeloni ʻi he fonua ko Kēnani pea naʻe haʻu ʻa ʻEpalahame ke tēngihia ʻa Sela, mo tangi koeʻuhi ko ia.
she died at Kiriath-Arba [town], which is now called Hebron, in the Canaan region. After Abraham mourned for her,
3 Pea naʻe tuʻu ki ʻolunga ʻa ʻEpalahame ʻi he ʻao ʻo hono pekia, ʻo ne lea ki he fānau ʻa Heti, ʻo pehē,
he left the body of his wife and [went and] spoke to some of the descendants of Heth, saying,
4 “Ko e muli au mo e ʻāunofo ʻiate kimoutolu, tuku mai ha potu faʻitoka meiate kimoutolu, koeʻuhi ke u tanu ai hoku pekia mei hoku ʻao.”
“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 Pea leaange ʻae fānau ʻa Heti kia ʻEpalahame, ʻo pehē kiate ia:
They replied to him,
6 “E ʻEiki, ke ke fanongo mai kiate kimautolu, ko e ʻEiki lahi koe ʻiate kimautolu; ke ke faʻiteliha ki homau ngaahi fonualoto, ke fai ai ho pekia; ʻe ʻikai ha mau tokotaha ʻe taʻofi meiate koe hono fonualoto, ka ke fai ʻi ai ho pekia.”
“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 Pea tuʻu hake ʻa ʻEpalahame, ʻo tulolo ia ki he kakai ʻoe fonua, ʻio ki he fānau ʻa Heti.
Then Abraham stood up and bowed [in respect] in front of the people who owned the land, the descendants of Heth.
8 Pea lea ia kiate kinautolu, ʻo pehē, “Kapau ko homou loto ke u tanu hoku pekia mei hoku ʻao, pea mou fanongo mai; pea mou kole kia ʻEfilone ko e foha ʻo Sohaʻa, koeʻuhi ko au.
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 Koeʻuhi ke ne tuku mai ʻae ʻana ʻi Makipila ʻoku ʻaʻana, pea ʻoku ʻi he potu ʻo ʻene ngoue; ke ne fakatau ia kiate au, ki he paʻanga ʻoku tatau mo ia, ke u maʻu ia ko hoku faʻitoka ʻiate kimoutolu.”
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 Pea naʻe nofo ʻa ʻEfilone fakataha mo e fānau ʻa Heti; pea leaange ʻa ʻEfilone ko e tangata Heti kia ʻEpalahame ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ngaahi fānau ʻa Heti, ʻio, ʻi he ʻao ʻoe kakai kotoa pē naʻe hū ʻi he matapā ʻoe kolo, ʻo pehē,
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 “Ko ʻeku ʻeiki, ʻe ʻikai; ka ke fanongo mai: ʻoku ʻoʻou ʻae ngoue, pea mo e ʻana ʻoku ʻi ai, te u foaki ia kiate koe; ʻi he ʻao ʻoe fānau ʻa hoku kakai ni, ʻoku ou foaki ia kiate koe, ke ke tanu ai ho pekia.”
[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 Pea toe tulolo ʻa ʻEpalahame ki he kakai ʻoe fonua.
Abraham again bowed before the people who lived in the area,
13 Pea lea ia kia ʻEfilone ʻi he ʻao ʻoe kakai ʻoe fonua, ʻo pehē, “Kapau ko ho loto ia, ʻoku ou kole kiate koe fanongo mai kiate au: te u ʻatu kiate koe ʻae paʻanga ki he ngoue; ke ke maʻu ia, pea teu tanu hoku pekia ʻi ai.”
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 Pea lea ʻa ʻEfilone kia ʻEpalahame, ʻo ne pehē kiate ia,
Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 “Ko ʻeku ʻeiki, ke ke fanongo mai; ʻoku tatau ʻae konga fonua mo e sikeli siliva ʻe fāngeau; ka koeʻumaʻā ia kiate au mo koe? Ko ia, ke ke tanu pe ho pekia.”
“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 Pea tokanga ʻa ʻEpalahame kia ʻEfilone; pea naʻe fua ʻe ʻEpalahame ʻae siliva kia ʻEfilone, ʻaia naʻa ne tala ʻi he ʻao ʻoe fānau ʻa Heti, ko e sikeli siliva ʻe fāngeau, ʻo hangē ko e lau ʻe he kau fakatau.
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 Pea ko e ngoue ʻa ʻEfilone, ʻaia naʻe ʻi Makipila, pea ofi ki Mamali, ko e ngoue, pea mo e ʻana ʻi ai, pea mo e ngaahi ʻakau ʻoku ʻi ai, ʻaia naʻe ʻi he veʻe ngoue kotoa pē, naʻe fakapapau ia,
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 Kia ʻEpalahame ko e tofiʻa, ʻi he ʻao ʻoe fānau ʻa Heti, ʻi he ʻao ʻo kinautolu kotoa pē naʻe hū ʻi he matapā ʻo hono kolo.
It became Abraham’s property as all the descendants of Heth were listening there at the city gate.
19 Pea hili ia, naʻe tanu ʻe ʻEpalahame hono uaifi ko Sela ʻi he ʻana ʻi he ngoue ʻo Makipila ʻoku hangatonu ki Mamili, ʻaia ko Hepeloni, ʻi he fonua ko Kēnani.
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 Pea ko e ngoue, mo e ʻana naʻe ʻi ai naʻe fakapapau ia kia ʻEpalahame, ʻe he ngaahi foha ʻo Heti, ke ne maʻu ko hono faʻitoka.
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.
