1 Mose 23
1 Sara dii mfe ɔha aduonu ason.
When Sarah was 127 years old,
2 Owui wɔ Kiriat-Arba a ɛno ara ne Hebron a ɛwɔ Kanaan asase so. Abraham kogyam ne yere Sara, suu no wɔ hɔ.
she died at Kiriath-Arba [town], which is now called Hebron, in the Canaan region. After Abraham mourned for her,
3 Abraham gyaw ne yere Sara amu no wɔ hɔ, kɔɔ Hetifo mpanyimfo nkyɛn, kɔsrɛɛ wɔn se,
he left the body of his wife and [went and] spoke to some of the descendants of Heth, saying,
4 “Meyɛ ɔhɔho ne mamfrani a mete mo mu. Mesrɛ mo, montɔn mo asase yi bi mma me, na minsie me yere wɔ so.”
“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 Hetifo no buaa Abraham se,
They replied to him,
6 “Owura, yɛsrɛ wo, tie asɛm a yɛrebɛka yi. Woyɛ Onyankopɔn somfo kɛse wɔ yɛn mu. Yɛn boda biara a ɛsɔ wʼani a wopɛ sɛ wusie wo yere wɔ hɔ no, yɛma wo ho kwan, kosie no. Yɛn mu biara remfa ne boda nkame wo.”
“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 Ɛhɔ ara na Abraham sɔre bɔɔ ne mu ase wɔ Hetifo no anim,
Then Abraham stood up and bowed [in respect] in front of the people who owned the land, the descendants of Heth.
8 ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Sɛ moapene so sɛ minsie mʼamu no wɔ ha de a, mepa mo kyɛw, monsrɛ Efron a ɔyɛ Sohar babarima no mma me,
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 na ɔntɔn Makpela ɔboda a ɛwɔ nʼafuw ano no mma me. Monka nkyerɛ no na ɔntɔn no sɛnea ne bo di pɛpɛɛpɛ mma me, na mede hɔ ayɛ me ne mʼabusuafo amusiei.”
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 Saa bere no na Hetini Efron a ɔte ne manfo mu no buaa Abraham, maa ne nkurɔfo a wɔahyia wɔ kurow no pon ano nyinaa tee sɛ,
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 “Dabi, me wura, tie me! Mede afuw no ne ɔboda a ɛwɔ mu no kyɛ wo. Migyina me manfo anim, na mede kyɛ wo. Kosie wʼamu no wɔ hɔ.”
[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 Bio Abraham de obu ne nidi bɔɔ ne mu ase wɔ ɔmanfo no anim,
Abraham again bowed before the people who lived in the area,
13 ka kyerɛɛ Efron maa wɔn a wɔahyia hɔ no nyinaa tee asɛm a ɔkae no se, “Mesrɛ mo, ɔmanfo, monyɛ aso mma me. Momma mintua asase no ka. Mompene so mma me, na minnya kwan nkosie mʼamu no.”
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 Efron buaa Abraham se,
Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 “Me wura, tie me! Asase no bo yɛ dwetɛ kilogram anan ne fa. Yɛnyɛ nnipa baako ana? Meregye saa sika yi ayɛ dɛn? Kosie wʼamu no!”
“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 Abraham penee Efron asɛm no so. Ɔkarii dwetɛ kilogram anan ne fa a ɛyɛ asase no bo a ɔbɔ maa Hetifo no tee no de tuaa ka.
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 Enti wɔde Efron asase a ɛwɔ Makpela a ɛbɛn Mamrɛ, a ɛyɛ afuw no, ɔboda a ɛwɔ mu no, nnua a ɛwɔ afuw no mu ne nʼahye so nyinaa maa
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 Abraham sɛ nʼagyapade. Eyi nyinaa sii wɔ Hetifo no ne wɔn a wɔbaa kurow no pon no ano nyinaa anim.
It became Abraham’s property as all the descendants of Heth were listening there at the city gate.
19 Akyiri no, Abraham siee ne yere Sara wɔ ɔboda a ɛwɔ Makpela afuw a ɛbɛn Mamrɛ a ɛno ara ne Hebron a ɛwɔ Kanaan asase so no mu.
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 Enti Hetifo no yɛɛ nhyehyɛe de afuw no ne ɔboda a ɛwɔ mu no maa Abraham sɛ nʼagyapade ne nʼamusiei.
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.
