Genesis 23
23
The Burial of Sarah
1When Sarah was 127 years old, 2she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her.
3Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders, 4“Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you. Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper burial.”
5The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6“Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way.”
7Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites 8and said, “Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar 9to let me buy his cave at Machpelah, down at the end of his field. I will pay the full price in the presence of witnesses, so I will have a permanent burial place for my family.”
10Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town. 11“No, my lord,” he said to Abraham, “please listen to me. I will give you the field and the cave. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead.”
12Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land, 13and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. “No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there.”
14Ephron answered Abraham, 15“My lord, please listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces#23:15 Hebrew 400 shekels, about 10 pounds or 4.6 kilograms in weight; also in 23:16. of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead.”
16So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and paid the amount he had suggested—400 pieces of silver, weighed according to the market standard. The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction.
17So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. 18It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. 19Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron). 20So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.
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Genesis 23: NLT
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Genesis 23
23
Sarah’s Death and Burial
1And Sarah lived#Literally “the lives of Sarah were” one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 3And Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from his dead, and he spoke to the Hittites#Or “sons of Heth” and said, 4“I am a stranger and an alien among you; give to me my own burial site#Literally “ownership of a grave” among you so that I may bury my dead from before me.” 5And the Hittites#Or “sons of Heth” answered Abraham and said to him, 6“Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince#Or “prince of God” in our midst. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites. None of us will withhold his burial site#Literally “will withhold from himself his burial site from you for burying your dead.” 7And Abraham rose up and bowed to the people of the land, to the Hittites.#Or “sons of Heth” 8And he spoke with them, saying, “If you are willing#Literally “if there is with your inner selves / souls” that I bury my dead from before me, hear me and intercede for me with Ephron the son of Zohar, 9that he may sell#Or “give” to me the cave of Machpelah which belongs to him,#Literally “which is to him” which is at the end of his field. At full value let him sell#Or “give” it to me in your midst as a burial site.”#Literally “ownership of a grave” 10Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites.#Or “sons of Heth” And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites#Or “sons of Heth” with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city, and said, 11“No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field and the cave which is in it, I also give it to you in the sight of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 13And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If only you will hear me#Literally “Only if you perhaps hear me”—I give the price of the field. Take it from me that I may bury my dead there.” 14And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15“My lord, hear me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.” 16Then Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed for Ephron the silver that he had named#Or “spoken” in the hearing of the Hittites:#Or “sons of Heth” four hundred shekels of silver at the merchants’ current rate.#Literally “passing to the merchant” 17So the field of Ephron which was in the Machpelah, which was near Mamre—the field and the cave which was in it, with all the trees that were in the field, which were within all its surrounding boundaries—passed#Literally “went up” 18to Abraham as a property in the presence of the Hittites,#Or “sons of Heth” with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city. 19And thus afterward Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah near Mamre; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 20And the field and the cave which was in it passed#Literally “went up” to Abraham as a burial site#Literally “ownership of a grave” from the Hittites.#Or “sons of Heth”
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