Genesis 23
23
Chapter 23
Sarah dies and Abraham buries her
1Sarah lived for 127 years. 2She died in the land of Canaan, at Kiriath Arba. That place is also called Hebron. Abraham was very sad. He went to her tent and he cried very much, because she was dead.
3Then Abraham went to the Hittite people and he said to them, 4‘I am living as a stranger among you. Please, sell me some land here, so that it belongs to me. Then I can use it to bury my wife properly.’
5The Hittites replied, 6‘Sir, please listen to what we say. We respect you as a great and powerful person. We have good places where we bury our people who have died. Choose the best one that you like. None of us will refuse to give you the place that you choose. Then you will be able to bury your dead wife there.’
7Abraham stood up. He turned his face towards the ground to respect the Hittites who lived in that place. 8He said to them, ‘Since you have agreed to help me, please do this. Speak to Zohar's son, Ephron, for me. 9Ask him to sell the cave of Machpelah to me. It belongs to Ephron. It is at the edge of his field. You will see that I pay the proper price to him. Then it will belong to me. I can bury my family there when they die.’
10Ephron was sitting there with his people, at the city gate. He spoke so that all the Hittites could hear him. 11Ephron said, ‘No sir. Please listen to me. You may take my field as well as the cave. I promise in front of my people that I will give all this to you. Then you can bury your dead wife there.’
12Abraham again turned his face towards the ground to respect the people who lived in that place. 13While they were listening, he said to Ephron, ‘Let me say this. I will pay you the price to buy the field. Please accept the money from me. Then I can bury my dead wife there.’
14Ephron replied to Abraham, 15‘Listen to me, sir. The land is worth 400 shekels of silver. But the price is not important, because we are friends. Now bury your dead wife there.’ #23:15 People used shekels to measure weight. Ephron is telling Abraham how much the land will cost. He knows that Abraham will not accept the field as a gift. This is the way that people would agree to a price.
16Abraham agreed to the price that Ephron had asked for. He weighed the correct amount of silver to give to Ephron. The Hittites there knew that it had been done properly. The weight of 400 shekels agreed with the weights that people used at that time.
17In that way, Ephron's field in Machpelah, near Mamre, now belonged to Abraham. This included the field, the cave in the field and all the trees in the field as far as its edge. 18All the Hittite people who were sitting there at the city gate agreed that Abraham was the new owner.
19After this, Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, in the cave in the field of Machpelah. This field was near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. That place is also called Hebron. 20That is how Abraham bought the field and the cave that was in it from the Hittite people. He bought it so that he could bury there his family who died.
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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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