1Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2And Sarah died at #ch. 35:27; Josh. 14:15; Judg. 1:10 Kiriath-arba (that is, #ver. 19Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites,#23:3 Hebrew sons of Heth; also verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20 4#ch. 17:8; 1 Chr. 29:15; Ps. 105:12; Heb. 11:9, 13 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; #Acts 7:5give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5The Hittites answered Abraham, 6“Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God#23:6 Or a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” 7Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”

10Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who #ch. 34:20, 24; Ruth 4:1went in at the gate of his city, 11“No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14Ephron answered Abraham, 15“My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred #Ex. 30:13; Ezek. 45:12shekels#23:15 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham #1 Chr. 21:25; Jer. 32:9; Zech. 11:12weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

17So #ch. 25:9; 49:29-32; 50:13the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20The field and the cave that is in it #[Ruth 4:7-10; Jer. 32:10-14]were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

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Genesis 23

1And the life of Sarah was a hundred and twenty-seven years: these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2And Sarah died in Kirjath-Arba: that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

3And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4I am a stranger and a sojourner with you; give me a possession of a sepulchre with you, that I may bury my dead from before me. 5And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6Hear us, my lord: thou art a prince of God#GodHebrew: Elohim among us: in the choicest of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre for burying thy dead. 7And Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth, 8and spoke to them, saying, If it be your will that I should bury my dead from before me, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which is his, which is at the end of his field; for the full money let him give it to me amongst you for a possession of a sepulchre. 10And Ephron was dwelling among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, in the ears of the sons of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11No, my lord: hear me. The field give I thee; and the cave that is in it, to thee I give it; before the eyes of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. 12And Abraham bowed down before the people of the land; 13and he spoke to Ephron, in the ears of the people of the land, saying, But if only thou wouldst listen to me, I give the money for the field: take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. 14And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15My lord, hearken to me. A field of four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

16And Abraham hearkened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the money that he had named in the ears of the sons of Heth — four hundred shekels of silver, current with the merchant. 17So the field of Ephron, which was at Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all its borders round about, 18were assured to Abraham for a possession before the eyes of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah, opposite to Mamre: that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 20And the field and the cave that was in it were assured to Abraham for a possession of a sepulchre by the sons of Heth.

First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

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Genesis 23

Genesis 23