Genesis 23
23
Sarah’s Death
1Sarah lived to be 127 years old. This was the length of her life. 2She died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to cry about her death.
3Then Abraham left the side of his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites, 4“I’m a stranger with no permanent home. Let me have some of your property for a tomb so that I can bury my dead wife.”
5The Hittites answered Abraham, 6“Listen to us, sir. You are a mighty leader among us. Bury your dead in one of our best tombs. Not one of us will withhold from you his tomb for burying your dead.”
7Abraham got up in front of the Hittites, the people of that region, and bowed with his face touching the ground. 8He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my wife, listen to me. Encourage Ephron, son of Zohar, 9to let me have the cave of Machpelah that he owns at the end of his field. He should sell it to me for its full price as my property to be used as a tomb among you.”
10Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. He answered Abraham so that everyone who was entering the city gate could hear him. He said, 11“No, sir, listen to me. I’m giving you the field together with the cave that is in it. My people are witnesses that I’m giving it to you. Bury your wife!”
12Abraham bowed down again in front of the people of that region. 13He spoke to Ephron so that the people of that region could hear him. He said, “If you would only listen to me. I will pay you the price of the field. Take it from me so that I can bury my wife there.”
14Ephron answered Abraham, 15“Sir, listen to me. The land is worth ten pounds of silver. What is that between us? Bury your wife!”
16Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms. So he weighed out for Ephron the amount stated in front of the Hittites: ten pounds of silver at the current merchants’ exchange rate.
17So Ephron’s field at Machpelah, east of Mamre, was sold 18to Abraham. His property included the field with the cave in it as well as all the trees inside the boundaries of the field.#23:18 The last part of verse 17 (in Hebrew) has been placed in verse 18 to express the complex Hebrew sentence structure more clearly in English. The Hittites together with all who had entered the city gate were the official witnesses for the agreement.
19After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre (that is, Hebron). 20So the field and its cave were sold by the Hittites to Abraham as his property to be used as a tomb.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Genesis 23
23
1And Sara lived a hundred and twenty-seven years.
2And she died in the city of Arbee which is Hebron, in the land of Chanaan: and Abraham came to mourn and weep for her.
3And after he rose up from the funeral obsequies, he spoke to the children of Heth, saying:
4I am a stranger and sojourner among you: give me the right of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead.
5The children of Heth answered, saying:
6My Lord, hear us: Thou art a prince of God among us. Bury thy dead in our principle sepulchres: and no man shall have power to hinder thee from burying thy dead in his sepulchre.
7Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, to wit, the children of Heth:
8And said to them: If it please your soul that I should bury my dead, hear me, and intercede for me to Ephron the son of Seor.
9That he may give me the double cave, which he hath in the end of his field. For as much money as it is worth he shall give it me before you, for a possession of a burying place.
10Now Ephron dwelt in the midst of the children of Heth. And Ephron made answer to Abraham in the hearing of all that went in at the gate of the city, saying:
11Let it not be so, my lord, but do thou rather hearken to what I say: The field I deliver to thee, and the cave that is therein, in the presence of the children of my people, bury thy dead.
12Abraham bowed down before the people of the land,
13And he spoke to Ephron, in the presence of the people: I beseech thee to hear me. I will give money for the field. Take it, and so I will bury my dead in it.
14And Ephron answered:
15My lord, hear me. The ground which thou desirest, is worth four hundred sicles of silver. This is the price between me and thee. But what is this? Bury thy dead.
16And when Abraham had heard this, he weighed out the money that Ephron had asked, in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred sicles of silver of common current money.
17And the field that before was Ephron's, wherein was the double cave, looking towards Mambre, both it and the cave, and all the trees thereof in all its limits round about,
18Was made sure to Abraham for a possession, in the sight of the children of Heth, and of all that went in at the gate of his city.
19And so Abraham buried Sara his wife, in a double cave of the field, that looked towards Mambre. This is Hebron in the land of Chanaan.
20And the field was made sure to Abraham, and the cave that was in it, for a possession to bury in, by the children of Heth.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.