Genesis 23
23
Death and Burial of Sarah
1Now #23:1 Lit the life of Sarah wasSarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham #23:2 Or proceededcame in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3Then Abraham arose from mourning before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4“I am a stranger and a foreign resident among you; give me #23:4 Lit possession of a burial placea burial site among you so that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6“Hear us, my lord: you are a #23:6 Lit prince of Godmighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead.” 7So Abraham stood up and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 8And he spoke with them, saying, “If #23:8 Lit it is with your soulyou are willing to let me bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me, and plead with Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in #23:9 Lit the midst of youyour presence for #23:9 Lit possession of a burial placea burial site.” 10Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham #23:10 Lit in the ears ofso that the sons of Heth heard, that is, all who entered the gate of his city, saying, 11“No, my lord, listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.” 12And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 13But he spoke to Ephron #23:13 Lit in the ears ofso that the people of the land heard, saying, “If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me so that I may bury my dead there.” 14Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15“My lord, listen to me: a plot of land worth #23:15 About 12.5 lb. or 5.7 kgfour hundred shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.” 16Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the #23:16 Lit earspresence of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency acceptable to a merchant.
17So Ephron’s field, which was in Machpelah, which faced Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field, that were #23:17 Lit in all its border aroundwithin all the confines of its border, #23:17 Or were ratifiedwere deeded over 18to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who entered the gate of his city. 19After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan. 20So the field and the cave that was in it #23:20 Or were ratifiedwere deeded over to Abraham for #23:20 Lit possession of a burial placea burial site by the sons of Heth.
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Genesis 23
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.