Genesis 23

Abraham Purchases Machpelah

1Now Sarah’s life was 127 years—the years of Sarah’s life.

2Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

3Then Abraham rose from before his dead one and spoke to the sons of Heth saying,

4“I am an outsider and a sojourner among you. Give me a gravesite among you so that I may bury my dead from before my presence.”

5The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

6“Listen to us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the best of our graves. None among us will withhold his grave from you, to bury your dead one.”

7Then Abraham got up and bowed down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth,

8and spoke with them saying, “If you are of a mind to let me bury my dead from before my presence, listen to me. Plead with Ephron son of Zophar on my behalf,

9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him, that is at the end of his field. At the full price let him give it to me in your midst for a gravesite.”

10Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, all those who enter the gate of his city, saying,

11“No, my lord, listen to me. The field—I hereby give it to you. Also the cave that is in it—I hereby give it to you. In the eyes of the sons of my people, I hereby give it to you. Bury your dead one.”

12Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land,

13and spoke to Ephron in the ears of the people of the land saying, “But if only you would please listen to me. I hereby give the price of the field. Accept it from me that I may bury my dead one there.”

14So Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

15“My lord, listen to me. A land worth 400 shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? Bury your dead one.”

16Abraham heard Ephron. So Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth—400 shekels of silver at the merchant’s rate.

17Now Ephron’s field that is in Machpelah next to Mamre—the field and the cave that is in it, and all the trees that are in the field in all its surrounding territory—was handed over

18to Abraham as a purchased possession in the eyes of the sons of Heth, before all those who enter the gate of his city.

19Afterward, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan.

20So the field and the cave that was in it were handed over to Abraham as a gravesite from the sons of Heth.

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 23

1And Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.

2And Sarah died in Qiryath Arba, that is Ḥeḇron, in the land of Kena‛an, and Aḇraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

3Then Aḇraham rose up from beside his dead, and spoke to the sons of Ḥĕth, saying,

4I am a foreigner and a sojourner among you. Give me property for a burial-site among you, so that I bury my dead from my presence.

5And the sons of Ḥĕth answered Aḇraham, saying to him,

6Hear us, my master: You are a prince of Elohim among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial-sites. None of us withholds from you his burial-site, from burying your dead.

7So Aḇraham rose and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Ḥĕth.

8And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your desire that I bury my dead from my presence, hear me, and approach Ephron son of Tsoḥar for me,

9and let me have the cave of Maḵpĕlah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me for the complete amount of silver, as property for a burial-site among you.”

10And Ephron dwelt among the sons of Ḥĕth. And Ephron the Ḥittite answered Aḇraham in the hearing of the sons of Ḥĕth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,

11No, my master, listen to me! I shall give you the field and the cave that is in it. I shall give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I shall give it to you. Bury your dead!

12And Aḇraham bowed himself down before the people of the land,

13and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If only you would hear me. I shall give the amount of silver for the field, take it from me, and let me bury my dead there.”

14And Ephron answered Aḇraham, saying to him,

15My master, listen to me! The land is worth four hundred sheqels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.

16And Aḇraham listened to Ephron, and Aḇraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Ḥĕth, four hundred sheqels of silver, currency of the merchants.

17Thus the field of Ephron which was in Maḵpĕlah, which was before Mamrĕ, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded

18to Aḇraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Ḥĕth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

19And after this Aḇraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Maḵpĕlah, before Mamrĕ, that is Ḥeḇron, in the land of Kena‛an.

20Thus the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Aḇraham by the sons of Ḥĕth as property for a burial-site.

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