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 Sarah [Princess] was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: [these were] the years of the life of Sarah [Princess].
2Sarah [Princess] died in Kiryat-Kiryat-Arba [City of Arba (fourth)] (Village of the Rich; Wealthy; long necked) the same [is] Hevron in the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues) and Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] came to mourn for Sarah [Princess], and to weep for her.
3And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] stood up from before his dead, and spoke unto the sons of Het (terror), saying,
4I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5And the children of Het (terror) answered Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], saying unto him,
6Hear us, my lord: youi [are] a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchers bury youri dead; none of us shall withhold from youi his sepulcher, but that youi may bury youri dead.
7And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, [even] to the children of Het (terror).
8And he communed with them, saying, If it be yourf mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to ‘Efron (fawn-like) the son of Tzochar (shining oil; brightness),
9That he may give me the cave of Makhpelah (portion; double cave), which he has, which [is] in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a burying place amongst you.
10And ‘Efron (fawn-like) dwelt among the children of Het (terror): and ‘Efron (fawn-like) the Hitti (terrorists) answered Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] in the audience of the children of Het (terror), [even] of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
11No, my lord, hear me: the field give I youi, and the cave that [is] in it, I give it youi; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it youi: bury youri dead.
12And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] bowed down himself before the people of the land.
13And he spoke unto ‘Efron (fawn-like) in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if youi [will give it], I pray youi, hear me: I will give youi money for the field; take [it] of me, and I will bury my dead there.
14And ‘Efron (fawn-like) answered Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], saying unto him,
15My lord, hearken unto me: the land [is worth] four hundred shekels of silver; what [is] that between me and youi? bury therefore youri dead.
16And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] listened unto ‘Efron (fawn-like); and Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] weighed to ‘Efron (fawn-like) the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Het (terror), four hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant.
17And the field of ‘Efron (fawn-like), which [was] in Makhpelah (portion; double cave), which [was] before Mamre (firmness; fatling (fat cattle) offering), the field, and the cave which [was] in it, and all the trees that [were] in the field, that [were] in all the borders round about, were made sure
18Unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] for a possession in the presence of the children of Het (terror), before all that went in at the gate of his city.
19And after this, Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] buried Sarah [Princess] his wife in the cave of the field of Makhpelah (portion; double cave) before Mamre (firmness; fatling (fat cattle) offering): the same [is] Hevron (Place/Town Of Alliance) in the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues).
20And the field, and the cave that [is] in it, were made sure unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] for a possession of a burying place by the sons of Het (terror).
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