1 Sarah’s Death and Burial And 23:1Lit the life of Sarah was Sarah lived 127 years;these werethe years of the life of Sarah.
2 Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham 23:2Or proceeded came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 Then Abraham rose from before his dead and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,
4 “I am a sojourner and a foreign resident among you; give me a possession for a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
6 “Hear us, my lord, you are a 23:6Lit prince of God mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites; none of us will refuse you his burial sites for burying your dead.”
7 So Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.
8 And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your 23:8Lit soul desirefor meto bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,
9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which belongs to him, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in 23:9Lit the midst of you your presence as a possession for a burial site.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth,evenof all who went in at the gate of his city, saying,
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.”
12 And Abraham bowed before the people of the land.
13 And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will only please hear me; I will give the silver for the field, acceptitfrom me that I may bury my dead there.”
14 Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 “My lord, hear me; a piece of land worth 23:15Approx. 10 lb. or4.4kg, a shekel was approx.0.4oz. or 11 gm four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
16 So Abraham heard Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the 23:16Lit ears hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, 23:16Lit current according to the merchant commercial standard.
17 So 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 23:17Lit in all its border around within all the confines of its border, 23:17Or were ratified were deeded over
18 to Abraham as purchased in the sight of the sons of Heth, before all who came in at the gate of his city.
19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20 So the field and the cave that is in it 23:20Lit were confirmed were deeded over to Abraham for a possession for a burial site by the sons of Heth.