Genesis 23

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old.

When Sarah was 127 years old,

She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her.

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.^[a] He said,

Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders,

“I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

“Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you. Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper burial.”

The Hittites replied to Abraham,

The Hittites replied to Abraham,

“Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

“Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way.”

Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.

Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites

He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf

and said, “Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar

so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

to let me buy his cave at Machpelah, down at the end of his field. I will pay the full price in the presence of witnesses, so I will have a permanent burial place for my family.”

Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city.

Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town.

“No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give^[b] you the field, and I give^[c] you the cave that is in it. I give^[d] it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

“No, my lord,” he said to Abraham, “please listen to me. I will give you the field and the cave. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead.”

Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land

Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land,

and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. “No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there.”

Ephron answered Abraham,

Ephron answered Abraham,

“Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels^[e] of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

“My lord, please listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces^[a] of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead.”

Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.

So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and paid the amount he had suggested—400 pieces of silver, weighed according to the market standard. The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction.

So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded

So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees.

to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city.

It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate.

Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron).

So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.