Chapter 23

And Sarah was an hundred ⁸¹⁴¹ and seven ⁸¹⁴¹ and twenty years old: [these were] the years of the life of Sarah.

And Sarah died⁴ in Kirjatharba; the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came⁴ to mourn² for Sarah, and to weep² for her.

And Abraham stood up⁴ from before his dead,⁵ and spake¹⁷ unto the sons of Heth, saying,²

I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you: give³ me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury⁴ my dead⁵ out of my sight.

And the children of Heth answered⁴ Abraham, saying² unto him,

Hear³ us, my lord: thou [art] a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury³ thy dead;⁵ none of us shall withhold⁴ from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury² thy dead.⁵

And Abraham stood up,⁴ and bowed¹⁰¹ himself to the people of the land, [even] to the children of Heth.

And he communed¹⁷ with them, saying,² If it be your mind that I should bury² my dead⁵ out of my sight; hear³ me, and intreat³ for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

That he may give⁴ me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which [is] in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give⁴ it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.

And Ephron dwelt⁶ among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered⁴ Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, [even] of all that went in⁶ at the gate of his city, saying,²

Nay, my lord, hear³ me: the field give¹ I thee, and the cave that [is] therein, I give¹ it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give¹ I it thee: bury³ thy dead.⁵

And Abraham bowed down¹⁰¹ himself before the people of the land.

And he spake¹⁷ unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying,² But if thou [wilt give it], I pray thee, hear³ me: I will give¹ thee money for the field; take³ [it] of me, and I will bury⁴ my dead⁵ there.

And Ephron answered⁴ Abraham, saying² unto him,

My lord, hearken³ unto me: the land [is worth] four hundred shekels of silver; what [is] that betwixt me and thee? bury³ therefore thy dead.⁵

And Abraham hearkened⁴ unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed⁴ to Ephron the silver, which he had named¹⁴ in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current⁶ [money] with the merchant.⁶

And the field of Ephron, which [was] in Machpelah, which [was] before Mamre, the field, and the cave which [was] therein, and all the trees that [were] in the field, that [were] in all the borders round about, were made sure⁴

Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in⁶ at the gate of his city.

And after this, Abraham buried¹ Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan.

And the field, and the cave that [is] therein, were made sure⁴ unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.