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'創 世 記 23 ' not found for the version: Chinese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version.

Sarah’s Death

23 Sarah lived to be 127 years old. This was the length of her life. She died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to cry about her death.

Then Abraham left the side of his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites, “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.”

The Hittites answered Abraham, “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.”

Abraham got up in front of the Hittites, the people of that region, and bowed with his face touching the ground. He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my wife, listen to me. Encourage Ephron, son of Zohar, to 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.”

10 Ephron 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!”

12 Abraham bowed down again in front of the people of that region. 13 He 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.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Sir, listen to me. The land is worth ten pounds of silver. What is that between us? Bury your wife!”

16 Abraham 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.

17 So Ephron’s field at Machpelah, east of Mamre, was sold 18 to Abraham. His property included the field with the cave in it as well as all the trees inside the boundaries of the field.[a] The Hittites together with all who had entered the city gate were the official witnesses for the agreement.

19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre (that is, Hebron). 20 So the field and its cave were sold by the Hittites to Abraham as his property to be used as a tomb.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 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.

Sarah’s Death and Burial

23 And Sarah lived[a] one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from his dead, and he spoke to the Hittites[b] and said, “I am a stranger and an alien among you; give to me my own burial site[c] among you so that I may bury my dead from before me.” And the Hittites[d] answered Abraham and said to him, “Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince[e] in our midst. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites. None of us will withhold his burial site[f] from you for burying your dead.” And Abraham rose up and bowed to the people of the land, to the Hittites.[g] And he spoke with them, saying, “If you are willing[h] that I bury my dead from before me, hear me and intercede for me with Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may sell[i] to me the cave of Machpelah which belongs to him,[j] which is at the end of his field. At full value let him sell[k] it to me in your midst as a burial site.”[l] 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites.[m] And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites[n] with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city, and said, 11 “No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field and the cave which is in it, I also give it to you in the sight of the children 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 only you will hear me[o]—I give the price of the field. Take it from me that I may bury my dead there.” 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, hear me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.” 16 Then Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed for Ephron the silver that he had named[p] in the hearing of the Hittites:[q] four hundred shekels of silver at the merchants’ current rate.[r] 17 So the field of Ephron which was in the Machpelah, which was near Mamre—the field and the cave which was in it, with all the trees that were in the field, which were within all its surrounding boundaries—passed[s] 18 to Abraham as a property in the presence of the Hittites,[t] with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city. 19 And thus afterward Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah near Mamre; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field and the cave which was in it passed[u] to Abraham as a burial site[v] from the Hittites.[w]

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 23:1 Literally “the lives of Sarah were”
  2. Genesis 23:3 Or “sons of Heth”
  3. Genesis 23:4 Literally “ownership of a grave”
  4. Genesis 23:5 Or “sons of Heth”
  5. Genesis 23:6 Or “prince of God”
  6. Genesis 23:6 Literally “will withhold from himself his burial site
  7. Genesis 23:7 Or “sons of Heth”
  8. Genesis 23:8 Literally “if there is with your inner selves / souls”
  9. Genesis 23:9 Or “give”
  10. Genesis 23:9 Literally “which is to him”
  11. Genesis 23:9 Or “give”
  12. Genesis 23:9 Literally “ownership of a grave”
  13. Genesis 23:10 Or “sons of Heth”
  14. Genesis 23:10 Or “sons of Heth”
  15. Genesis 23:13 Literally “Only if you perhaps hear me”
  16. Genesis 23:16 Or “spoken”
  17. Genesis 23:16 Or “sons of Heth”
  18. Genesis 23:16 Literally “passing to the merchant”
  19. Genesis 23:17 Literally “went up”
  20. Genesis 23:18 Or “sons of Heth”
  21. Genesis 23:20 Literally “went up”
  22. Genesis 23:20 Literally “ownership of a grave”
  23. Genesis 23:20 Or “sons of Heth”