Parashat Chayei Sarah

Abraham Purchases Machpelah

23 Now Sarah’s life was 127 years—the years of Sarah’s life. ² Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

³ Then Abraham rose from before his dead one and spoke to the sons of Heth saying, ⁴ “I am an outsider and a sojourner among you. Give me a gravesite among you so that I may bury my dead from before my presence.”

⁵ The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, ⁶ “Listen to us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the best of our graves. None among us will withhold his grave from you, to bury your dead one.”

⁷ Then Abraham got up and bowed down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth, ⁸ and spoke with them saying, “If you are of a mind to let me bury my dead from before my presence, listen to me. Plead with Ephron son of Zophar on my behalf, ⁹ that he may give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him, that is at the end of his field. At the full price let him give it to me in your midst for a gravesite.”

¹⁰ Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, all those who enter the gate of his city, saying, ¹¹ “No, my lord, listen to me. The field—I hereby give it to you. Also the cave that is in it—I hereby give it to you. In the eyes of the sons of my people, I hereby give it to you. Bury your dead one.”

¹² Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land, ¹³ and spoke to Ephron in the ears of the people of the land saying, “But if only you would please listen to me. I hereby give the price of the field. Accept it from me that I may bury my dead one there.”

¹⁴ So Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, ¹⁵ “My lord, listen to me. A land worth 400 shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? Bury your dead one.”

¹⁶ Abraham heard Ephron. So Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth—400 shekels of silver at the merchant’s rate. ¹⁷ Now Ephron’s field that is in Machpelah next to Mamre—the field and the cave that is in it, and all the trees that are in the field in all its surrounding territory—was handed over ¹⁸ to Abraham as a purchased possession in the eyes of the sons of Heth, before all those who enter the gate of his city.

¹⁹ Afterward, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ So the field and the cave that was in it were handed over to Abraham as a gravesite from the sons of Heth.

Courting of Rebekah

24 Now Abraham was old, advanced in years, and Adonai blessed Abraham in everything. ² Then Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household who managed everything that belonged to him, “Now put your hand under my thigh, ³ so that I may make you take an oath by Adonai, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling. ⁴ On the contrary, to my land and to my relatives you must go and get a wife for my son Isaac.

⁵ But the servant said to him, “Suppose the woman were unwilling to follow after me to this land? Should I then have your son go back to the land you came from?

⁶ Abraham said to him, “See to it that you don’t return my son there. ⁷ Adonai, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from my native land and who spoke to me and made a pledge to me saying, ‘To your seed I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you and you will take a wife for my son from there. ⁸ If the woman is not willing to follow after you, then you will be free from this oath of mine. Nevertheless, you must not return my son there.” ⁹ So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and he made a pledge to him concerning this matter.

¹⁰ Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and left with all the best of his master’s things in his hand. Then he arose and went to Aram-Naharaim, to Nahor’s city. ¹¹ Then he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time for the going out to draw water.

¹² “Adonai, the God of Abraham my master,” he said, “please make something happen before me today, and show loyalty to Abraham my master. ¹³ Look, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are going out to draw water. ¹⁴ Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please tip your jar so that I may drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink—and I’ll also water your camels’—let her be the one You have appointed for your servant Isaac. So by this I’ll know that You have shown graciousness to my master.”

¹⁵ Now before he had finished speaking, behold there was Rebekah (who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother) going out with her jar on her shoulder. ¹⁶ Now the young woman was very good looking, a girl of marriageable age, and she was a virgin. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. ¹⁷ Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me sip a little water from your jar.”

¹⁸ So she said, “Drink, my lord,” and she quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ Now when she finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also draw water for your camels until they’ve finished drinking.” ²⁰ So she quickly poured out her jug into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew water for all his camels, ²¹ while the man continued to pay close attention to her, keeping silent in order to know whether or not Adonai had made his way successful.

²² Now after the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a nose ring of gold weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets on her hands weighing ten shekels of gold. ²³ “Whose daughter are you?” he said. “Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

²⁴ She said to him, “I’m the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” ²⁵ She also said to him, “There’s both straw and plenty of feed with us, as well as room to spend the night.”

²⁶ Then the man bowed down and worshipped Adonai, ²⁷ and he said, “Blessed be Adonai, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His loyalty and His truth toward my master. As for me, Adonai has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

²⁸ Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s house these things.

²⁹ Now Rebekah had a brother and his name was Laban, and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. ³⁰ As soon as he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister saying, “Thus the man said to me,” he went to the man. There he was, standing by the camels at the spring. ³¹ So he said, “Come in, blessed of Adonai. Why are you standing outside when I’ve tidied up the house and there is room for the camels?”

³² So the man came to the house and he unloaded the camels. Straw and feed were given to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. ³³ Food was placed before him to eat, but he said, “I won’t eat until I’ve stated my business.”

So he said, “Speak.”

³⁴ “I am Abraham’s servant,” he said. ³⁵ Adonai has blessed my master very much so that he has become great, and He has given to him flocks of sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male slaves and female slaves, camels and donkeys. ³⁶ Now Sarah, my master’s wife, gave birth to a son for my master after she was old, and He gave him everything he owns. ³⁷ Then my master made me take an oath, saying, ‘You must not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I’m dwelling.’ ³⁸ Instead you must go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’ ³⁹ But I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman won’t come back with me?’ ⁴⁰ So he said to me, ‘Adonai, before whom I’ve walked continually, will send His angel with you, and He will make your way successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s household. ⁴¹ Then you’ll be free from my oath—if you come to my family and if they don’t give her to you—then you’ll be free from my oath.’ ⁴² So I came today to the spring and I said, ‘Adonai, the God of Abraham my master, if You are really going to make my way upon which I am walking successful, ⁴³ look, I’m standing by the spring of water. So let it be that the unmarried girl who is going out to draw water, to whom I’ll say, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jug,” ⁴⁴ and she’ll say to me, “You drink, and I’ll also draw water for your camels”—let her be the woman whom Adonai appoints for my master’s son!’ ⁴⁵ I had not yet finished speaking to my heart, and behold there was Rebekah going out—her jug was on her shoulder and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ ⁴⁶ And she quickly lowered her jug off of her and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. ⁴⁷ Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ Then I placed the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her hands. ⁴⁸ I bowed down and worshipped Adonai and blessed Adonai, the God of my master Abraham, who guided me on the true way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. ⁴⁹ So now, if you’re really going to show loyalty and truth to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me and I’ll turn to the right or to the left.”

⁵⁰ Then Laban and Bethuel answered, and they said, “The matter proceeds from Adonai. We cannot speak to you bad or good. ⁵¹ Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, and let her become a wife for our master’s son, just as Adonai has spoken.”