Genesis 23
Lexham English Bible
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. 2 And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 3 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, 4 “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.” 5 And the Hittites[d] answered Abraham and said to him, 6 “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.” 7 And Abraham rose up and bowed to the people of the land, to the Hittites.[g] 8 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, 9 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
- Genesis 23:1 Literally “the lives of Sarah were”
- Genesis 23:3 Or “sons of Heth”
- Genesis 23:4 Literally “ownership of a grave”
- Genesis 23:5 Or “sons of Heth”
- Genesis 23:6 Or “prince of God”
- Genesis 23:6 Literally “will withhold from himself his burial site
- Genesis 23:7 Or “sons of Heth”
- Genesis 23:8 Literally “if there is with your inner selves / souls”
- Genesis 23:9 Or “give”
- Genesis 23:9 Literally “which is to him”
- Genesis 23:9 Or “give”
- Genesis 23:9 Literally “ownership of a grave”
- Genesis 23:10 Or “sons of Heth”
- Genesis 23:10 Or “sons of Heth”
- Genesis 23:13 Literally “Only if you perhaps hear me”
- Genesis 23:16 Or “spoken”
- Genesis 23:16 Or “sons of Heth”
- Genesis 23:16 Literally “passing to the merchant”
- Genesis 23:17 Literally “went up”
- Genesis 23:18 Or “sons of Heth”
- Genesis 23:20 Literally “went up”
- Genesis 23:20 Literally “ownership of a grave”
- Genesis 23:20 Or “sons of Heth”
Genesis 23
International Children’s Bible
Sarah Dies
23 Sarah lived to be 127 years old. 2 She died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham was very sad and cried because of her. 3 After a while Abraham got up from the side of his wife’s body. And he went to talk to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am only a stranger and a foreigner here. Sell me some of your land so that I can bury my dead wife.”
5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Sir, you are a great leader among us. You may have the best place we have to bury your dead. You may have any of our burying places that you want. None of us will stop you from burying your dead wife.”
7 Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 Abraham said to them, “If you truly want to help me bury my dead wife here, speak to Ephron for me. He is the son of Zohar. 9 Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah. It is at the edge of his field. I will pay him the full price. You can be the witnesses that I am buying it as a burial place.”
10 Ephron was sitting among the Hittites at the city gate. Ephron answered Abraham, 11 “No, sir. I will give you the land and the cave that is in it. I will give it to you with these people as witnesses. Bury your dead wife.”
12 Then Abraham bowed down before the Hittites. 13 He said to Ephron before all the people, “Please let me pay you the full price for the field. Accept my money, and I will bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Sir, the land is worth ten pounds of silver. But I won’t argue with you over the price. Take the land, and bury your dead wife.”
16 Abraham agreed and paid Ephron in front of the Hittite witnesses. Abraham weighed out the full price: ten pounds of silver. They counted the weight as the traders normally did.
17-18 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah, east of Mamre, was sold. Abraham became the owner of the field, the cave in it and all the trees that were in the field. The sale was made at the city gate, with the Hittites as witnesses. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave. It was in that field of Machpelah, near Mamre. (Mamre was later called Hebron in the land of Canaan.) 20 Abraham bought the field and the cave on it from the Hittites. He used it as a burying place.
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