創世記 23
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Traditional)
23 撒拉享壽一百二十七歲，這是撒拉一生的歲數。 2 撒拉死在迦南地的基列亞巴，就是希伯崙。亞伯拉罕為她哀慟哭號。 3 後來亞伯拉罕從死人面前起來，對赫人說： 4 「我在你們中間是外人，是寄居的。求你們在這裡給我一塊地，我好埋葬我的死人，使她不在我眼前。」 5 赫人回答亞伯拉罕說： 6 「我主請聽，你在我們中間是一位尊大的王子，只管在我們最好的墳地裡埋葬你的死人，我們沒有一人不容你在他的墳地裡埋葬你的死人。」 7 亞伯拉罕就起來，向那地的赫人下拜， 8 對他們說：「你們若有意叫我埋葬我的死人，使她不在我眼前，就請聽我的話，為我求瑣轄的兒子以弗崙， 9 把田頭上那麥比拉洞給我。他可以按著足價賣給我，做我在你們中間的墳地。」 10 當時以弗崙正坐在赫人中間。於是，赫人以弗崙在城門出入的赫人面前對亞伯拉罕說： 11 「不然，我主請聽，我送給你這塊田，連田間的洞也送給你。在我同族的人面前都給你，可以埋葬你的死人。」 12 亞伯拉罕就在那地的人民面前下拜， 13 在他們面前對以弗崙說：「你若應允，請聽我的話，我要把田價給你，求你收下，我就在那裡埋葬我的死人。」 14 以弗崙回答亞伯拉罕說： 15 「我主請聽，值四百舍客勒銀子的一塊田，在你我中間還算什麼呢？只管埋葬你的死人吧。」 16 亞伯拉罕聽從了以弗崙，照著他在赫人面前所說的話，把買賣通用的銀子平了四百舍客勒給以弗崙。
撒拉埋葬
17 於是，麥比拉，幔利前，以弗崙的那塊田和其中的洞，並田間四圍的樹木， 18 都定準歸於亞伯拉罕，乃是他在赫人面前並城門出入的人面前買妥的。 19 此後，亞伯拉罕把他妻子撒拉埋葬在迦南地幔利前的麥比拉田間的洞裡，幔利就是希伯崙。 20 從此，那塊田和田間的洞，就藉著赫人定準歸於亞伯拉罕做墳地。
Genesis 23
1599 Geneva Bible
23 2 Abraham laments the death of Sarah. 4 He buyeth a field to bury her, of the Hittites. 13 The equity of Abraham. 19 Sarah is buried in Machpelah.
1 When Sarah was an hundred twenty and seven years old ([a]so long lived she.)
2 Then Sarah died in Kirjath Arba: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 ¶ Then Abraham [b]rose up from the sight of his corpse, and talked with the [c]Hittites, saying,
4 I am a stranger, and a foreigner among you: give me a possession of burial with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5 Then the Hittites answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a prince [d]of God among us: in the chiefest of our sepulchers bury the dead: none of us shall forbid thee his sepulcher, but thou mayest bury thy dead therein.
7 Then Abraham stood up, and bowed himself before the people of the land of the Hittites.
8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be [e]your mind, that I shall bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
9 That he would give me the cave of [f]Machpelah, which he hath in the end of his field: that he would give it me for as much [g]money as it is worth, for a possession to bury in among you.
10 (For Ephron dwelt among the Hittites) Then Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of all the Hittites that [h]went in at the gates of his city, saying,
11 No, my Lord, hear me: the field give I thee and the cave that therein is, I give it thee: even in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee to bury thy dead.
12 Then Abraham [i]bowed himself before the people of the land,
13 And spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the country, saying, Seeing thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me, I will give the price of the field: receive it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
14 Ephron then answered Abraham, saying unto him,
15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred [j]shekels of silver: what is that between me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16 So Abraham hearkened unto Ephron, and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named, in the audience of the Hittites, even four hundred silver shekels of current money among merchants.
17 ¶ So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, and over against Mamre, even the field and the cave that was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, which were in all the borders round about, was made sure
18 Unto Abraham for a possession, in the sight of the Hittites, even of all that [k]went in at the gates of his city.
19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah over against Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
20 Thus the field, and the cave that is therein, was made sure unto Abraham for a possession of burial [l]by the Hittites.
Footnotes
- Genesis 23:1 Hebrew, the years of the life of Sarah.
- Genesis 23:3 That is, when he had mourned: so the godly may mourn, if they pass not measure, and the natural affection is commendable.
- Genesis 23:3 Hebrew, sons of Heth.
- Genesis 23:6 That is, godly or excellent: for the Hebrews so speak of all things that are notable, because all excellency cometh of God.
- Genesis 23:8 Hebrew, in your soul.
- Genesis 23:9 Or, double cave, because one was within another.
- Genesis 23:9 Hebrew, in full silver.
- Genesis 23:10 Meaning, all the citizens and inhabitants.
- Genesis 23:12 To show that he had them in good estimation and reverence.
- Genesis 23:15 The common shekel is about 20 pence, so then 400 shekels mount to 33 pound 6 shillings and 8 pence after 5 shilling sterling the ounce.
- Genesis 23:18 Or, citizens.
- Genesis 23:20 That is, all the people confirmed the sale.
Genesis 23
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 23
Purchase of a Burial Plot.[a] 1 The span of Sarah’s life was one hundred and twenty-seven years. 2 She died in Kiriath-arba—now Hebron—in the land of Canaan, and Abraham proceeded to mourn and weep for her. 3 Then he left the side of his deceased wife and addressed the Hittites:[b] 4 “Although I am a resident alien[c] among you, sell me from your holdings a burial place, that I may bury my deceased wife.”(A) 5 The Hittites answered Abraham: “Please, 6 sir, listen to us! You are a mighty leader among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites. None of us would deny you his burial ground for the burial of your dead.” 7 Abraham, however, proceeded to bow low before the people of the land, the Hittites, 8 and said to them: “If you will allow me room for burial of my dead, listen to me! Intercede for me with Ephron, son of Zohar, 9 so that he will sell me the cave of Machpelah that he owns; it is at the edge of his field. Let him sell it to me in your presence at its full price for a burial place.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting with the Hittites. So Ephron the Hittite replied to Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, all who entered the gate of his city: 11 “Please, sir, listen to me! I give you both the field and the cave in it; in the presence of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead!” 12 But Abraham, after bowing low before the people of the land, 13 addressed Ephron in the hearing of these men: “If only you would please listen to me! I will pay you the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron replied to Abraham, “Please, 15 sir, listen to me! A piece of land worth four hundred shekels[d] of silver—what is that between you and me? Bury your dead!” 16 (B)Abraham accepted Ephron’s terms; he weighed out to him the silver that Ephron had stipulated in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver at the current market value.[e]
17 (C)Thus Ephron’s field in Machpelah, facing Mamre, together with its cave and all the trees anywhere within its limits, was conveyed 18 to Abraham by purchase in the presence of the Hittites, all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre—now Hebron—in the land of Canaan. 20 Thus the field with its cave was transferred from the Hittites to Abraham as a burial place.
Footnotes
- 23:1–20 The occasion for purchasing the land is the need for a burial site for Sarah, for it would be unthinkable to bury Sarah outside of the promised land. One of the two great promises to Abraham, that of progeny, has been fulfilled (21:1–7). And now the promise of land is to be fulfilled, through a kind of down payment on the full possession that will take place only with the conquest under Joshua and during the reign of David. This purchase has been prepared for by Abimelech’s recognition of Abraham’s claim to the well at Beer-sheba (21:22–34). Among the ancestral stories this narrative is one of two that are entirely from the P source (chap. 17 being the other). The Priestly writers may have intended to encourage the generation of the exile to a renewed hope of repossessing their land.
- 23:3 The Hittites: in the Bible the term is applied to several different groups—inhabitants of the second-millennium Hittite empire in Asia Minor and northern Syria, residents of the Neo-Hittite kingdoms in northern Syria in the first part of the first millennium, and (following Assyrian terminology) the inhabitants of Syria and Palestine. The third group is meant here.
- 23:4 A resident alien: such a one would normally not have the right to own property. The importance of Abraham’s purchase of the field in Machpelah, which is worded in technical legal terms, lies in the fact that it gave his descendants their first, though small, land rights in the country that God had promised the patriarch they would one day inherit as their own. Abraham therefore insists on purchasing the field and not receiving it as a gift.
- 23:15 Four hundred shekels: probably an exorbitant sum; Jeremiah (32:9) paid only seventeen shekels for his field in Anathoth, though the Babylonian invasion no doubt helped to reduce the price.
- 23:16 The current market value: the standard weight called a shekel varied according to time and place.
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