Genesis 23
Tree of Life Version
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.
Genesis 23
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 23
Tomb of the Patriarch.[a] 1 Sarah lived to be one hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath-arba, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and he wept for her.
3 Abraham then left the body of his loved one and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a foreigner and I sojourn among you. Sell me a piece of land here for a grave. In that way I can carry the body there and bury it.”
5 The Hittites answered, 6 “Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God living in our midst. Bury your dead one in the best of our tombs. No one among us will prevent you from burying your dead in your tomb.”
7 Then Abraham got up and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites, 8 and said to them, “If it is your will that I take my deceased and bury her, listen to me and convince Ephron, the son of Zohar, 9 to give me the cave of Machpelah, which is found at the edge of his field. Let him sell it to me at its full price so that it may be my burial place in your land.”
10 Now Ephron was seated among the Hittites. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites at the entrance to the gate of the city. He said, 11 “Hear me, my lord. I will give you the field along with the cave. In the presence of the sons of my people, I give it to you. Bury your dead.”
12 Abraham bowed down to him before the people of the land. 13 He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land and said, “If only you would please listen to me, I will pay you for the price of the field. Accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron said to Abraham, 15 “Hear me, my lord. A field with a value of four hundred silver shekels,[b] what is that between me and you? Bury your dead there.”
16 Abraham accepted Ephron’s terms. He paid Ephron the price that had been mentioned in the hearing of the Hittites, namely, four hundred silver shekels of the current market weight.
17 The field of Ephron was at Machpelah facing Mamre. The field and the cave found there and all the trees in the field and within the boundaries of the field, 18 all these became the property of Abraham in the presence of the Hittites at the entrance to the gate of the city. 19 Afterward, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave passed from the Hittites to Abraham as his burial plot.
Footnotes
- Genesis 23:1 This lively and picturesque passage is from the Priestly tradition.
- Genesis 23:15 Four hundred silver shekels are equivalent to about 5 kilograms of silver.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
