“1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: [these
were] the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba;
the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn
for Sarah, and to weep for her.”
“3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons
of Heth, saying, 4 I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a
possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my
sight. 5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, 6
Hear us, my lord: thou [art] a mighty prince among us: in the choice of
our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his
sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. 7 And Abraham stood up,
and bowed himself to the people of the land, [even] to the children of
Heth. 8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I
should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to
Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah,
which he hath, which [is] in the end of his field; for as much money as
it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace
amongst you. 10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron
the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth,
[even] of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11 Nay, my
lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that [is] therein, I
give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee:
bury thy dead. 12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of
the land. 13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of
the land, saying, But if thou [wilt give it], I pray thee, hear me: I
will give thee money for the field; take [it] of me, and I will bury my
dead there. 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, 15 My lord,
hearken unto me: the land [is worth] four hundred shekels of silver;
what [is] that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.”
“16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron
the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four
hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant. 17 And the
field of Ephron, which [was] in Machpelah, which [was] before Mamre, the
field, and the cave which [was] therein, and all the trees that [were]
in the field, that [were] in all the borders round about, were made sure
18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of
Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. 19 And after
this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of
Machpelah before Mamre: the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan. 20
And the field, and the cave that [is] therein, were made sure unto
Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.” (Ge
23:1-20 AV)
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