| Chapter
23 |
| 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 entreat 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. |
