Gen 23 | EE | STEP | Sarah lived for 127 years.

Genesis 23

Sarah dies and Abraham buries her

1 Sarah lived for 127 years. 2 She died in Kiriath Arba (that is Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham was very sad because Sarah had died. He sat by her body and cried. He cried because she was dead.

3 Then Abraham got up and said, 4 ‘I am a foreign person among you. Sell me some land for a burial place here so that I can bury my dead.’ 5 The Hittites replied, 6 ‘My lord, you are a powerful person among us. Bury your dead in any burial place that you choose. No one will refuse what you ask. You may have a burial place belonging to any of us. Then you can bury your dead.’ 7 Abraham got up. He bowed down before the people of the land, in front of the Hittites. ^{▼▼23:7 ‘Bowed’ means that he bent his body. (See 18:2.)}

8 He said to the Hittites ‘As you will let me bury my dead, listen to me. Speak with Ephron son of Zohar for me. 9 Speak to him so that he will sell me the burial place in Machpelah. This belongs to him. It is at the end of the field. Ask Ephron to sell it to me. I will pay the full price. It will be a place to bury my dead among you.’ 10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting with his people. He spoke so that all the Hittites could hear him. They were at the city gate. 11 Ephron said ‘No my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field. And I give you the burial place that is in the field. I give it to you now. I give it to you in front of all my people. Bury your dead.’ 12 Abraham bowed down to the Hittites again. 13 He said to Ephron, ‘Listen to me. I will pay you the price of the field. Accept the price from me. Then I can bury my dead there.’ Abraham said this so that everyone could hear him. 14 Ephron replied to Abraham, 15 ‘Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth 400 shekels of silver. But that is nothing between you and me. Bury your dead there.’ ^{▼▼23:15 People used shekels to measure weight.} ^{▼▼23:15 Ephron is telling Abraham how much the land will cost. But he is still saying that he will give it to Abraham. (But Ephron knows that Abraham will not accept the field. He knows that Abraham wants to buy it.)}

16 Abraham agreed to this price. He weighed the amount of silver, that Ephron had asked for. All the Hittites heard that this amount was 400 shekels of silver. Abraham used the weights that the people who sell things use.

17 Ephron’s field in Machpelah, near Mamre, now belonged to Abraham. The field, the burial place in it and all the trees in the field now belonged to Abraham. They recorded the field as belonging to Abraham. 18 It now belonged to Abraham. They did this in front of all the Hittites at the city gate. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife. He did this in the burial place in the field of Machpelah. This is near Mamre. (Mamre is at Hebron.) This is in the land of Canaan. 20 They recorded the field and the burial place as belonging to Abraham. The Hittites sold it to him. They sold it as a burial place to bury his family.