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The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 23 -

1
When Sarah was 127 years old,
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she died at the city of Kiriath Arba, which is now called Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Then Abraham mourned over her.
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He left the body of his wife and spoke to some of the descendants of Heth. He said,
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“I am a temporary settler living among you, so I do not own any land here. Sell me some land here so that I can bury my wife’s body.”
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They replied to him,
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“Sir, you are a powerful man among us. Choose one of our finest tombs and bury your wife’s body in it. None of us will refuse to sell land to you for a tomb for your wife’s body.”
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Then Abraham stood up and bowed in respect in front of the people who owned the land, the descendants of Heth.
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He said to them, “If you say that you are willing for me to bury my wife’s body here, listen to me, and ask Ephron son of Zohar,
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to sell me the cave in the Machpelah area, which is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price he wants, and to sell it to me in front of you all. In this way I can have a burial ground.”
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Now Ephron was sitting among the people at the city gate where many descendants of Heth had gathered. He had heard what Abraham said to them.
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Ephron said, “No, sir, listen to me. I will give to you the field and the cave in it, without charge, with the people here as witnesses. Please bury your wife there.”
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Abraham again bowed before the people who lived in the land,
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and said to Ephron, as all the others were listening, “No, listen to me. If you are willing, I will pay for the field. You tell me what the price is, and I will give it to you. If you accept it, the field will become mine, and I can bury my wife’s body there.”
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Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
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“Sir, listen to me. The land is worth four hundred pieces of silver. But the price is not important to you and me. Give me the money and bury your wife’s body there.”
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Abraham agreed with Ephron about the price, and weighed for Ephron the four hundred pieces of silver he had suggested, as everyone was listening. He used the standard weights for silver used by people who sold things.
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So Ephron’s field in the Machpelah area, near Mamre, and the cave in the field, and all the trees that were in the field and those marking the land’s boundary, they all became Abraham’s possession.
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This is how Abraham bought the property, as all the descendants of Heth were listening there at the city gate.
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After that, Abraham buried his wife Sarah’s body in the cave in the field in the Machpelah area near Mamre, which is now called Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
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So the field and the cave in it were officially sold to Abraham by the descendants of Heth, for him to use as a burial ground.
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1
Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. This was the length of Sarah’s life.
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Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
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Abraham rose up from before his dead and spoke to the children of Heth, saying,
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“I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
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The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
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“Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the best of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb. Bury your dead.”
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Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, to the children of Heth.
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He talked with them, saying, “If you agree that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
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that he may sell me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him sell it to me among you as a possession for a burial place.”
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Now Ephron was sitting in the middle of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying,
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“No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.”
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Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land.
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He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, “But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”
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Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
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“My lord, listen to me. What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver (a) between me and you? Therefore bury your dead.”
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Abraham listened to Ephron. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the current merchants’ standard.
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So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded
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to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
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After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan.
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The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham by the children of Heth as a possession for a burial place.

Footnotes

(a)23:15 A shekel is about 10 grams, so 400 shekels would be about 4 kg. or 8.8 pounds.
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