Genesis 23

1Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years; these were the years of Sarah’s life.

2And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

3Then Abraham rose from before his dead wife and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,

4I am a foreigner and a sojourner among you. Give me a burial site among you, so that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

5The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

6Hear us, my lord: you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold his tomb from you, from burying your dead.

7Then Abraham rose and bowed down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth.

8And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your desire that I bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me and intercede for me with Ephron son of Zohar,”

9and let him give me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him, which is at the end of his field. For the full price in silver, let him give it to me among you as a burial property.

10Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth, before all who entered the gate of his city, saying,

11No, my lord, listen to me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.

12Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.

13And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If only you would hear me: I give the silver for the field; take it from me, so that I may bury my dead there.”

14And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

15My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.

16So Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had spoken in the hearing of the sons of Heth: four hundred shekels of silver, current with the merchant.

17So Ephron’s field at Machpelah, which was before Mamre—the field, the cave that was in it, and every tree in the field, within all its surrounding border—was confirmed

18to Abraham as a possession before the eyes of the sons of Heth, before all who entered the gate of his city.

19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan.

20So the field and the cave that was in it were deeded to Abraham as a burial property from the sons of Heth.