Genesis  ◦   Chapter 23

1Sarah lived to be one hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to Sarah and mourned and wept over her.

3Then Abraham arose from mourning beside his dead wife and went to speak to the sons of Heth. He said, 4“I know that I am a foreigner living here among you; but please sell me some land that I can use as a burial site to bury my wife.”

5The sons of Heth replied to Abraham, 6“Hear us sir; you are God’s spokesman living right here among us. Please use our finest tombs to bury your dead. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

7Then Abraham stood up and bowed to the people, showing his respect to the sons of Heth. 8He said to them, “Thank you for your willingness to let me bury my dead here. Please do me this kindness and ask Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9to allow me to purchase the cave of Machpelah, which he owns, down at the end of his field. Tell him that I will pay the full price as a burial site among you.”

10Ephron the Hethite was sitting there among the sons of Heth, and he answered Abraham so that all the sons of Heth and those who had gathered at the city gate could hear. 11“Honored sir,” he said. “Please listen to me: allow me to give you this field and the cave that is in it. I freely give it to you in the presence of my people. Go and bury your dead.”

12Again Abraham bowed, showing respect to the people of the land, 13and said to Ephron so all could hear, “Please listen to me: if you are willing, allow me to pay for this field. Accept the payment from me, so I can bury my dead there.”

14Ephron answered Abraham, 15“Honored sir, hear me: the land is only worth 10 pounds (4.6 kilograms) of silver. What is that between us? Go and bury your dead.”

16Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and in the hearing of the leaders of the sons of Heth, he weighed out the silver according to the standard weight among the merchants.

17So the ownership of Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre – the field and the cave in it and all the trees within its borders – was transferred 18to Abraham as his property, in the presence of all the sons of Heth who had come to the city gate. 19Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron), in the land of Canaan. 20So the ownership of the field and the cave was transferred to Abraham by the sons of Heth, to be used as a burial site.