Genesis 23

reviewed Worded for an eighth-grade reader; the reading is the Translation's. Read the Translation with its notes.

1 Sarah lived 127 years. These were the years of Sarah's life. 2 Sarah died at Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead and spoke to the Hittites. 4 He said, "I am a foreigner and a resident among you. Give me land of my own for a grave among you, so that I may bury my dead out of my sight." 5 The Hittites answered Abraham. 6 They said, "Listen to us, my lord. You are a chieftain of elohim among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our graves. Not one of us will hold back his grave from you, to keep you from burying your dead." 7 Abraham rose and bowed down to the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, "If you are willing for me to bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me, and plead with Ephron son of Zohar for me,

9 so that he will give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him, at the edge of his field. Let him give it to me for the full price in silver, here among you, as land of my own for a grave." 10 Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who came in at the gate of his city. 11 He said, "No, my lord, listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead." 12 Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 He said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, "But you—if only you would listen to me! I give you the price of the field. Take it from me, so that I may bury my dead there." 14 Ephron answered Abraham. 15 He said, "My lord, listen to me. A piece of land worth 400 shekels of silver—what is that between you and me? Bury your dead." 16 Abraham listened to Ephron. He weighed out for Ephron the silver he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: 400 shekels of silver, silver that merchants would accept.

17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, facing Mamre, passed over—the field and the cave in it, and every tree in the field within all its borders around— 18 to Abraham as his property, in the sight of the Hittites, before all who came in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it passed from the Hittites to Abraham as land of his own for a grave.