Sarah Is Buried

¹Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. That was the length of her life. ²Sarah died at Kirjatharba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went there to grieve over her and to weep for her. ³Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, ⁴"I am a foreigner and a temporary resident among you. Please let me have a burial site among you so that I can lay my dead to rest." ⁵The sons of Heth replied to Abraham, ⁶"Listen to us, my lord. You are a powerful leader among us. Use whichever of our tombs you wish to lay your dead to rest. Not one of us would refuse you his tomb for burying your dead." ⁷Abraham got up and bowed low before the people of the land, the sons of Heth. ⁸He spoke with them, saying, "If you are willing for me to lay my dead to rest, then listen to my request and speak to Ephron the son of Zohar on my behalf, ⁹"so that he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him, at the edge of his field. I will pay the full price for it, and it will become my burial property among you." ¹⁰Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of all the sons of Heth, including all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, ¹¹"No, my lord, listen to me. I give you the field, along with the cave in it. Here, before the eyes of my people, I give it to you. Go ahead and lay your dead to rest." ¹²Abraham bowed low before the people of the land. ¹³He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of all the people of the land, saying, "Please, if you are willing, listen to me. Let me pay you for the field. Accept my payment, and I will lay my dead to rest there." ¹⁴Ephron responded to Abraham, ¹⁵"My lord, consider this: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. But what is that amount between you and me? Go ahead and lay your dead to rest." ¹⁶Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms. He weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had mentioned in the hearing of the sons of Heth — four hundred shekels of silver, measured by the standard used among merchants. ¹⁷So Ephron's field in Machpelah, near Mamre — the field itself, the cave within it, and every tree within the boundaries of the field — was officially transferred ¹⁸to Abraham as his property, witnessed by the sons of Heth and everyone who had gathered at the gate of the city. ¹⁹After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah, near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. ²⁰The field and the cave within it were officially confirmed as Abraham's burial property by the sons of Heth.