Genesis 23 · Parashat Chayei Sara

And Sara was a hundred and twenty seven years old: these were the years of Sara’s life.

And Sara died in Qiryat-arba; that is Ḥevron, in the land of Kena῾an: and Avraham came to mourn for Sara, and to weep for her.

And Avraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Ḥet, saying,

I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

And the children of Ḥet answered Avraham, saying to him,

Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall with- hold from thee his tomb, but that thou mayst bury thy dead.

And Avraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, to the children of Ḥet.

And he spoke with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to ῾Efron the son of Żoĥar,

that he may give me the cave of Makhpela, which he has, which is in the end of his field; for the full price he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.

And ῾Efron dwelt among the children of Ḥet: and ῾Efron the Ḥitti answered Avraham in the hearing of the children of Ḥet, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,

No, my lord, hear me: the field I give thee, and the cave that is in it, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people I give it thee: bury thy dead.

And Avraham bowed himself down before the people of the land.

And he spoke to ῾Efron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee the price of the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

And ῾Efron answered Avraham, saying to him,

My lord, hearken to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

And Avraham hearkened to ῾Efron; and Avraham weighed to ῾Efron the silver, which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Ḥet, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

And the field of ῾Efron, which was in Makhpela, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made over

to Avraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Ḥet, before all that went in at the gate of his city.

And after this, Avraham buried Sara his wife in the cave of the field of Makhpela before Mamre: the same is Ḥevron in the land of Kena῾an.

And the field, and the cave that is in it, were made over to Avraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Ḥet.