New Living Translation | NET Bible |
1When Sarah was 127 years old, | 1Sarah lived 127 years. |
2she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her. | 2Then she died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. |
3Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders, | 3Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife and said to the sons of Heth, |
4“Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you. Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper burial.” | 4"I am a temporary settler among you. Grant me ownership of a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead." |
5The Hittites replied to Abraham, | 5The sons of Heth answered Abraham, |
6“Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way.” | 6"Listen, sir, you are a mighty prince among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you from burying your dead." |
7Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites | 7Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, the sons of Heth. |
8and said, “Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar | 8Then he said to them, "If you agree that I may bury my dead, then hear me out. Ask Ephron the son of Zohar |
9to let me buy his cave at Machpelah, down at the end of his field. I will pay the full price in the presence of witnesses, so I will have a permanent burial place for my family.” | 9if he will sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly for the full price, so that I may own it as a burial site." |
10Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town. | 10(Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite replied to Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth--before all who entered the gate of his city-- |
11“No, my lord,” he said to Abraham, “please listen to me. I will give you the field and the cave. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead.” | 11"No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell you both the field and the cave that is in it. In the presence of my people I sell it to you. Bury your dead." |
12Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land, | 12Abraham bowed before the local people |
13and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. “No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there.” | 13and said to Ephron in their hearing, "Hear me, if you will. I pay to you the price of the field. Take it from me so that I may bury my dead there." |
14Ephron answered Abraham, | 14Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, |
15“My lord, please listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead.” | 15"Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead." |
16So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and paid the amount he had suggested—400 pieces of silver, weighed according to the market standard. The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction. | 16So Abraham agreed to Ephron's price and weighed out for him the price that Ephron had quoted in the hearing of the sons of Heth--400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. |
17So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. | 17So Abraham secured Ephron's field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, |
18It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. | 18as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron's city. |
19Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron). | 19After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. |
20So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place. | 20So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site from the sons of Heth. |
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