Sarah’s death and Abraham’s mourning
1Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years — the years of Sarah’s life. 2Sarah died in Kiriath-arba — that is, Hebron — in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
Abraham negotiates for a burial place
3Then Abraham rose from beside his dead and spoke to the sons of Heth: 4“I am a stranger and a resident alien among you. Give me a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead, out of my sight.” 5The sons of Heth answered Abraham: 6“Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs — none of us will withhold his tomb from you, to keep you from burying your dead.” 7Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the sons of Heth, 8and said to them, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead, out of my sight, hear me, and plead with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf, 9that he give me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him, at the edge of his field. Let him give it to me, among you, for its full price, as a burial place.” 10Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth, before all who came through the gate of his city: 11“No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the sight of the sons of my people. Bury your dead.” 12Abraham bowed down before the people of the land, 13and spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land: “If only you would hear me — I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, and let me bury my dead there.” 14Ephron answered Abraham: 15“My lord, listen to me. Land worth four hundred shekels of silver — what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16Abraham listened to Ephron and weighed out to him the silver he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth — four hundred shekels of silver, at the rate current among merchants.
The purchase of Machpelah confirmed
17So Ephron’s field in Machpelah, facing Mamre — the field and the cave in it, and every tree within it, throughout its whole territory — passed 18to Abraham as a possession, in the sight of the sons of Heth, before all who came through the gate of his city. 19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre — that is, Hebron — in the land of Canaan. 20So the field, and the cave in it, passed to Abraham as a burial place, from the sons of Heth.
