The Death and Burial of Sarah

Sarah was a hundred years and twenty years and seven years; the years of the lifetime of Sarah. 2And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

3And Abraham rose up from before his dead one, and he spoke to the sons of Heth,† saying, 4“I am a sojourner and a stranger among you⁺; give to me a possession of a burial place with you⁺, that I may bury my dead from before me.”

5And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6“Hear us, my lord: You are a prince of God in our midst. In the choicest of our burial places bury your dead; none of us will withhold from you his burial place, from burying your dead.”

7And Abraham rose up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 8And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your⁺ desire that I bury my dead from before me, hear me and intercede for me with Ephron son of Zohar, 9that he may give to me the cave of Machpelah which is his, which is at the end of his field. For full silver let him give it to me, in your⁺ midst, as a possession of a burial place.”

10And Ephron was sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth—of all those entering at the gate of his city—saying, 11“No, my lord, hear me: The field I give to you, and the cave that is in it I give it to you; before the eyes of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.”

12And Abraham bowed himself before the people of the land, 13and he spoke to Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, “Only if you—please—hear me: I give the silver for the field; take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”

14And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15“My lord, hear me: Land worth four hundred shekels of silver†—between me and between you, what is it? And bury your dead.”

16And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth—four hundred shekels of silver, passing with the merchant. 17And the field of Ephron that was in Machpelah, that was before Mamre—the field and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all its surrounding border—

was established 18to Abraham as a possession before the eyes of the sons of Heth, of all those entering at the gate of his city. 19And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20And the field and the cave that is in it were established to Abraham as a possession of a burial place from the sons of Heth.