New Living Translation | International Standard Version |
1When Sarah was 127 years old, | 1Sarah lived for 127 years. That's how long Sarah's life was. |
2she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her. | 2She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, in Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. |
3Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders, | 3Then Abraham stood up from beside his dead wife and addressed the Hittites. He said, |
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 an alien and an outsider among you. Give me a cemetery among you where I can bury my dead away from my presence." |
5The Hittites replied to Abraham, | 5The Hittites responded to 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 to us, sir. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial tombs. None of us would refuse you his tomb for burying your dead." |
7Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites | 7Abraham rose and bowed before the Hittites, the people of the land, |
8and said, “Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar | 8and addressed them, "If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me and make a request of Zohar's son Ephron on my behalf. |
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.” | 9Give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him, at the end of his field. He should sell it to me in your presence at full price for 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. | 10Now since Ephron the Hittite had taken a seat there among the Hittites, he responded publicly to Abraham where the Hittites and everyone who was entering the gate of his city could hear him: |
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, sir. Listen to me! I'll give you the field, and I'll give you the cave that's in it. I give it to you publicly, in the sight of my people. Bury your dead." |
12Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land, | 12Abraham bowed before the people of the land |
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 then addressed Ephron so all the people of the land could hear him: "Please listen to me! I'm willing to pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, so I may bury my dead there." |
14Ephron answered Abraham, | 14So Ephron answered Abraham, |
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"Sir, listen to me! The land is worth 400 shekels of silver, but what's that between us? You may 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. | 16Abraham agreed with Ephron, so he weighed out to Ephron the money to which he had agreed publicly while the Hittites were listening: 400 shekels of silver at the current merchant rate. |
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. | 17That's how Ephron's field in Machpelah, east of Mamre—the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were within the boundaries of the field—came to be deeded |
18It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. | 18to Abraham in the presence of all the Hittites and everyone who was entering the city gate. |
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 at the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre (that is, in 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. | 20And so the field with its cave was deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site. |
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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