Genesis 23

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Ref And the life of Sarah is a hundred and twenty and seven years -- years of the life of Sarah;

2 Ref and Sarah dieth in Kirjath-Arba, which `is' Hebron, in the land of Caanan, and Abraham goeth in to mourn for Sarah, and to bewail her.

3 Ref And Abraham riseth up from the presence of his dead, and speaketh unto the sons of Heth, saying,

4 Ref `A sojourner and a settler I `am' with you; give to me a possession of a burying-place with you, and I bury my dead from before me.'

5 And the sons of Heth answer Abraham, saying to him,

6 Ref `Hear us, my lord; a prince of God `art' thou in our midst; in the choice of our burying-places bury thy dead: none of us his burying-place doth withhold from thee, from burying thy dead.'

7 Ref And Abraham riseth and boweth himself to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth,

8 Ref and he speaketh with them, saying, `If it is your desire to bury my dead from before me, hear me, and meet for me with Ephron, son of Zoar;

9 Ref and he giveth to me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which `is' in the extremity of his field; for full money doth he give it to me, in your midst, for a possession of a burying-place.'

10 Ref And Ephron is sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answereth Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, of all those entering the gate of his city, saying,

11 Ref `Nay, my lord, hear me: the field I have given to thee, and the cave that `is' in it, to thee I have given it; before the eyes of the sons of my people I have given it to thee -- bury thy dead.'

12 Ref And Abraham boweth himself before the people of the land,

13 Ref and speaketh unto Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, `Only -- if thou wouldst hear me -- I have given the money of the field -- accept from me, and I bury my dead there.'

14 And Ephron answereth Abraham, saying to him,

15 Ref `My lord, hear me: the land -- four hundred shekels of silver; between me and thee, what `is' it? -- thy dead bury.'

16 Ref And Abraham hearkeneth unto Ephron, and Abraham weigheth to Ephron the silver which he hath spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth, four hundred silver shekels, passing with the merchant.

17 Ref And established are the field of Ephron, which `is' in Machpelah, which `is' before Mamre, the field and the cave which `is' in it, and all the trees which `are' in the field, which `are' in all its border round about,

18 Ref to Abraham by purchase, before the eyes of the sons of Heth, among all entering the gate of his city.

19 Ref And after this hath Abraham buried Sarah his wife at the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (which `is' Hebron), in the land of Canaan;

20 Ref and established are the field, and the cave which `is' in it, to Abraham for a possession of a burying-place, from the sons of Heth.

World English Bible (WEB)

1 Ref Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. These were the years of Sarah's life.

2 Ref Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

3 Ref Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the children of Heth, saying,

4 Ref "I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight."

5 The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

6 Ref "Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. In the choice of our tombs bury your dead. None of us will withhold from you his tomb, but that you may bury your dead."

7 Ref Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.

8 Ref He talked with them, saying, "If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

9 Ref that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a possession of a burying-place."

10 Ref Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying,

11 Ref "No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead."

12 Ref Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land.

13 Ref He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, "But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there."

14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

15 Ref "My lord, listen to me. What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between me and you? Therefore bury your dead."

16 Ref Abraham listened to Ephron. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the current merchants' standard.

17 Ref So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border of it round about, were made sure

18 Ref to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

19 Ref After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan.

20 Ref The field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure to Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the children of Heth.

Chapter 23 of 50

Begin Your Journey of Faith

We all start at different points in our walk with Christ. No matter where you are, we're here to support you as you grow in faith.

Accept Jesus Christ as Your Savior

If you haven’t made the decision to follow Jesus yet, we want to walk with you as you discover the new life He offers.

Read "A Truly Free Gift"

What Guides Our Walk With Christ

Discover the biblical truths and core beliefs that shape how we live, serve, and walk faithfully with Christ each day.

Explore Our Beliefs

Join a Community of Believers

Don’t walk through life alone. Find others to connect with, whether in person or online, and grow together in Christ.

Discover Where We Meet