1
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When Sarah was 127 years old, |
2
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she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her. |
3
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Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders, |
4
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"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." |
5
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The Hittites replied to Abraham, |
6
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"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." |
7
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Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites and said, |
8
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"Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar |
9
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to 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." |
10
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Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town. |
11
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"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." |
12
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Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land, |
13
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and 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." |
14
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Ephron answered Abraham, |
15
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"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." |
16
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So 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. |
17
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So 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. |
18
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It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. |
19
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Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron). |
20
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So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place. |
Genesis 23:2 English Language Bible Words basic statistical display
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