Genesis

The Death and Burial of Sarah

1 Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old.

2 She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.

3 Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and said to the Hittites,

4 “I am a foreigner and an outsider among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead.”

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham,

6 “Listen  to us, sir. You are God’s chosen one among us. Bury your dead in the  finest of our tombs. None of us will withhold his tomb for burying your  dead.”

7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.

8 “If you are willing for me to bury my dead,” he said to them, “listen to me, and approach Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf

9 to  sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of  his field. Let him sell it to me in your presence for full price, so  that I may have a burial site.”

10 Now  Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So in the presence of all  the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite  answered Abraham,

11 “No,  my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave  that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your  dead.”

12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land

13 and  said to Ephron in their presence, “If you will please listen to me, I  will pay you the price of the field. Accept it from me, so that I may  bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham,

15 “Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver,b  but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

16 Abraham  agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named  in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver,  according to the standard of the merchants.

17 So  Ephron’s field at Machpelah near Mamre, the cave that was in it, and  all the trees within the boundaries of the field were deeded over

18 to Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city.

19 After  this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at  Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

20 So the field and its cave were deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.