The First Book of Moses: Genesis

⭑ Douay-Rheims :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Kapitel 23 -

And Sara lived a hundred and twenty-seven years.

And she died in the city of Arbee which is Hebron, in the land of Chanaan: and Abraham came to mourn and weep for her.

And after he rose up from the funeral obsequies, he spoke to the children of Heth, saying:

I am a stranger and sojourner among you: give me the right of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead.

The children of Heth answered, saying:

My Lord, hear us, thou art a prince of God among us: bury thy dead in our principal sepulchres: and no man shall have power to hinder thee from burying thy dead in his sepulchre.

Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, to wit the children of Heth:

And said to them: If it please your soul that I should bury my dead, hear me, and intercede for me to Ephron the son of Seor.

That he may give me the double cave, which he hath in the end of his field: for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me before you, for a possession of a burying place.

Now Ephron dwelt in the midst of the children of Heth. And Ephron made answer to Abraham in the hearing of all that went in at the gate of the city, saying:

Let it not be so, my lord, but do thou rather hearken to what I say: The field I deliver to thee, and the cave that is therein, in the presence of the children of my people, bury thy dead.

Abraham bowed down before the people of the land,

And he spoke to Ephron, in the presence of the people: I beseech thee to hear me: I will give money for the field: take it, and so I will bury my dead in it.

And Ephron answered:

My lord, hear me. The ground which thou desirest, is worth four hundred sicles of silver: this is the price between me and thee: but what is this? bury thy dead.

And when Abraham had heard this, he weighed out the money that Ephron had asked, in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred sicles of silver of common current money.

And the field that before was Ephron’s, wherein was the double cave, looking towards Mambre, both it and the cave, and all the trees thereof in all its limits round about,

Was made sure to Abraham for a possession, in the sight of the children of Heth, and of all that went in at the gate of his city.

And so Abraham buried Sara his wife, in a double cave of the field, that looked towards Mambre, this is Hebron in the land of Chanaan.

And the field was made sure to Abraham, and the cave that was in it, for a possession to bury in, by the children of Heth.

Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. This was the length of Sarah’s life.

Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

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

“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.”

The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

“Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the best of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb. Bury your dead.”

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

He talked with them, saying, “If you agree that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

that he may sell me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him sell it to me among you as a possession for a burial place.”

Now Ephron was sitting in the middle 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,

“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.”

Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land.

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.”

Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

“My lord, listen to me. What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver (a) between me and you? Therefore bury your dead.”

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

So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded

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

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.

The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham by the children of Heth as a possession for a burial place.

Fußnoten

(a)23:15 A shekel is about 10 grams, so 400 shekels would be about 4 kg. or 8.8 pounds.