New Living Translation NLT
Common English Bible CEB
1 When Sarah was 127 years old,
1
Sarah lived to be 127 years old; this was how long she lived.
2 she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her.
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She died in Kiriath-arba, that is, in Hebron, in the land of Canaan; and Abraham cried out in grief and wept for Sarah.
3 Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders,
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After he got up from embracing his deceased wife, he spoke with the Hittites:
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.”
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"I am an immigrant and a temporary resident with you. Give me some property for a burial plot among you so that I can bury my deceased wife near me."
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham,
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The 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.”
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"Listen to us, sir. You are an eminent man of God among us. Bury your dead in one of our own select burial sites. None of us will keep our own burial plots from you to bury your dead."
7 Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites
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Abraham rose, bowed to the local citizens the Hittites,
8 and said, “Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar
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and spoke with them: "If you yourselves allow me to bury my dead near me, listen to me and ask Ephron, Zohar's son,
9 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.”
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to give me his own cave in Machpelah at the edge of his field. Let him give it to me for the full price, to be witnessed by you, as my own burial property."
10 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.
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Now Ephron was a native Hittite. So Ephron the Hittite responded to Abraham publicly in order that the Hittites and everyone at his city's gate could hear:
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.”
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"No, sir. Listen, I will give you the field, and I will give you the cave in it. In front of my people's witnesses, I will give it to you. Bury your dead!"
12 Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land,
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Abraham bowed before the local citizens
13 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.”
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and spoke to Ephron publicly in the presence of the local citizens: "If only you would accept my offer. I will give you the price of the field. Take it from me so that I can bury my dead there."
14 Ephron answered Abraham,
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Ephron responded to 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.”
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"Sir, what is four hundred shekels of silver between me and you for the land so that you can bury your dead?"
16 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.
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Abraham accepted Ephron's offer and weighed out for Ephron the silver he requested publicly before the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver at the current rate of exchange.
17 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.
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So the field of Ephron in Machpelah near Mamre—the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the field's boundaries—was officially transferred
18 It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate.
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to Abraham as his property in the presence of the Hittites and of everyone at his city's gate.
19 Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron).
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After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
20 So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.
20
The field and the cave in it were officially transferred from the Hittites to Abraham as his burial property.
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