35 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
35 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
The Burial of Sarah
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# Chapter 23
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1. When Sarah was 127 years old,
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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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3. Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders,
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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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5. The Hittites replied to Abraham,
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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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7. Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites
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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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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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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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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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12. Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land,
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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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14. Ephron answered Abraham,
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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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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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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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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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19. Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron).
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20. So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.
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