Genesis 23:3-16

New American Standard Bible 1995

³ Then Abraham rose from before his dead, and spoke to the ^(A)sons of Heth, saying, ⁴ “I am ^(B)a stranger and a sojourner among you; ^(C)give me ^[a]a ^(D)burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” ⁵ The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, ⁶ “Hear us, my lord, you are a ^[b](E)mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead.” ⁷ So Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. ⁸ And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your ^[c]wish for me to bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and approach ^(F)Ephron the son of Zohar for me, ⁹ that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in ^[d]your presence for ^[e]a burial site.” ¹⁰ Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth; even ^(G)of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, ¹¹ “No, my lord, hear me; ^(H)I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.” ¹² And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. ¹³ He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me that I may bury my dead there.” ¹⁴ Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, ¹⁵ “My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred ^(I)shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.” ¹⁶ Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham ^(J)weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the ^[f]hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, ^[g]commercial standard.