Genesis 23

¹Forsothe Sare lyuede an hundrid and seuene and twenti yeer,

²and diede in the citee of Arbee, which is Ebron, in the lond of Chanaan; and Abraham cam to biweyle and biwepe hir.

³And whanne he hadde rise fro the office of the deed bodi, he spak to the sones of Heth, and seide,

⁴Y am a comelyng and a pilgrym anentis you; yyue ye to me riyt of sepulcre with you, that Y birie my deed body.

⁵And the sones of Heth answeriden, and seiden, Lord, here thou vs;

⁶thou art the prince of God anentis vs; birie thou thi deed bodi in oure chosun sepulcris, and no man schal mow forbede thee, that ne thou birie thi deed bodi in the sepulcre of him.

⁷And Abraham roos, and worschipide the puple of the lond, that is, the sones of Heth.

⁸And he seide to hem, If it plesith youre soule that Y birie my deed bodi, here ye me, and preie ye for me to Efron, the sone of Seor,

⁹that he yyue to me the double caue, whiche he hath in the vttirmoste part of his feeld; for sufficiaunt money yyue he it to me bifore you into possessioun of sepulcre.

¹⁰Forsothe Efron dwellide in the myddis of the sones of Heth. And Efron answerde to Abraham, while alle men herden that entriden bi the yate of that citee,

¹¹and seide, My lord, it schal not be doon so, but more herkne thou that that Y seie; Y yyue to thee the feeld, and the denne which is therine, while the sones of my puple ben present; birie thou thi deed bodi.

¹²Abraham worschipide bifor the Lord, and bifor the puple of the lond,

¹³and he spak to Efron, while his puple stood aboute, Y biseche, that thou here me; Y schal yyue money for the feeld, resseyue thou it, and so Y schal birie my deed bodi in the feeld.

¹⁴And Efron answerde, My lord,

¹⁵here thou me, the lond which thou axist is worth foure hundrid siclis of siluer, that is the prijs bitwixe me and thee, but hou myche is this? birie thou thi deed bodi.

¹⁶And whanne Abraham hadde herd this, he noumbride the monei which Efron axide, while the sones of Heth herden, foure hundrid siclis of siluer, and of preuyd comyn monei.

¹⁷And the feeld that was sumtyme of Efron, in which feeld was a double denne, biholdinge to Mambre, as wel thilke feeld as the denne and alle the trees therof, in alle termes therof bi cumpas, was confermed to Abraham in to possessioun,

¹⁸while the sones of Heth seiyen and alle men that entriden bi the yate of that citee.

¹⁹And so Abraham biriede Sare, his wijf, in the double denne of the feeld, that bihelde to Mambre; this is Ebron in the lond of Chanaan.

²⁰And the feeld, and the denne that was therynne, was confermyd of the sones of Heth to Abraham, in to possessioun of sepulcre.

Genesis 23

¹And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.

²And Sarah died in Kirjath–arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

³And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,

⁴I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

⁵And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

⁶Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

⁷And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.

⁸And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

⁹That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.

¹⁰And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,

¹¹Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.

¹²And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.

¹³And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

¹⁴And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,

¹⁵My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

¹⁶And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

¹⁷And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure

¹⁸Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.

¹⁹And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.

²⁰And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.