1 And the life of Sarah was a hundred and twenty-seven years: [these were] the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died in Kirjath-Arba: that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you; give me a possession of a sepulchre with you, that I may bury my dead from before me. 5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a prince of God among us: in the choicest of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre for burying thy dead. 7 And Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth, 8 and spoke to them, saying, If it be your will that I should bury my dead from before me, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which is his, which is at the end of his field; for the full money let him give it to me amongst you for a possession of a sepulchre. 10 And Ephron was dwelling among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, in the ears of the sons of Heth, [even] of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11 No, my lord: hear me. The field give I thee; and the cave that is in it, to thee I give it; before the eyes of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. 12 And Abraham bowed down before the people of the land; 13 and he spoke to Ephron, in the ears of the people of the land, saying, But if only thou wouldst listen to me, I give the money for the field: take [it] of me, and I will bury my dead there. 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 My lord, hearken to me. A field of four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. 16 And Abraham hearkened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the money that he had named in the ears of the sons of Heth — four hundred shekels of silver, current with the merchant. 17 So the field of Ephron, which was at Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all its borders round about, 18 were assured to Abraham for a possession before the eyes of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah, opposite to Mamre: that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field and the cave that was in it were assured to Abraham for a possession of a sepulchre by the sons of Heth.
Genesis 23 Darby Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abraham
Called by God, he left home in faith to become the father of a chosen people.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 12–25
Ephron
A Hittite at Hebron, son of Zohar, who sold Abraham the field and cave of Machpelah for four hundred shekels of silver, where Abraham buried Sarah and was himself buried.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 23:8–10; Genesis 23:16; Genesis 25:9
Zohar
A Hittite named only as the father of Ephron, from whom Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 23:8; Genesis 25:9
Places
Hebron
One of the region's oldest cities, holding the patriarchs' burial cave (Machpelah). It was David's first royal capital, over Judah.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 23:19; Genesis 13:18; 2 Samuel 5:3
Cross references (17)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 2 Genesis 23:19; Genesis 13:18; 1 Chronicles 6:57; Judges 1:10; Genesis 27:41
- 3 Genesis 10:15; Genesis 23:7; Genesis 23:5; Genesis 27:46; 2 Samuel 23:39
- 4 Hebrews 11:9; 1 Chronicles 29:15; Genesis 17:8; Psalm 119:19; Psalm 39:12
- 6 Genesis 24:35; Genesis 14:14; Genesis 44:5; Genesis 13:2; Genesis 32:4–5
- 7 Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:17–18; Genesis 19:1; Genesis 18:2; Proverbs 18:24
- 8 1 Kings 2:17; Hebrews 7:26; Genesis 25:9; 1 John 2:1–2; Luke 7:3–4
- 9 Romans 12:17; Romans 13:8
- 10 Genesis 34:20; Genesis 34:24; Genesis 23:18; Matthew 9:1; Ruth 4:1–4
- 11 Luke 19:24; Isaiah 32:8; 2 Samuel 24:20–24; Genesis 23:6; Jeremiah 32:7–12
- 12 Genesis 19:1; Genesis 18:2; Genesis 23:7
- 13 Romans 13:8; Genesis 14:22–23; 2 Samuel 24:24; Acts 20:35; Hebrews 13:5
- 15 Ezekiel 45:12; Exodus 30:13; Exodus 30:15
- 16 Jeremiah 32:9; Zechariah 11:12; Exodus 30:13; Romans 13:8; Matthew 7:12
- 17 Genesis 50:13; Genesis 25:9; Genesis 23:20; Acts 7:16; Genesis 49:29–32
- 18 Jeremiah 32:12; Genesis 34:20; Ruth 4:1
- 19 Genesis 49:29–32; Genesis 25:9–10; Genesis 50:25; Genesis 50:13; Genesis 35:27–29
- 20 Jeremiah 32:10–14; Ruth 4:7–10; 2 Kings 21:18; Genesis 50:5; Genesis 25:9
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences