Ephron

1Sarah lived to be 127 years old. That was the whole length of her life.

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

NotePeople in these very old stories often lived much longer than people do now.

2Sarah died in Kirjatharba. That town is also called Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to cry for her.

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

NoteTo mourn means to show how sad you are when someone has died. The town had two names, Kirjatharba and Hebron. Canaan was the land where Abraham lived as a visitor.

3Then Abraham stood up from beside her body. He spoke to the sons of Heth, the people of that land. He said,

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

NoteThe sons of Heth were a people called Hittites. This land belonged to them, not to Abraham.

4"I am a stranger here. I only live among you for a time. Please give me a piece of ground for a grave. Then I can bury my dead wife out of my sight."

I 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.

NoteAbraham owned no land here at all. He lived in tents and moved from place to place. So he had to ask the owners before he could bury Sarah.

5The sons of Heth answered Abraham. They said to him,

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

6"Listen to us, sir. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the best of our graves. Not one of us will keep his grave from you. You may bury your dead."

Hear 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.

NoteCalling someone "my lord" was a polite way to speak, like saying sir. A prince here means a great and honored leader. Their graves were caves cut into rock. One family would use the same cave for many years.

7Then Abraham stood up and bowed low to the people of that land, the sons of Heth.

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

NoteBowing low meant bending down toward the ground. It was a polite way to show respect.

8He talked with them and said, "If you are willing for me to bury my dead out of my sight, then listen to me. Please ask Ephron son of Zohar for me."

And 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,

9"Ask him to give me the cave of Machpelah. It belongs to him. It is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me for all it is worth. Then it will be my own burial place among you."

That 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.

NoteAbraham wanted to pay the full price for the cave. He did not want it as a gift. Then no one could ever say the land was not really his.

10Ephron was sitting there among the sons of Heth. So Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham where they all could hear. Every man who came in at the city gate heard him. He said,

And 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,

NoteThe city gate was where people met to do business. A deal made there had many people watching, so everyone knew it was real.

11"No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field. I give you the cave that is in it too. I give it to you in front of my people. Go and bury your dead."

Nay, 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.

NoteIn that time people often offered a thing as a gift first. Both men knew a price would still be paid in the end.

12Then Abraham bowed low again before the people of that land.

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

13He spoke to Ephron where all the people could hear. He said, "If only you would listen to me. I will give you money for the field. Take it from me. Then I will bury my dead there."

And 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.

NoteThere were no coins yet. People paid with pieces of silver.

14Ephron answered Abraham. He said to him,

And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,

15"Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? Go and bury your dead."

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

NoteA shekel was a small weight of silver, about eleven grams. Four hundred shekels was a lot of money for one field.

16Abraham listened to Ephron. He weighed out the silver Ephron had named. The sons of Heth heard him name it. It was four hundred shekels of silver, the weight that traders used.

And 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.

NoteSilver was weighed on a scale to see how much it was worth. Traders everywhere used the same weights, so no one got cheated.

17So Ephron's field at Machpelah, near Mamre, now truly belonged to Abraham. That meant the field, the cave in it, and all the trees inside its borders.

And 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

NoteEven the trees were named out loud. A sale listed everything on the land, so no one could argue about it later.

18It became Abraham's own, in front of the sons of Heth. All the men who came in at the city gate saw it.

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

19After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah. He laid her in the cave of the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. That place is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.

And 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.

20So the field and the cave in it truly belonged to Abraham. The sons of Heth made it his own burial place.

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

NoteThis little field was the only land Abraham ever owned in Canaan.

7Abraham lived for 175 years.

And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

NoteThe people in these very old family stories are said to live much longer than people live now.

8Then Abraham took his last breath and died. He was very old, and he had lived a full life. He was gathered to his people.

Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

Note"Gathered to his people" is a gentle way of saying he died. It also means his body was laid where his family was buried.

9His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him. They laid him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre. The cave was in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite.

And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;

NoteA cave could be used like a grave. A whole family was often buried together in one cave. The Hittites were a group of people who lived in that land.

10Abraham had bought that field from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there, and so was his wife Sarah.

The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

NoteAbraham had bought this field long before, when Sarah died. It was the only piece of land he ever owned.

11After Abraham died, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac lived near the well called Lahairoi.

And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

NoteA well is a deep hole dug down to water. The name of this well means "the Living One sees me."

29Then he told them what to do. He said, "I am going to join my people who died before me. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite."

And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

NoteFamilies were buried together in one place. Jacob wanted to rest with his father and grandfather.

30"The cave is in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought that field from Ephron the Hittite to own a burial place."

In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.

NoteCanaan was the land God promised to Abraham. A cave was used as a family grave.

31"They buried Abraham and his wife Sarah there. They buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah there. And I buried Leah there."

There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

NoteAbraham and Sarah were Jacob's grandparents. Isaac and Rebekah were his father and mother. Leah was his wife.

32"The field and the cave in it were bought from the children of Heth."

The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.

NoteThe children of Heth were also called Hittites. They lived in that land and sold Abraham the field.

33Jacob finished telling his sons what to do. He pulled his feet up into the bed. He took his last breath and died. He joined his people who died before him.

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

NoteThe old words here are "yielded up the ghost." Ghost meant a person's breath or life. So the words simply mean he died.

12Jacob's sons did for him just what he had told them to do.

And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:

13They carried him to the land of Canaan. They buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. Abraham had bought that field from Ephron the Hittite to use as a burial place.

For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

NoteThis cave was the family burying place. Abraham had paid for it long before, and his wife Sarah was buried there. Isaac and Jacob's wife Leah were buried there too. A Hittite was a man from one of the groups living in that land.

14After he buried his father, Joseph went back to Egypt. His brothers went back too, and everyone else who had gone up with him.

And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.