Γένεσις 23
1 ἐγένετο δὲ ἡ ζωὴ Σαρρας ἔτη ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτά
Sarah lived to be 127,
2 καὶ ἀπέθανεν Σαρρα ἐν πόλει Αρβοκ ἥ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ κοιλώματι αὕτη ἐστὶν Χεβρων ἐν γῇ Χανααν ἦλθεν δὲ Αβρααμ κόψασθαι Σαρραν καὶ πενθῆσαι
and then she died at Kiriath-arba (or Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went in to mourn her death and to weep over her.
3 καὶ ἀνέστη Αβρααμ ἀπὸ τοῦ νεκροῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς υἱοῖς Χετ λέγων
Then Abraham got up from beside his wife's body and went to talk with the leaders of the Hittites.
4 πάροικος καὶ παρεπίδημος ἐγώ εἰμι μεθ’ ὑμῶν δότε οὖν μοι κτῆσιν τάφου μεθ’ ὑμῶν καὶ θάψω τὸν νεκρόν μου ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ
“I am a foreigner, a stranger living among you,” he said. “Please let me buy a burial site so I can bury my dead wife.”
5 ἀπεκρίθησαν δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ Χετ πρὸς Αβρααμ λέγοντες
The Hittites answered Abraham, telling him,
6 μή κύριε ἄκουσον δὲ ἡμῶν βασιλεὺς παρὰ θεοῦ εἶ σὺ ἐν ἡμῖν ἐν τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς μνημείοις ἡμῶν θάψον τὸν νεκρόν σου οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν τὸ μνημεῖον αὐτοῦ κωλύσει ἀπὸ σοῦ τοῦ θάψαι τὸν νεκρόν σου ἐκεῖ
“Listen, my lord, you are a highly-respected prince among us. Choose the very best of our burial sites to bury your dead. None of us will say no to you.”
7 ἀναστὰς δὲ Αβρααμ προσεκύνησεν τῷ λαῷ τῆς γῆς τοῖς υἱοῖς Χετ
Abraham got up and bowed low before the Hittites, the local people,
8 καὶ ἐλάλησεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς Αβρααμ λέγων εἰ ἔχετε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν ὥστε θάψαι τὸν νεκρόν μου ἀπὸ προσώπου μου ἀκούσατέ μου καὶ λαλήσατε περὶ ἐμοῦ Εφρων τῷ τοῦ Σααρ
and said to them, “If you agree to help me bury my dead, listen to my proposal. Could you please ask Ephron, son of Zohar,
9 καὶ δότω μοι τὸ σπήλαιον τὸ διπλοῦν ὅ ἐστιν αὐτῷ τὸ ὂν ἐν μέρει τοῦ ἀγροῦ αὐτοῦ ἀργυρίου τοῦ ἀξίου δότω μοι αὐτὸ ἐν ὑμῖν εἰς κτῆσιν μνημείου
to sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him, down at the end of his field. I'm willing to pay him the full price here in your presence so I can have my own burial site.”
10 Εφρων δὲ ἐκάθητο ἐν μέσῳ τῶν υἱῶν Χετ ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Εφρων ὁ Χετταῖος πρὸς Αβρααμ εἶπεν ἀκουόντων τῶν υἱῶν Χετ καὶ πάντων τῶν εἰσπορευομένων εἰς τὴν πόλιν λέγων
Ephron the Hittite was sitting there among his people. He replied to Abraham in the presence of the Hittites who were there at the town gate.
11 παρ’ ἐμοὶ γενοῦ κύριε καὶ ἄκουσόν μου τὸν ἀγρὸν καὶ τὸ σπήλαιον τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ σοι δίδωμι ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν πολιτῶν μου δέδωκά σοι θάψον τὸν νεκρόν σου
“No, my lord,” he said. “Please listen to me. I give you the field and the cave that is there. I give it to you and my people are my witnesses. Please go and bury your dead.”
12 καὶ προσεκύνησεν Αβρααμ ἐναντίον τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς γῆς
Abraham bowed low before the local people,
13 καὶ εἶπεν τῷ Εφρων εἰς τὰ ὦτα τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς γῆς ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ἐμοῦ εἶ ἄκουσόν μου τὸ ἀργύριον τοῦ ἀγροῦ λαβὲ παρ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ θάψω τὸν νεκρόν μου ἐκεῖ
and said to Ephron so everyone could hear, “Please listen to me. I will pay the price for the field. Take the money and let me go and bury my dead there.”
14 ἀπεκρίθη δὲ Εφρων τῷ Αβρααμ λέγων
Ephron replied to Abraham, telling him,
15 οὐχί κύριε ἀκήκοα γῆ τετρακοσίων διδράχμων ἀργυρίου ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ τί ἂν εἴη τοῦτο σὺ δὲ τὸν νεκρόν σου θάψον
“My lord, please listen to me. The land is worth four hundred pieces of silver. But what's that between us? Go and bury your dead.”
16 καὶ ἤκουσεν Αβρααμ τοῦ Εφρων καὶ ἀπεκατέστησεν Αβρααμ τῷ Εφρων τὸ ἀργύριον ὃ ἐλάλησεν εἰς τὰ ὦτα τῶν υἱῶν Χετ τετρακόσια δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου δοκίμου ἐμπόροις
Abraham accepted Ephron's offer. Abraham weighed out and gave to Ephron the four hundred pieces of silver he'd mentioned, using the standard weights used by merchants, and with the Hittites acting as witnesses.
17 καὶ ἔστη ὁ ἀγρὸς Εφρων ὃς ἦν ἐν τῷ διπλῷ σπηλαίῳ ὅς ἐστιν κατὰ πρόσωπον Μαμβρη ὁ ἀγρὸς καὶ τὸ σπήλαιον ὃ ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ πᾶν δένδρον ὃ ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ ὅ ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτοῦ κύκλῳ
So the property was legally transferred. It comprised Ephron's field in Machpelah near Mamre, both the field and the cave there, as well as all the trees in the field, and all the area up to the existing boundaries.
18 τῷ Αβρααμ εἰς κτῆσιν ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν Χετ καὶ πάντων τῶν εἰσπορευομένων εἰς τὴν πόλιν
This all became Abraham's property, and the transaction was witnessed by the Hittites who were there at the town gate.
19 μετὰ ταῦτα ἔθαψεν Αβρααμ Σαρραν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τοῦ ἀγροῦ τῷ διπλῷ ὅ ἐστιν ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη αὕτη ἐστὶν Χεβρων ἐν τῇ γῇ Χανααν
Then Abraham went and buried Sarah his wife in the cave in the field at Machpelah near Mamre (or Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20 καὶ ἐκυρώθη ὁ ἀγρὸς καὶ τὸ σπήλαιον ὃ ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Αβρααμ εἰς κτῆσιν τάφου παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Χετ
Ownership of the field and the cave there was transferred from the Hittites to Abraham to serve as his burial place.
