Γένεσις 23
1 ἐγένετο δὲ ἡ ζωὴ Σαρρας ἔτη ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτά
When Sarah was 127 years old,
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
she died at Kiriath-Arba [town], which is now called Hebron, in the Canaan region. After Abraham mourned for her,
3 καὶ ἀνέστη Αβρααμ ἀπὸ τοῦ νεκροῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς υἱοῖς Χετ λέγων
he left the body of his wife and [went and] spoke to some of the descendants of Heth, saying,
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 [DOU] living among you, [so I do not own any land here]. Sell me some land here so that I can bury my wife’s body.”
5 ἀπεκρίθησαν δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ Χετ πρὸς Αβρααμ λέγοντες
They replied to 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
“Sir, you are a powerful prince among us. Choose one of our finest tombs and bury your wife’s [body] in it. None of us will refuse to sell land to you for a tomb for your relatives’ bodies.”
7 ἀναστὰς δὲ Αβρααμ προσεκύνησεν τῷ λαῷ τῆς γῆς τοῖς υἱοῖς Χετ
Then Abraham stood up and bowed [in respect] in front of the people who owned the land, the descendants of Heth.
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
He said to them, “If you say that you are willing for me to bury my wife’s body here, listen to me, and ask Ephron, the son of Zohar for me,
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 to me the cave in the Machpelah area, which is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price he wants, so that I can have a burial ground among you.”
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 was sitting among the people near the city gate where many [HYP] descendants of Heth had gathered. He heard what Abraham said to them.
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
[So, just to make the customary reply to start the real discussion about a price], Ephron said, “No, sir, listen to me. I will give to you the field and the cave in it, without charge, with the people here as witnesses.”
12 καὶ προσεκύνησεν Αβρααμ ἐναντίον τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς γῆς
Abraham again bowed before the people who lived in the area,
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, as all the others were listening, “[No], listen to me. If you are willing, I will pay for the field. You tell me what the price is, and I will give it to you. If you accept it, the field will become mine, and I can bury my wife’s body there.”
14 ἀπεκρίθη δὲ Εφρων τῷ Αβρααμ λέγων
Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 οὐχί κύριε ἀκήκοα γῆ τετρακοσίων διδράχμων ἀργυρίου ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ τί ἂν εἴη τοῦτο σὺ δὲ τὸν νεκρόν σου θάψον
“Sir, listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver. But the price is not important to you and me. Give me the money and bury your wife’s body there.”
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 agreed with Ephron about the price, and weighed for Ephron the 400 pieces of silver he had suggested, as everyone was listening, using the standard weights for silver used [in that area] by people who sold things.
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 Ephron’s field in the Machpelah area, near Mamre, and the cave in the field, and all the trees that were in the field inside the boundaries of the land, became Abraham’s possession.
18 τῷ Αβρααμ εἰς κτῆσιν ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν Χετ καὶ πάντων τῶν εἰσπορευομένων εἰς τὴν πόλιν
It became Abraham’s property as all the descendants of Heth were listening there at the city 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
After that, Abraham buried his wife Sarah’s body in the cave in the field in the Machpelah area near Mamre, which is now called Hebron [city], in the Canaan region.
20 καὶ ἐκυρώθη ὁ ἀγρὸς καὶ τὸ σπήλαιον ὃ ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Αβρααμ εἰς κτῆσιν τάφου παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Χετ
So the field and the cave in it were officially sold to Abraham by the descendants of Heth, to be used as a burial ground.
