23:1
וַיִּהְיוּ֙ חַיֵּ֣י שָׂרָ֔ה
Now the lifespan of Sarah was
מֵאָ֥ה שָׁנָ֛ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים
One hundred and twenty seven years:
שְׁנֵ֖י חַיֵּ֥י שָׂרָֽה׃
The years of Sarah’s life.
23:2
וַתָּ֣מָת שָׂרָ֗ה
And Sarah died,
בְּקִרְיַ֥ת אַרְבַּ֛ע הִ֥וא חֶבְר֖וֹן בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן
In Kiryat Arba (City of Arba) – that is, Chevron – in the land of Kena’an;
וַיָּבֹא֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם לִסְפֹּ֥ד לְשָׂרָ֖ה וְלִבְכֹּתָֽהּ׃
And Avraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her;
23:3
וַיָּ֙קָם֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֣י מֵת֑וֹ
Then Avraham stood up,
away from the face of his deceased;
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֶל־בְּנֵי־חֵ֖ת לֵאמֹֽר׃
And then he spoke to the sons of Cheth by saying:
23:4
גֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁ֥ב אָנֹכִ֖י עִמָּכֶ֑ם
“I am a foreign resident among you;
תְּנ֨וּ לִ֤י אֲחֻזַּת־קֶ֙בֶר֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם
Give me a burial place property among you,
וְאֶקְבְּרָ֥ה מֵתִ֖י מִלְּפָנָֽי׃
That I may bury my dead away from my presence.”
23:5
וַיַּעֲנ֧וּ בְנֵי־חֵ֛ת אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֥ר לֽוֹ׃
Then the sons of Cheth answered Avraham, by saying to him:
23:6
שְׁמָעֵ֣נוּ ׀ אֲדֹנִ֗י נְשִׂ֨יא אֱלֹהִ֤ים אַתָּה֙ בְּתוֹכֵ֔נוּ
“Hear us, my lord, — you are a prince of God in our midst!
בְּמִבְחַ֣ר קְבָרֵ֔ינוּ קְבֹ֖ר אֶת־מֵתֶ֑ךָ
In the choicest of our burial places, bury your deceased!
אִ֣ישׁ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ
Anyone of us,
אֶת־קִבְר֛וֹ לֹֽא־יִכְלֶ֥ה מִמְּךָ֖ מִקְּבֹ֥ר מֵתֶֽךָ׃
He would not withhold from you his own burial place,
against burying your deceased!”
23:7
וַיָּ֧קָם אַבְרָהָ֛ם וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ לְעַם־הָאָ֖רֶץ
Then Avraham arose,
and he bowed himself to the people of the land,
לִבְנֵי־חֵֽת׃
to the sons of Cheth.
23:8
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אִתָּ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר
And he spoke with them, by saying:
אִם־יֵ֣שׁ אֶֽת־נַפְשְׁכֶ֗ם
“If it is your desire,
לִקְבֹּ֤ר אֶת־מֵתִי֙ מִלְּפָנַ֔י
to permit burying my deceased away from my presence,
שְׁמָע֕וּנִי וּפִגְעוּ־לִ֖י בְּעֶפְר֥וֹן בֶּן־צֹֽחַר׃
Hear me, and meet with
Ephron (Dusty) the son of Zochar (Luminary) for me,”,
23:9
וְיִתֶּן־לִ֗י אֶת־מְעָרַ֤ת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ
“That he may give me
the Cave of Machpelah (the Doubling) which is his,
אֲשֶׁ֖ר בִּקְצֵ֣ה שָׂדֵ֑הוּ
that is at the end of his field;
בְּכֶ֨סֶף מָלֵ֜א יִתְּנֶ֥נָּה לִ֛י בְּתוֹכְכֶ֖ם לַאֲחֻזַּת־קָֽבֶר׃
At full price let him transfer it to me in your midst,
for a burial place possession.”
23:10
וְעֶפְר֥וֹן יֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּת֣וֹךְ בְּנֵי־חֵ֑ת
Now Ephron is sitting in the midst of the sons of Cheth;
וַיַּעַן֩ עֶפְר֨וֹן הַחִתִּ֤י אֶת־אַבְרָהָם֙ בְּאָזְנֵ֣י בְנֵי־חֵ֔ת
Then Ephron the Hittite responded to Avraham,
in the hearing of the sons of Cheth,
לְכֹ֛ל בָּאֵ֥י שַֽׁעַר־עִיר֖וֹ לֵאמֹֽר׃
To everyone having entered the gate of his city, by saying:
23:11
לֹֽא־אֲדֹנִ֣י שְׁמָעֵ֔נִי הַשָּׂדֶה֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לָ֔ךְ
“No my lord hear me!
The field I have given to you,
וְהַמְּעָרָ֥ה אֲשֶׁר־בּ֖וֹ לְךָ֣ נְתַתִּ֑יהָ
and the cave that is in it;
לְעֵינֵ֧י בְנֵי־עַמִּ֛י נְתַתִּ֥יהָ לָּ֖ךְ
Before the eyes of the sons of my people,
I have bestowed it to you:
קְבֹ֥ר מֵתֶֽךָ׃
Bury your deceased!”
23:12
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֙חוּ֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם
Then Avraham bowed in respect
לִפְנֵ֖י עַ֥ם הָאָֽרֶץ׃
Before the people of the land;
23:13
וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר אֶל־עֶפְר֜וֹן בְּאָזְנֵ֤י עַם־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר
And he spoke to Ephron,
in the hearing of the people of the land, by saying:
אַ֛ךְ אִם־אַתָּ֥ה ל֖וּ שְׁמָעֵ֑נִי
“Howbeit, if you would please hear me:
נָתַ֜תִּי כֶּ֤סֶף הַשָּׂדֶה֙ קַ֣ח מִמֶּ֔נִּי
I have bestowed and will pay the price of the field—
receive it from me,
וְאֶקְבְּרָ֥ה אֶת־מֵתִ֖י שָֽׁמָּה׃
So that I should bury my deceased there.”
23:14
וַיַּ֧עַן עֶפְר֛וֹן אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֥ר לֽוֹ׃
Then Ephron answered Avraham,
by saying to him:
23:15
אֲדֹנִ֣י שְׁמָעֵ֔נִי
“My lord hear me,
אֶרֶץ֩ אַרְבַּ֨ע מֵאֹ֧ת שֶֽׁקֶל־כֶּ֛סֶף
A four hundred silver shekel piece of ground,
בֵּינִ֥י וּבֵֽינְךָ֖ מַה־הִ֑וא
between me and between you, what is that?!
וְאֶת־מֵתְךָ֖ קְבֹֽר׃
So your deceased — go bury!”
23:16
וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע אַבְרָהָם֮ אֶל־עֶפְרוֹן֒
But Avraham paid attention to Ephron;
וַיִּשְׁקֹ֤ל אַבְרָהָם֙ לְעֶפְרֹ֔ן
And Avraham weighed out for Ephron
אֶת־הַכֶּ֕סֶף אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֖ר בְּאָזְנֵ֣י בְנֵי־חֵ֑ת
the money which he had spoken of
in the hearing of the sons of Heth,
אַרְבַּ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שֶׁ֣קֶל כֶּ֔סֶף עֹבֵ֖ר לַסֹּחֵֽר׃
passing over by trader the four hundred shekels of silver,
23:17-18
וַיָּ֣קָם ׀ שְׂדֵ֣ה עֶפְר֗וֹן
And then it belonged to Avraham — the Field of Ephron,
אֲשֶׁר֙ בַּמַּכְפֵּלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר לִפְנֵ֣י מַמְרֵ֑א
Which is by Machpelah (the Doubling) that is before Mamre:
הַשָּׂדֶה֙ וְהַמְּעָרָ֣ה אֲשֶׁר־בּ֔וֹ
The field and the cave that is within it,
וְכָל־הָעֵץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה
and every tree that is in the field,
אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּכָל־גְּבֻל֖וֹ סָבִֽיב׃
that is within the whole of its surrounding boundary —
לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְמִקְנָ֖ה לְעֵינֵ֣י בְנֵי־חֵ֑ת
Belonging to Avraham as property according to the eyes of the sons of Heth,—
בְּכֹ֖ל בָּאֵ֥י שַֽׁעַר־עִירֽוֹ׃
By everyone having entered the gate of his city.
23:19
וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן֩ קָבַ֨ר אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־שָׂרָ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ
Now afterwards Avraham had interred Sarah his wife,
אֶל־מְעָרַ֞ת שְׂדֵ֧ה הַמַּכְפֵּלָ֛ה
inside the cave of the field of Machpelah (the Doubling),
עַל־פְּנֵ֥י מַמְרֵ֖א הִ֣וא חֶבְר֑וֹן
opposite/facing Mamre, — it is Hebron;
בְּאֶ֖רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן׃
In the land of Kena’an;
23:20
וַיָּ֨קָם הַשָּׂדֶ֜ה וְהַמְּעָרָ֧ה אֲשֶׁר־בּ֛וֹ לְאַבְרָהָ֖ם
And both the field and the cave that is within it
belonged to Avraham,
לַאֲחֻזַּת־קָ֑בֶר
As a burial place possession;
מֵאֵ֖ת בְּנֵי־חֵֽת׃ ס
From the sons of Cheth.
Website translation into English by E.G. Van Gent.
The Hebrew Masoretic Text is Unicode/XML version 1.3 Leningrad Codex,
Build 26.4 from tanach.us
Audio excerpts from
Tanakh audio recording by Rabbi Dan Be’eri
Chapter 23:1-20 Hebrew Audio
