Abraham køber jord i Kana’an
1Sara blev 127 år gammel. 2Hun døde i Kirjat-Arba, det vil sige Hebron, i Kana’ans land, og Abraham græd og sørgede over hendes død. 3Da han havde rejst sig fra hendes dødsleje, sagde han til de ledende mænd blandt hittitterne: 4„Jeg bor jo her hos jer som fremmed, men jeg vil gerne have et sted, hvor jeg kan begrave min kone.” 5-6„Vi har stor respekt for dig,” svarede de, „for du er en rig og mægtig mand. Begrav du blot din kone i et af vores bedste gravsteder. Ingen af os vil nægte dig en gravplads.”
7Da bøjede Abraham sig ærbødigt ned for dem 8og sagde: „Hvis I kan acceptere, at jeg steder min kone til hvile i jeres land, vil jeg bede jer om at lægge et godt ord ind for mig hos Efron, Sohars søn. 9Jeg ønsker at købe Makpela-klippehulen for enden af hans mark. Jeg vil betale den pris han forlanger, og I skal være vidner til vores handel.”
10Efron, der indtil nu havde siddet tavs blandt de øvrige hittitter, svarede Abraham, så alle de andre ledere, som sad der ved byporten, kunne høre det: 11„Nej, hør nu her, min herre, jeg vil da forære dig klippehulen—og marken med! De omkringsiddende her skal være vidner på, at jeg giver dig det hele i dag. Gå blot hen og begrav din kone.”
12Igen bøjede Abraham sig for landets ledende mænd, 13og i alles påhør sagde han til Efron: „Nej, hør her. Jeg vil betale fuld pris for marken! Tag venligst imod mit tilbud, så jeg kan gå hen og begrave den døde.”
14-15„Nej, hør nu på mig, min herre,” svarede Efron. „En mark til en værdi af 400 sølvstykker—hvad er det mellem venner? Gå du bare hen og begrav den døde.”
16Abraham forstod hentydningen og betalte Efron den pris, han havde nævnt i de andres påhør—400 sølvstykker efter standardvægt. 17Således blev Abraham ejer af Efrons mark i Makpela ved Mamres lund samt klippehulen og alle træerne på marken. 18Handelen blev afsluttet og bevidnet af alle de ledende hittitter.
19Så begravede Abraham sin kone, Sara, i klippehulen på Makpela-marken ved Mamres lund, i Hebron i Kana’ans land. 20Fra da af ejede Abraham marken med klippehulen som gravsted for sin slægt.
1And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3¶ And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, 4I 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. 5And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, 6Hear 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.23.6 a mighty…: Heb. a prince of God 7And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. 8And 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, 9That 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.23.9 as much…: Heb. full money 10And 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,23.10 audience: Heb. ears 11Nay, 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. 12And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. 13And 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. 14And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, 15My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16And 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.
17¶ 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 18Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. 19And 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. 20And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
