Abraham: The Covenant

And Abraham riseth up from the presence of his dead, and speaketh unto the sons of Heth, saying,

`A sojourner and a settler I am with you; give to me a possession of a burying-place with you, and I bury my dead from before me.'

And the sons of Heth answer Abraham, saying to him,

`Hear us, my lord; a prince of God art thou in our midst; in the choice of our burying-places bury thy dead: none of us his burying-place doth withhold from thee, from burying thy dead.'

And Abraham riseth and boweth himself to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth,

and he speaketh with them, saying, `If it is your desire to bury my dead from before me, hear me, and meet for me with Ephron, son of Zoar;

and he giveth to me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the extremity of his field; for full money doth he give it to me, in your midst, for a possession of a burying-place.'

And Ephron is sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answereth Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, of all those entering the gate of his city, saying,

`Nay, my lord, hear me: the field I have given to thee, and the cave that is in it, to thee I have given it; before the eyes of the sons of my people I have given it to thee--bury thy dead.'

And Abraham boweth himself before the people of the land,

and speaketh unto Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, `Only--if thou wouldest hear me--I have given the money of the field--accept from me, and I bury my dead there.'

And Ephron answereth Abraham, saying to him,

`My lord, hear me: the land--four hundred shekels of silver; between me and thee, what is it? --thy dead bury.'

And Abraham hearkeneth unto Ephron, and Abraham weigheth to Ephron the silver which he hath spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth, four hundred silver shekels, passing with the merchant.

And established are the field of Ephron, which is in Machpelah, which is before Mamre, the field and the cave which is in it, and all the trees which are in the field, which are in all its border round about,

to Abraham by purchase, before the eyes of the sons of Heth, among all entering the gate of his city.

And after this hath Abraham buried Sarah his wife at the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (which is Hebron), in the land of Canaan;

and established are the field, and the cave which is in it, to Abraham for a possession of a burying-place, from the sons of Heth.

And Abraham is old, he hath entered into days, and Jehovah hath blessed Abraham in all things ;

and Abraham saith unto his servant, the eldest of his house, who is ruling over all that he hath, `Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh,

and I cause thee to swear by Jehovah, God of the heavens, and God of the earth, that thou dost not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in the midst of whom I am dwelling;

but unto my land and unto my kindred dost thou go, and hast taken a wife for my son, for Isaac.'

And the servant saith unto him, `It may be the woman is not willing to come after me unto this land; do I at all cause thy son to turn back unto the land from whence thou camest out?'

And Abraham saith unto him, `Take heed to thyself, lest thou cause my son to turn back thither;

Jehovah, God of the heavens, who hath taken me from the house of my father, and from the land of my birth, and who hath spoken to me, and who hath sworn to me, saying, To thy seed I give this land, He doth send His messenger before thee, and thou hast taken a wife for my son from thence;