Genesis 23:3-16

3Then Abraham went to the Hittite people and he said to them,

4‘I am living as a stranger among you. Please, sell me some land here, so that it belongs to me. Then I can use it to bury my wife properly.’

5The Hittites replied,

6‘Sir, please listen to what we say. We respect you as a great and powerful person. We have good places where we bury our people who have died. Choose the best one that you like. None of us will refuse to give you the place that you choose. Then you will be able to bury your dead wife there.’

7Abraham stood up. He turned his face towards the ground to respect the Hittites who lived in that place.

8He said to them, ‘Since you have agreed to help me, please do this. Speak to Zohar's son, Ephron, for me.

9Ask him to sell the cave of Machpelah to me. It belongs to Ephron. It is at the edge of his field. You will see that I pay the proper price to him. Then it will belong to me. I can bury my family there when they die.’

10Ephron was sitting there with his people, at the city gate. He spoke so that all the Hittites could hear him.

11Ephron said, ‘No sir. Please listen to me. You may take my field as well as the cave. I promise in front of my people that I will give all this to you. Then you can bury your dead wife there.’

12Abraham again turned his face towards the ground to respect the people who lived in that place.

13While they were listening, he said to Ephron, ‘Let me say this. I will pay you the price to buy the field. Please accept the money from me. Then I can bury my dead wife there.’

14Ephron replied to Abraham,

15‘Listen to me, sir. The land is worth 400 shekels of silver. But the price is not important, because we are friends. Now bury your dead wife there.’

16Abraham agreed to the price that Ephron had asked for. He weighed the correct amount of silver to give to Ephron. The Hittites there knew that it had been done properly. The weight of 400 shekels agreed with the weights that people used at that time.