Genesis 23

Read on churchofjesuschrist.org (with footnotes)

1And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 1

And Sarah was a hundred and twenty-seven years old, and she died; and thus ended the years of the life of Sarah.
IV v. 1 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 2

And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same is now called Hebron in the land of Canaan.
IV v. 2 (Inspired Version, 1867)

3And 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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 4

And Abraham stood up from before his dead and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you; give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
IV v. 4 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 6

And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord; thou art a mighty prince among us; in the choicest of our sepulchers bury thou thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulcher, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
IV v. 5 (Inspired Version, 1867)

7And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 7

And Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, and to the children of Heth; and he communed with them, saying,
IV v. 6 (Inspired Version, 1867)

8And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 8

If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat Ephron, the son of Zohar, for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath in the end of his field;
IV v. 7 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 9

For as much money as it is worth, he shall have if he will give it me for a possession of a burying place among you.
IV v. 8 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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,

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 10

And Ephron, the Hittite, answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, among all of them that went in at the gates of the city, saying,
IV v. 10 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 11

Hearken, my lord, and hear me; the field I give thee and the cave that is therein; I give it thee in the presence of the sons of my people; and I give it thee; therefore, bury thy dead.
IV v. 11 (Inspired Version, 1867)

12And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 12

And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land, and he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, I pray thee, hear me;
IV v. 12 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 13

If thou wilt take it of me, I will give thee money for the field, and I will bury my dead there; but I will give thee money for it.
IV v. 13 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 15

And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me; the land thou shalt have for four hundred shekels of silver. What shall that be betwixt me and thee? Bury, therefore, thy dead.
IV v. 14 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 16

And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed unto Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, which was current with the merchant.
IV v. 15 (Inspired Version, 1867)

17And 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

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 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 and that were in all the borders round about were made sure unto Abraham for a possession, in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of the city.
IV v. 16 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 19

And after this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre; the same is called Hebron in the land of Canaan.
IV v. 17 (Inspired Version, 1867)

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.

JSTJoseph Smith Translation of v. 20

And the field and the cave that was therein were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of Heth.
IV v. 18 (Inspired Version, 1867)

Also cited in commentary

Alma 28 — A Tremendous Battle, and Then a Tremendous Silence — The Great War, the Mourning of a Nation, and the Inequality of Man Because of Sin
- How the chapter is built
Enos 1 — Enos's Wrestle — The Hunt That Became a Prayer, Intercession for Brethren and Enemies, the Promise of Preservation
- Where this lands
Jacob 7 — Sherem the Anti-Christ — Jacob's Final Confrontation, the Sign Demanded, and the Wandering People
- Where this lands
Esther 3 — The Man Who Would Not Bow — Haman the Agagite, the Ancient Enmity Awakened, and the Lot Cast Over a Loaded Table
- The seat above all the princes
Moses 7 — How Is It That Thou Canst Weep? — Enoch, Zion, and the God Who Mourns
- The God who weeps

Cross-references are extracted from the project’s chapter essays — every link below points back into the original prose.

Public-domain text. The modern LDS edition with footnotes and chapter summaries is available on churchofjesuschrist.org ↗.

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Joseph Smith Translation

v. 1
And Sarah was a hundred and twenty-seven years old, and she died; and thus ended the years of the life of Sarah.
v. 2
And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same is now called Hebron in the land of Canaan.
v. 4
And Abraham stood up from before his dead and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you; give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
v. 6
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord; thou art a mighty prince among us; in the choicest of our sepulchers bury thou thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulcher, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
v. 7
And Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, and to the children of Heth; and he communed with them, saying,
v. 8
If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat Ephron, the son of Zohar, for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath in the end of his field;
v. 9
For as much money as it is worth, he shall have if he will give it me for a possession of a burying place among you.
v. 10
And Ephron, the Hittite, answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, among all of them that went in at the gates of the city, saying,
v. 11
Hearken, my lord, and hear me; the field I give thee and the cave that is therein; I give it thee in the presence of the sons of my people; and I give it thee; therefore, bury thy dead.
v. 12
And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land, and he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, I pray thee, hear me;
v. 13
If thou wilt take it of me, I will give thee money for the field, and I will bury my dead there; but I will give thee money for it.
v. 15
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me; the land thou shalt have for four hundred shekels of silver. What shall that be betwixt me and thee? Bury, therefore, thy dead.
v. 16
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed unto Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, which was current with the merchant.
v. 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 and that were in all the borders round about were made sure unto Abraham for a possession, in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of the city.
v. 19
And after this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre; the same is called Hebron in the land of Canaan.
v. 20
And the field and the cave that was therein were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of Heth.
insertion after v. 2
And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her, his wife which was dead.
insertion after v. 9
And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth.