1 Forsothe Sare lyuede an hundrid and seuene and twenti yeer,
2 and diede in the citee of Arbee, which is Ebron, in the lond of Chanaan; and Abraham cam to biweyle and biwepe hir.
3 And whanne he hadde rise fro the office of the deed bodi, he spak to the sones of Heth, and seide,
4 Y am a comelyng and a pilgrym anentis you; yyue ye to me riyt of sepulcre with you, that Y birie my deed body.
5 And the sones of Heth answeriden, and seiden, Lord, here thou vs;
6 thou art the prince of God anentis vs; birie thou thi deed bodi in oure chosun sepulcris, and no man schal mow forbede thee, that ne thou birie thi deed bodi in the sepulcre of him.
7 And Abraham roos, and worschipide the puple of the lond, that is, the sones of Heth.
8 And he seide to hem, If it plesith youre soule that Y birie my deed bodi, here ye me, and preie ye for me to Efron, the sone of Seor,
9 that he yyue to me the double caue, whiche he hath in the vttirmoste part of his feeld; for sufficiaunt money yyue he it to me bifore you into possessioun of sepulcre.
10 Forsothe Efron dwellide in the myddis of the sones of Heth. And Efron answerde to Abraham, while alle men herden that entriden bi the yate of that citee,
11 and seide, My lord, it schal not be doon so, but more herkne thou that that Y seie; Y yyue to thee the feeld, and the denne which is therine, while the sones of my puple ben present; birie thou thi deed bodi.
12 Abraham worschipide bifor the Lord, and bifor the puple of the lond,
13 and he spak to Efron, while his puple stood aboute, Y biseche, that thou here me; Y schal yyue money for the feeld, resseyue thou it, and so Y schal birie my deed bodi in the feeld.
14 And Efron answerde, My lord,
15 here thou me, the lond which thou axist is worth foure hundrid siclis of siluer, that is the prijs bitwixe me and thee, but hou myche is this? birie thou thi deed bodi.
16 And whanne Abraham hadde herd this, he noumbride the monei which Efron axide, while the sones of Heth herden, foure hundrid siclis of siluer, and of preuyd comyn monei.
17 And the feeld that was sumtyme of Efron, in which feeld was a double denne, biholdinge to Mambre, as wel thilke feeld as the denne and alle the trees therof, in alle termes therof bi cumpas, was confermed to Abraham in to possessioun,
18 while the sones of Heth seiyen and alle men that entriden bi the yate of that citee.
19 And so Abraham biriede Sare, his wijf, in the double denne of the feeld, that bihelde to Mambre; this is Ebron in the lond of Chanaan.
20 And the feeld, and the denne that was therynne, was confermyd of the sones of Heth to Abraham, in to possessioun of sepulcre. |