³ Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.^[a](A) He said, ⁴ “I am a foreigner and stranger^(B) among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.^(C)”

⁵ The Hittites replied to Abraham, ⁶ “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince^(D) among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

⁷ Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. ⁸ He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar^(E) on my behalf ⁹ so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah,^(F) which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

¹⁰ Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites^(G) who had come to the gate^(H) of his city. ¹¹ “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give^[b](I) you the field, and I give^[c] you the cave that is in it. I give^[d] it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

¹² Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land ¹³ and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

¹⁴ Ephron answered Abraham, ¹⁵ “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels^[e] of silver,^(J) but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

¹⁶ Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver,^(K) according to the weight current among the merchants.^(L)

¹⁷ So Ephron’s field in Machpelah^(M) near Mamre^(N)—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded ¹⁸ to Abraham as his property^(O) in the presence of all the Hittites^(P) who had come to the gate^(Q) of the city.

¹⁹ For a hundred pieces of silver,^[a] he bought from the sons of Hamor,^(A) the father of Shechem,^(B) the plot of ground^(C) where he pitched his tent.^(D)

³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them,^(A) brought the money from the sales

Ananias and Sapphira

5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. ² With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself,^(A) but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.^(B)

³ Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan^(C) has so filled your heart^(D) that you have lied to the Holy Spirit^(E) and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?^{(F) 4} Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?^(G) What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”^(H)

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.^(I) And great fear^(J) seized all who heard what had happened. ⁶ Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body,^(K) and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”^(L)