Genesis 23 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old -- that was the span of Sarah's life.

Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went in to grieve for Sarah and to weep over her.

Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said,

"I am an outsider and a temporary resident among you. Sell me a burial site here so I can bury my dead."

The Hittites answered Abraham,

"Listen to us, my lord. You are a powerful leader among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs. None of us would refuse you a tomb for burying your dead."

Abraham stood up and bowed low before the Hittites, the local landholders.

He said to them, "If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then hear me out and put in a word for me with Ephron son of Zohar."

"Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him -- it's at the edge of his field. Have him sell it to me at full price, right here in front of all of you, so I have a permanent burial site."

Now Ephron was sitting right there among the Hittites. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham publicly, with everyone at the city gate listening:

"No, my lord -- listen. I'm giving you the field, and the cave in it too. Right here in front of my people, I'm giving it to you. Go bury your dead."

Abraham bowed low before the local landholders.

Then he spoke to Ephron so everyone could hear: "If you would -- please listen. I will pay the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there."

Ephron answered Abraham,

"My lord, listen -- a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what's that between friends like us? Just go bury your dead."

Abraham agreed to Ephron's price. He weighed out for Ephron the silver they had agreed on in front of the Hittites -- four hundred shekels of silver, at the going merchant rate.

So Ephron's field in Machpelah, near Mamre -- the field and the cave in it, along with every tree within the boundaries of the field -- was officially transferred

to Abraham as his property, witnessed by all the Hittites who had gathered at the city gate.

After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

So the field and the cave in it were legally transferred from the Hittites to Abraham as his permanent burial property.