¹ 耶和华晓谕摩西说：

² 你打发人去窥探我所赐给以色列人的迦南地，他们每支派中要打发一个人，都要作首领的。

³ 摩西就照耶和华的吩咐，从巴兰的旷野打发他们去；他们都是以色列人的族长。

⁴ 他们的名字：属流便支派的有撒刻的儿子沙母亚。

⁵ 属西缅支派的有何利的儿子的沙法。

⁶ 属犹大支派的有耶孚尼的儿子迦勒。

⁷ 属以萨迦支派的有约色的儿子以迦。

⁸ 属以法莲支派的有嫩的儿子何西阿。

⁹ 属便雅悯支派的有拉孚的儿子帕提。

¹⁰ 属西布伦支派的有梭底的儿子迦叠。

¹¹ 约瑟的子孙属玛拿西支派的有稣西的儿子迦底。

¹² 属但支派的有基玛利的儿子亚米利。

¹³ 属亚设支派的有米迦勒的儿子西帖。

¹⁴ 属拿弗他利支派的有缚西的儿子拿比。

¹⁵ 属迦得支派的有玛基的儿子臼利。

¹⁶ 这就是摩西所打发窥探那地之人的名字。摩西就称嫩的儿子何西阿为约书亚。

¹⁷ 摩西打发他们去窥探迦南地，说：你们从南地上山地去，

¹⁸ 看那地如何，其中所住的民是强是弱，是多是少，

¹⁹ 所住之地是好是歹，所住之处是营盘是坚城。

²⁰ 又看那地土是肥美是瘠薄，其中有树木没有。你们要放开胆量，把那地的果子带些来。那时正是葡萄初熟的时候。

²¹ 他们上去窥探那地，从寻的旷野到利合，直到哈马口。

²² 他们从南地上去，到了希伯仑；在那里有亚衲族人亚希幔、示筛、挞买。原来希伯仑城被建造比埃及的锁安城早七年。

²³ 他们到了以实各谷，从那里砍了葡萄树的一枝，上头有一挂葡萄，两个人用杠抬着，又带了些石榴和无花果来。

²⁴ 因为以色列人从那里砍来的那挂葡萄，所以那地方叫做以实各谷。

²⁵ 过了四十天，他们窥探那地才回来，

²⁶ 到了巴兰旷野的加低斯，见摩西、亚伦，并以色列的全会众，回报摩西、亚伦，并全会众，又把那地的果子给他们看；

²⁷ 又告诉摩西说：我们到了你所打发我们去的那地，果然是流奶与蜜之地；这就是那地的果子。

²⁸ 然而住那地的民强壮，城邑也坚固宽大，并且我们在那里看见了亚衲族的人。

²⁹ 亚玛力人住在南地；赫人、耶布斯人、亚摩利人、住在山地；迦南人住在海边并约但河旁。

³⁰ 迦勒在摩西面前安抚百姓，说：我们立刻上去得那地罢！我们足能得胜。

³¹ 但那些和他同去的人说：我们不能上去攻击那民，因为他们比我们强壮。

³² 探子中有人论到所窥探之地，向以色列人报恶信，说：我们所窥探、经过之地是吞吃居民之地，我们在那里所看见的人民都身量高大。

³³ 我们在那里看见亚衲族人，就是伟人；他们是伟人的後裔。据我们看，自己就如蚱蜢一样；据他们看，我们也是如此。

¹ Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. This was the length of Sarah's life.

² Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

³ Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the children of Heth, saying,

⁴ "I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight."

⁵ The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

⁶ "Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the best of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb. Bury your dead."

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

⁸ He talked 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,

⁹ that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me among you for a possession of a burying-place."

¹⁰ Now Ephron was sitting in the middle of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying,

¹¹ "No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead."

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

¹³ He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, "But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there."

¹⁴ Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

¹⁵ "My lord, listen to me. What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between me and you? Therefore bury your dead."

¹⁶ Abraham listened to Ephron. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the current merchants' standard.

¹⁷ So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded

¹⁸ to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

¹⁹ After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan.

²⁰ The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the children of Heth.