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Deuteronomy 2-3
Contemporary English Version

2 1 (A) We spent many years wandering around outside the hill country of Seir,[a] 2 until the Lord said:

Moses, 3 Israel has wandered in these hills long enough. Turn and go north. 4 (B) And give the people these orders: “Be very careful, because you will soon go through the land that belongs to your relatives, the descendants of Esau.[b] They are afraid of you, 5 but don't start a war with them. I have given them the hill country of Seir, so I won't give any of it to you, not even enough to set a foot on. 6 And as you go through their land, you will have to buy food and water from them.”

7 The Lord has helped us and taken care of us during the past 40 years that we have been in this huge desert. We've had everything we needed, and the Lord has blessed us and made us successful in whatever we have done.

8 We went past the territory that belonged to our relatives, the descendants of Esau.[c] We followed Arabah Road that starts in the south at Elath and Ezion-Geber, then we turned onto the desert road that leads to Moab.

9 (C) The Lord told me, “Don't try to start a war with Moab. Leave them alone, because I gave the land of Ar[d] to them,[e] and I will not let you have any of it.”

Tribes That Lived near Canaan

10 Before the Lord gave the Moabites their land, a large and powerful tribe lived there. They were the Emim, and they were as tall as the Anakim. 11 The Moabites called them Emim, though others sometimes used the name Rephaim[f] for both the Anakim and the Emim.

12 The Horites used to live in Seir, but the Edomites[g] took over that region. They killed many of the Horites and forced the rest of them to leave, just as Israel did to the people in the land that the Lord gave them.

Israel Crossed the Zered Gorge

Moses said to Israel:

13 When we came to the Zered Gorge along the southern border of Moab, the Lord told us to cross the gorge into Moab, and we did. 14 (D) This was 38 years after we left Kadesh-Barnea, and by that time all the men who had been in the army at Kadesh-Barnea had died, just as the Lord had said they would. 15-16 The Lord kept getting rid of[h] them until finally none of them were left.

17 Then the Lord told me, 18 “Moses, now go past the town of Ar and cross Moab's northern border 19 (E) into Ammon. But don't start a war with the Ammonites. I gave them[i] their land, and I won't give any of it to Israel.”

More Nations That Lived near Canaan

20 Before the Ammonites conquered the land that the Lord had given them, some of the Rephaim used to live there, although the Ammonites called them Zamzummim. 21 The Zamzummim were a large and powerful tribe and were as tall as the Anakim.[j] But the Lord helped the Ammonites, and they killed many of the Zamzummim and forced the rest to leave. Then the Ammonites settled there. 22 The Lord helped them as he had helped the Edomites,[k] who killed many of the Horites in Seir and forced the rest to leave before settling there themselves.

23 A group called the Avvim used to live in villages as far south as Gaza, but the Philistines[l] killed them and settled on their land.

Israel Crossed the Arnon Gorge

Moses said:

24 After we went through Ammon, the Lord told us:

Israel, pack up your possessions, take down your tents, and cross the Arnon River gorge.[m] The territory of the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon lies on the other side of the river, but I now give you his land. So attack and take it! 25 Today I will start making all other nations afraid of you. They will tremble with fear when anyone mentions you, and they will be terrified when you show up.

The Defeat of King Sihon of Heshbon

(Numbers 21.21-30)

Moses said to Israel:

26 After we had crossed the Arnon and had set up camp in the Kedemoth Desert, I sent messengers to King Sihon of Heshbon, telling him that his nation and ours could be at peace. I said:

27 Please let Israel go across your country. We will walk straight through, without turning off the road. 28-29 You can even sell us food and water, and we will pay with silver. We need to reach the Jordan River and cross it, because the Lord our God is giving us the land on the west side. The Edomites and Moabites[n] have already let us cross their land. Please let us cross your land as well.

30-31 But Sihon refused to let us go across his country, because the Lord made him stubborn and eager to fight us. The Lord told me, “I am going to help you defeat Sihon and take his land, so attack him!”

32 We met Sihon and his army in battle at Jahaz, 33 and the Lord our God helped us defeat them. We killed Sihon, his sons, and everyone else in his army. 34 Then we captured and destroyed every town in Sihon's kingdom, killing everyone, 35 but keeping the livestock and everything else of value. 36 The Lord helped us capture every town from the Arnon River gorge north to the boundary of Gilead, including the town of Aroer on the edge of the gorge and the town in the middle of the gorge.

37 However, we stayed away from all the Ammonite towns, both in the hill country and near the Jabbok River, just as the Lord had commanded.

The Defeat of King Og of Bashan

(Numbers 21.31-35)

Moses said to Israel:

3 When we turned onto the road that leads to Bashan, King Og of Bashan led out his whole army to fight us at Edrei. 2 But the Lord told me, “Moses, don't be afraid of King Og. I am going to help you defeat him and his army and take over his land. Destroy him and his people, just as you did with the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon.”

3-6 The Lord our God helped us destroy Og and his army and conquer his entire kingdom of Bashan, including the Argob region. His kingdom had lots of villages and 60 towns with high walls and gates that locked with bars. We completely destroyed[o] them all, killing everyone, 7 but keeping the livestock and everything else of value.

8 Sihon and Og had ruled Amorite kingdoms east of the Jordan River. Their land stretched from the Arnon River gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north, and we captured it all. 9 Mount Hermon is called Mount Sirion by the people of Sidon, and it is called Mount Senir by the Amorites. 10 We captured all the towns in the highlands, all of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, two of the towns that Og had ruled.

Og's Coffin

11 King Og was the last of the Rephaim,[p] and his coffin[q] is in the town of Rabbah in Ammon. It is made of hard black rock[r] and is four meters long and almost two meters wide.

The Land East of the Jordan River Is Divided

(Numbers 32.1-42)

Moses said to Israel:

12-17 I gave some of the land and towns we captured to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. Their share started at the Arnon River gorge in the south, took in the town of Aroer on the edge of the gorge, and went far enough north to include the southern half of the Gilead region. The northern part of their land went as far east as the upper Jabbok River gorge, which formed their border with the Ammonites.[s] I also gave them the eastern side of the Jordan River valley, from Lake Galilee[t] south to the Dead Sea[u] below the slopes of Mount Pisgah.

I gave the northern half of Gilead and all of the Bashan region to half the tribe of Manasseh.[v] Bashan had belonged to King Og, and the Argob region in Bashan used to be called the Land of the Rephaim. Jair from the Manasseh tribe conquered the Argob region as far west as the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. The Israelites even started calling Bashan by the name “Villages of Jair,”[w] and that is still its name. I gave the northern half of Gilead to the Machir clan.[x]

18-19 (F) At that time I told the men of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh:

The Lord our God told me to give you this land with its towns, and that's what I have done. Now your wives and children can stay here with your large flocks of sheep and goats and your large herds of cattle. But all of you men that can serve in our army must cross the Jordan River and help the other tribes, because they are your relatives. 20 The Lord will let them defeat the enemy nations on the west side of the Jordan and take their land. Afterwards, you can come back here to the land I gave you.

21-22 Then I told Joshua, “You saw how the Lord our God helped us destroy King Sihon and King Og. So don't be afraid! Wherever you go, the Lord will fight on your side and help you destroy your enemies.”

God Refused To Let Moses Enter Canaan

Moses said to Israel:

23 (G) At that time I prayed and begged, 24 “Our Lord, it seems that you have just begun to show me your great power. No other god in the sky or on earth is able to do the mighty things that you do. 25 The land west of the Jordan is such good land. Please let me cross the Jordan and see the hills and the Lebanon Mountains.”

26 But the Lord was angry with me because of you people,[y] and he refused to listen. “That's enough!” he said. “I don't want to hear any more. 27 Climb to the top of Mount Pisgah and look north, south, east, and west. Take a good look, but you are not going to cross the Jordan River. 28 Joshua will lead Israel across the Jordan to take the land, so help him be strong and brave and tell him what he must do.”

29 After this we stayed in the valley at Beth-Peor.

Footnotes

  1. 2.1 hill country of Seir: See the note at 1.44.
  2. 2.4 your relatives, the descendants of Esau: Esau was the brother of Jacob, the ancestor of the nation of Israel. Esau's descendants were also known as the nation of Edom.
  3. 2.8 We went past … Esau: According to Numbers 20.14-21, the king of Edom did not let the Israelites go through his land.
  4. 2.9 Ar: One of the main cities of Moab (see Numbers 21.28); sometimes it may have stood for the whole territory of Moab.
  5. 2.9 them: The Hebrew text has “the descendants of Lot”; the nation of Moab descended from Moab, who was the son of Lot, the nephew of Abraham.
  6. 2.10,11 Emim … Anakim … Rephaim: These may refer to a group or groups of very tall people that lived in or near Palestine before the Israelites (see also Numbers 13.33).
  7. 2.12 Edomites: The Hebrew text has “the descendants of Esau,” who became the nation of Edom.
  8. 2.15,16 getting rid of: Or “sending diseases on.”
  9. 2.19 them: The Hebrew text has “descendants of Lot”; the nation of Ammon descended from Benammi, who was the son of Lot, the nephew of Abraham.
  10. 2.21 Anakim: See the note at 2.10,11.
  11. 2.22 Edomites: See the note at 2.12.
  12. 2.23 Philistines: The Hebrew text has “the Caphtorim from Caphtor,” probably referring to the Philistines who originally came from Crete.
  13. 2.24 Arnon River gorge: The northern boundary of Moab's territory and the southern boundary of Sihon's kingdom.
  14. 2.28,29 Edomites and Moabites: Hebrew “descendants of Esau, who live in Seir and Moabites who live in Ar.”
  15. 3.3-6 completely destroyed: The Hebrew word means that the town was given completely to the Lord, and since it could not be used for normal purposes any more, it had to be destroyed. Every person was killed and sometimes all the animals as well.
  16. 3.11 Rephaim: See the note at 2.10,11.
  17. 3.11 coffin: Or “bed.”
  18. 3.11 hard black rock: The Hebrew text has “iron,” which probably refers to basalt, a hard black rock.
  19. 3.12-17 The northern part … border with the Ammonites: The Jabbok River flowed from south to north, then it turned west and formed the northern border of the land belonging to the Reuben and Gad tribes.
  20. 3.12-17 Lake Galilee: The Hebrew text has “Lake Chinnereth,” an earlier name.
  21. 3.12-17 the Dead Sea: Hebrew “the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea.”
  22. 3.12-17 half the tribe of Manasseh: Or “East Manasseh.”
  23. 3.12-17 Villages of Jair: Or “Havvoth-Jair.”
  24. 3.12-17 Machir clan: One of the clans of the Manasseh tribe.
  25. 3.26 But the Lord … people: See 1.37.
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Deuteronomy 2-3
New International Version

Wanderings in the Wilderness

2 Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea,[a](A) as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.(B)

2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough;(C) now turn north. 4 Give the people these orders:(D) ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau,(E) who live in Seir.(F) They will be afraid(G) of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.(H) 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched(I) over your journey through this vast wilderness.(J) These forty years(K) the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.(L)

8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from(M) the Arabah(N) road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber,(O) and traveled along the desert road of Moab.(P)

9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar(Q) to the descendants of Lot(R) as a possession.”

10 (The Emites(S) used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.(T) 11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites,(U) but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites(V) used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did(W) in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)

13 And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.(X)” So we crossed the valley.

14 Thirty-eight years(Y) passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea(Z) until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation(AA) of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them.(AB) 15 The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated(AC) them from the camp.

16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.(AD) 19 When you come to the Ammonites,(AE) do not harass them or provoke them to war,(AF) for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.(AG)”

20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites,(AH) who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.(AI) The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. 22 The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir,(AJ) when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23 And as for the Avvites(AK) who lived in villages as far as Gaza,(AL) the Caphtorites(AM) coming out from Caphtor[b](AN) destroyed them and settled in their place.)

Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

24 “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge.(AO) See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite,(AP) king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage(AQ) him in battle. 25 This very day I will begin to put the terror(AR) and fear(AS) of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble(AT) and be in anguish because of you.”

26 From the Desert of Kedemoth(AU) I sent messengers to Sihon(AV) king of Heshbon offering peace(AW) and saying, 27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left.(AX) 28 Sell us food to eat(AY) and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot(AZ)— 29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord(BA) your God had made his spirit stubborn(BB) and his heart obstinate(BC) in order to give him into your hands,(BD) as he has now done.

31 The Lord said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”(BE)

32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle(BF) at Jahaz, 33 the Lord our God delivered(BG) him over to us and we struck him down,(BH) together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed[c](BI) them—men, women and children. We left no survivors. 35 But the livestock(BJ) and the plunder(BK) from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36 From Aroer(BL) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead,(BM) not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave(BN) us all of them. 37 But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God,(BO) you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites,(BP) neither the land along the course of the Jabbok(BQ) nor that around the towns in the hills.

Defeat of Og King of Bashan

3 Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan(BR) with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.(BS) 2 The Lord said to me, “Do not be afraid(BT) of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”

3 So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down,(BU) leaving no survivors.(BV) 4 At that time we took all his cities.(BW) There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—the whole region of Argob, Og’s kingdom(BX) in Bashan.(BY) 5 All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages. 6 We completely destroyed[d] them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying[e](BZ) every city—men, women and children. 7 But all the livestock(CA) and the plunder from their cities we carried off for ourselves.

8 So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites(CB) the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon.(CC) 9 (Hermon is called Sirion(CD) by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.)(CE) 10 We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salekah(CF) and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. 11 (Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites.(CG) His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide.[f] It is still in Rabbah(CH) of the Ammonites.)

Division of the Land

12 Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory north of Aroer(CI) by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns. 13 The rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh.(CJ) (The whole region of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites.(CK) 14 Jair,(CL) a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites;(CM) it was named(CN) after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair.[g]) 15 And I gave Gilead to Makir.(CO) 16 But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River,(CP) which is the border of the Ammonites. 17 Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah,(CQ) from Kinnereth(CR) to the Sea of the Arabah(CS) (that is, the Dead Sea(CT)), below the slopes of Pisgah.

18 I commanded you at that time: “The Lord your God has given(CU) you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of the other Israelites.(CV) 19 However, your wives,(CW) your children and your livestock(CX) (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you, 20 until the Lord gives rest to your fellow Israelites as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.”

Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan

21 At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be afraid(CY) of them;(CZ) the Lord your God himself will fight(DA) for you.”

23 At that time I pleaded(DB) with the Lord: 24 “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness(DC) and your strong hand. For what god(DD) is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works(DE) you do?(DF) 25 Let me go over and see the good land(DG) beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.(DH)”

26 But because of you the Lord was angry(DI) with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah(DJ) and look west and north and south and east.(DK) Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross(DL) this Jordan.(DM) 28 But commission(DN) Joshua, and encourage(DO) and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across(DP) and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” 29 So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.(DQ)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:1 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Deuteronomy 2:23 That is, Crete
  3. Deuteronomy 2:34 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  4. Deuteronomy 3:6 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  5. Deuteronomy 3:6 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  6. Deuteronomy 3:11 That is, about 14 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 4 meters long and 1.8 meters wide
  7. Deuteronomy 3:14 Or called the settlements of Jair
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