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“You have circled around this mountain long enough; now turn north. Instruct[a] these people as follows: ‘You are about to cross the border of your relatives[b] the descendants of Esau,[c] who inhabit Seir. They will be afraid of you, so watch yourselves carefully. Do not be hostile toward them, because I am not giving you any of their land, not even a footprint, for I have given Mount Seir[d] as an inheritance for Esau.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:4 tn Heb “command” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “charge the people as follows.”
  2. Deuteronomy 2:4 tn Heb “brothers”; NAB “your kinsmen.”
  3. Deuteronomy 2:4 sn The descendants of Esau (Heb “sons of Esau”; the phrase also occurs in 2:8, 12, 22, 29). These are the inhabitants of the land otherwise known as Edom, south and east of the Dead Sea. Jacob’s brother Esau had settled there after his bitter strife with Jacob (Gen 36:1-8). “Edom” means “reddish,” probably because of the red sandstone of the region, but also by popular etymology because Esau, at birth, was reddish (Gen 25:25).
  4. Deuteronomy 2:5 sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom.

“You have made your way around this hill country long enough;(A) now turn north. Give the people these orders:(B) ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau,(C) who live in Seir.(D) They will be afraid(E) of you, but be very careful. 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.(F)

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