The Desert Years

“Then we turned and (A)journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, (B)as the Lord spoke to me, and we [a]skirted Mount Seir for many days.

“And the Lord spoke to me, saying: ‘You have skirted this mountain (C)long enough; turn northward. And command the people, saying, (D)“You are about to pass through the territory of (E)your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully. Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, (F)because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.

“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your [b]trudging through this great wilderness. (G)These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” ’

“And when we passed beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir, away from the road of the plain, away from (H)Elath and Ezion Geber, we (I)turned and passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given (J)Ar to (K)the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”

10 (L)(The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as (M)the Anakim. 11 They were also regarded as [c]giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 (N)The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their [d]place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave them.)

13 “ ‘Now rise and cross over (O)the [e]Valley of the Zered.’ So we crossed over the Valley of the Zered. 14 And the time we took to come (P)from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, (Q)until all the generation of the men of war [f]was consumed from the midst of the camp, (R)just as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they [g]were consumed.

16 “So it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying: 18 ‘This day you are to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab. 19 And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to (S)the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”

20 (That was also regarded as a land of [h]giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them (T)Zamzummim, 21 (U)a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, 22 just as He had done for the descendants of Esau, (V)who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed (W)the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. 23 And (X)the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza—(Y)the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)

24 “ ‘Rise, take your journey, and (Z)cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand (AA)Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin [i]to possess it, and engage him in battle. 25 (AB)This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations [j]under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall (AC)tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

King Sihon Defeated(AD)

26 “And I (AE)sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, (AF)with words of peace, saying, 27 (AG)‘Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left. 28 You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink; (AH)only let me pass through on foot, 29 (AI)just as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord our God is giving us.’

30 (AJ)“But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for (AK)the Lord your God (AL)hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.

31 “And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to (AM)give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’ 32 (AN)Then Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz. 33 And (AO)the Lord our God delivered him [k]over to us; so (AP)we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. 34 We took all his cities at that time, and we (AQ)utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining. 35 We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we took. 36 (AR)From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from (AS)the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; (AT)the Lord our God delivered all to us. 37 Only you did not go near the land of the people of Ammon—anywhere along the River (AU)Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, or (AV)wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:1 circled around
  2. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit. goings
  3. Deuteronomy 2:11 Heb. rephaim
  4. Deuteronomy 2:12 stead
  5. Deuteronomy 2:13 Wadi or Brook
  6. Deuteronomy 2:14 perished
  7. Deuteronomy 2:15 perished
  8. Deuteronomy 2:20 Heb. rephaim
  9. Deuteronomy 2:24 to take possession
  10. Deuteronomy 2:25 everywhere under the heavens
  11. Deuteronomy 2:33 Lit. before us

Wanderings in the Wilderness

(A)Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way of the [a]Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we circled (B)Mount Seir for many days. And the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north, (C)and command the people, saying, “You are going to pass through the (D)territory of your brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir; and (E)they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; do not [b]provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as much as a [c]footprint, (F)because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You are to buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink. For the Lord your God has blessed you in all [d]that you have done; He has known your [e]wandering through this (G)great wilderness. These (H)forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked anything.”’

“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the (I)Arabah road, away from Elath and (J)Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not attack Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of [f]their land as a possession, because I have given (K)Ar to (L)the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 10 (The (M)Emim lived there previously, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11 Like the Anakim, they too are regarded as (N)Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 (O)The Horites previously lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before [g]them, and settled in their place; (P)just as Israel did to the land of [h]their possession which the Lord gave them.) 13 ‘Now arise and cross over the [i]Wadi Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the [j]Wadi Zered. 14 Now the [k]time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the [l]Wadi Zered was (Q)thirty-eight years, until (R)all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, just as (S)the Lord had sworn to them. 15 (T)Indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.

16 “So it came about, when (U)all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying, 18 ‘Today you shall cross over (V)Ar, the border of Moab. 19 When you come opposite the (W)sons of Ammon, do not attack them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to (X)the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20 (It is also regarded as the land of the (Y)Rephaim, because the Rephaim previously lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21 a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim; but the Lord destroyed them before [m]them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22 just as He did for the sons of Esau, who (Z)live in Seir, when He destroyed (AA)the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place, where they remain even to this day. 23 And as for the (AB)Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the [n](AC)Caphtorim, who came from [o](AD)Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.) 24 ‘Arise, set out, and pass through the [p](AE)Valley of Arnon. Look! I have handed over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; start taking possession and plunge into battle with him. 25 This day I will begin to put (AF)the dread and fear of you upon the faces of [q]people everywhere, [r]who, when they hear the news of you, (AG)will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

26 (AH)So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27 ‘Let me pass through your land; I will [s]travel only on the road. I will not turn aside to the right or to the left. 28 You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, (AI)only let me pass through on [t]foot, 29 just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in (AJ)Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving us.’ 30 But (AK)Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass [u]through his land; for the (AL)Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today. 31 And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to turn Sihon and his land over [v]to you. Begin taking possession, so that you may possess his land.’

32 “Then Sihon came out [w]with all his people to meet us in battle at Jahaz. 33 And (AM)the Lord our God turned him over [x]to us, and we [y](AN)defeated him with his sons and all his people. 34 So we captured all his cities at that time and [z](AO)utterly destroyed [aa]the men, women, and children of every city. We left no survivor. 35 We took (AP)only the animals as our plunder, and the spoils of the cities which we had captured. 36 From (AQ)Aroer which is on the edge of the [ab]Valley of Arnon and from the city which is in the [ac]valley, even to Gilead, there was no city that was too [ad]high for us; the Lord our God turned it all over [ae]to us. 37 (AR)Only you did not go near the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the [af]river (AS)Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the Lord our God had commanded us to avoid.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:1 Lit Sea of Reeds
  2. Deuteronomy 2:5 Or engage in strife with
  3. Deuteronomy 2:5 Lit treading of a sole of a foot
  4. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit the work of your hand
  5. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit going
  6. Deuteronomy 2:9 Lit his
  7. Deuteronomy 2:12 I.e., the sons of Esau
  8. Deuteronomy 2:12 Lit his
  9. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e., dry stream bed, except in the rainy season
  10. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e., dry stream bed, except in the rainy season
  11. Deuteronomy 2:14 Lit days in which we went
  12. Deuteronomy 2:14 See note v 13
  13. Deuteronomy 2:21 I.e., the Ammonites
  14. Deuteronomy 2:23 I.e., Philistines
  15. Deuteronomy 2:23 I.e., Crete
  16. Deuteronomy 2:24 Or wadi
  17. Deuteronomy 2:25 Lit peoples under all the heavens
  18. Deuteronomy 2:25 Lit who will hear...and tremble
  19. Deuteronomy 2:27 Lit go on the road, on the road
  20. Deuteronomy 2:28 Lit my feet
  21. Deuteronomy 2:30 Lit by him
  22. Deuteronomy 2:31 Lit before you
  23. Deuteronomy 2:32 Lit he and
  24. Deuteronomy 2:33 Lit before us
  25. Deuteronomy 2:33 Lit struck
  26. Deuteronomy 2:34 Or put under the ban
  27. Deuteronomy 2:34 Lit every city of men...
  28. Deuteronomy 2:36 Or wadi
  29. Deuteronomy 2:36 Or wadi
  30. Deuteronomy 2:36 Or strong
  31. Deuteronomy 2:36 Lit before us
  32. Deuteronomy 2:37 Or wadi

Wanderings in the Wilderness

“Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, just as the Lord had told me; and we circled Mount Seir for many days. And the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘You have circled this mountain long enough; [a]turn northward, and command the people, saying, “You are passing through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau (the Edomites), who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as little as a footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You shall buy food from them with money so that you may [have something to] eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money so that you may [have something to] drink. For the Lord your God has blessed you in all [b]that you have done; He has known about your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.”’

“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who lived in Seir, away from the Arabah (wilderness) road, away from Elath and from Ezion-geber. Then we turned and passed through by the way of the Wilderness of Moab. And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass [the descendants of] Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons (Moab and Ammon) of Lot as a possession.’(A) 10 (The Emim lived there in times past, a people great and numerous, and as tall as the Anakim. 11 These also are regarded as Rephaim [an ancient people], as are the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 The Horites also used to live in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them. They destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land which the Lord gave them as their possession.) 13 ‘Now [c]arise and cross the valley of the [d]Zered.’ So we crossed the Zered Valley. 14 Now thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley, until that entire generation of the men of war had died from within the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 Moreover the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from within the camp, until they were all dead.

16 “So it came about when all the men of war had finally died from among the people, 17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying, 18 ‘Today you are to pass through Ar, the border of Moab. 19 When you come opposite the territory of the sons of [e]Ammon, do not harass them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20 (It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim [of giant stature], for Rephaim used to live there, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21 a great, numerous people, and tall as the Anakim, but the Lord destroyed them before the sons of Ammon. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22 just as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; and the sons of Esau (the Edomites) dispossessed them and settled in their place [and remain there] even to this day. 23 As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim (Cretans, later Philistines) who came from Caphtor (Crete) destroyed them and settled in their place.) 24 ‘Now arise, continue on, and go through the valley of the [f]Arnon. Look, I have handed over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin! Take possession [of it] and fight with him in battle. 25 This day I will begin to put the dread and the fear of you on the peoples (pagans) under the whole heaven, who, when they hear the reports about you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

26 “So I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27 ‘Let me pass through your land [with my people]. I will travel [with them] only on the highway; I will not turn away to the right or to the left. 28 You will sell me food for money so that I [along with my people] will eat, and you will give me water for money so that I [along with my people] will drink; only let me [and my people] travel through [the land] on foot, 29 just as the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, [g]did for me, until I cross the Jordan into the land which the Lord our God is giving us.’ 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to travel through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today. 31 The Lord said to me, ‘Look, I have begun to hand over to you Sihon and his land. Begin! Take possession [of it], so that you may possess his land.’

32 “Then at Jahaz, Sihon and all his people came out to meet us in battle. 33 So the Lord our God handed him over to us [and gave us the victory], and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. 34 At the same time we took all his cities and utterly destroyed every city—men, women and children. We left no survivor. 35 We took only the cattle as plunder for ourselves and the spoil of the cities which we had captured. 36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon Valley, and from the city which is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was no city [whose wall was] too high and too strong for us; the Lord our God handed over everything to us. 37 Only you did not go near the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the river [h]Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:3 The Israelites were now directed to journey toward the lands given by God to their distant relatives, the Edomites, Moabites, and the Ammonites.
  2. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit the work of your hand.
  3. Deuteronomy 2:13 The Hebrew verb “arise” is an instruction to prepare to fulfill a command, somewhat similar to the military command “attention.”
  4. Deuteronomy 2:13 Most of the year, the Zered brook has no water, so it is only a valley. The Hebrew word “nahal” (like the Aramaic word “wadi”) indicates a seasonal river.
  5. Deuteronomy 2:19 Forefather of the Ammonites, was the son of Lot, through his younger daughter (Gen 19:30-38).
  6. Deuteronomy 2:24 Another of the seasonal rivers.
  7. Deuteronomy 2:29 All that is said here is that the Edomites and Moabites sold Israel food and water. There is no comment regarding their hostility toward Israel and their desire for her destruction. See Num 21:21-32 and Deut 23:3, 4.
  8. Deuteronomy 2:37 Another of the seasonal rivers. The Jabbok River was the site where Jacob (Israel) encountered God (Gen 32:22-32).

Wanderings in the Wilderness

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)

Then the Lord said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough;(C) now turn north. 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. 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) You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

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)

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)

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.

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.

Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the Lord spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.

And the Lord spake unto me, saying,

Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.

And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.

For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

And the Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

10 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;

11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites called them Emims.

12 The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the Lord gave unto them.

13 Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.

14 And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the Lord sware unto them.

15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.

16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,

17 That the Lord spake unto me, saying,

18 Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:

19 And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.

20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

21 A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the Lord destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:

22 As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day:

23 And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)

24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

25 This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.

26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,

27 Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.

28 Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;

29 (As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me;) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the Lord our God giveth us.

30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

31 And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.

32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

33 And the Lord our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:

35 Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

36 From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the Lord our God delivered all unto us:

37 Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the Lord our God forbad us.