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Numbers 21:5-35
New American Standard Bible 1995
Numbers 21:5-35
New American Standard Bible 1995
5 The people spoke against God and Moses, “(A)Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no [a]food and no water, and [b](B)we loathe this miserable food.”
The Bronze Serpent
6 (C)The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and (D)they bit the people, so that (E)many people of Israel died. 7 (F)So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; (G)intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “[c]Make a (H)fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9 And Moses made a (I)bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
10 (J)Now the sons of Israel moved out and camped in Oboth. 11 They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, to the [d]east. 12 (K)From there they set out and camped in [e]Wadi Zered. 13 From there they journeyed and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites, (L)for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,
“Waheb in Suphah,
And the wadis of the Arnon,
15 And the slope of the wadis
That extends to the site of (M)Ar,
And leans to the border of Moab.”
16 (N)From there they continued to [f]Beer, that is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Assemble the people, that I may give them water.”
17 (O)Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well! Sing to it!
18 “The well, which the leaders sank,
Which the nobles of the people dug,
With the scepter and with their staffs.”
And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which overlooks the [g]wasteland.
Two Victories
21 (P)Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “(Q)Let me pass through your land. We will not turn off into field or vineyard; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the king’s highway until we have passed through your border.” 23 (R)But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border. So Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to (S)Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 Then (T)Israel [h]struck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the (U)border of the sons of Ammon was [i]Jazer. 25 Israel took all these cities and (V)Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her [j]villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore those who use proverbs say,
“Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!
So let the city of Sihon be established.
28 “(W)For a fire went forth from Heshbon,
A flame from the town of Sihon;
It devoured (X)Ar of Moab,
The [k](Y)dominant [l]heights of the Arnon.
29 “(Z)Woe to you, O Moab!
You are ruined, O people of (AA)Chemosh!
(AB)He has given his sons as fugitives,
(AC)And his daughters into captivity,
To an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 “But we have cast them down,
Heshbon is ruined as far as (AD)Dibon,
Then we have laid waste even to Nophah,
Which reaches to Medeba.”
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 Moses sent to spy out (AE)Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
33 (AF)Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out [m]with all his people, for battle at (AG)Edrei. 34 But the Lord said to Moses, “(AH)Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So (AI)they [n]killed him and his sons and all his people, until there was no remnant left him; and they possessed his land.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 21:5 Lit bread
- Numbers 21:5 Lit our soul loathes
- Numbers 21:8 Lit Make for yourself
- Numbers 21:11 Lit sunrise
- Numbers 21:12 I.e. a dry ravine except during rainy season
- Numbers 21:16 I.e. a well
- Numbers 21:20 Or Jeshimon
- Numbers 21:24 Lit smote, so with Gr and Lat
- Numbers 21:24 M.T. reads strong
- Numbers 21:25 Lit daughters
- Numbers 21:28 Lit lords of the
- Numbers 21:28 Or Bamoth
- Numbers 21:33 Lit he and
- Numbers 21:35 Lit smote
Numbers 21:5-35
New International Version
Numbers 21:5-35
New International Version
5 they spoke against God(A) and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt(B) to die in the wilderness?(C) There is no bread! There is no water!(D) And we detest this miserable food!”(E)
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes(F) among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.(G) 7 The people came to Moses(H) and said, “We sinned(I) when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord(J) will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed(K) for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole;(L) anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake(M) and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.(N)
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.(O) 11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab(P) toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.(Q) 13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon(R), which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.(S) 14 That is why the Book of the Wars(T) of the Lord says:
“. . . Zahab[a] in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon 15 and[b] the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the settlement of Ar(U)
and lie along the border of Moab.”
16 From there they continued on to Beer,(V) the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:(W)
“Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
18 about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank—
the nobles with scepters and staffs.”
Then they went from the wilderness to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah(X) overlooks the wasteland.
Defeat of Sihon and Og
21 Israel sent messengers(Y) to say to Sihon(Z) king of the Amorites:(AA)
22 “Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.(AB)”
23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory.(AC) He mustered his entire army and marched out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz,(AD) he fought with Israel.(AE) 24 Israel, however, put him to the sword(AF) and took over his land(AG) from the Arnon to the Jabbok,(AH) but only as far as the Ammonites,(AI) because their border was fortified. 25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites(AJ) and occupied them,(AK) including Heshbon(AL) and all its surrounding settlements. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon(AM) king of the Amorites,(AN) who had fought against the former king of Moab(AO) and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.(AP)
27 That is why the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt;
let Sihon’s city be restored.
28 “Fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon.(AQ)
It consumed(AR) Ar(AS) of Moab,
the citizens of Arnon’s heights.(AT)
29 Woe to you, Moab!(AU)
You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!(AV)
He has given up his sons as fugitives(AW)
and his daughters as captives(AX)
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 “But we have overthrown them;
Heshbon’s dominion has been destroyed all the way to Dibon.(AY)
We have demolished them as far as Nophah,
which extends to Medeba.(AZ)”
31 So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.(BA)
32 After Moses had sent spies(BB) to Jazer,(BC) the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan(BD),(BE) and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.(BF)
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid 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.(BG)”
35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors.(BH) And they took possession of his land.(BI)
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:14 Septuagint; Hebrew Waheb
- Numbers 21:15 Or “I have been given from Suphah and the ravines / of the Arnon 15 to
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) 
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