1 “ Then we turned and went into the desert by the way of the Red Sea, as the Lord said to me. We went around Mount Seir for many days.

And we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as Jehovah had said unto me; and we went round mount Seir many days.

2 A nd the Lord said to me,

And Jehovah spoke to me, saying,

3 ‘ You have traveled around this mountain long enough. Now turn north.

Ye have gone round this mountain long enough: turn you northward.

4 T ell the people, “You will pass through the land of your brothers the sons of Esau who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so be very careful.

And command the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you; and ye shall be very guarded:

5 D o not make them angry. For I will not give you any of their land, not even enough for a foot to step on. I have given Mount Seir to Esau for his own.

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

6 Y ou will pay them with money for the food you eat. And you will pay them with money for the water you drink.

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

7 F or the Lord your God has brought good to you in all you have done. He knows about your traveling through this big desert. The Lord your God has been with you these forty years. You have not been without a thing.”’

for Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand. He hath known thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years hath Jehovah thy God been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

8 “ So we moved on from our brothers the sons of Esau who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, away from Elath and Ezion-geber. We turned and went by the way of the desert of Moab.

And we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, by the plain, by Elath, and by Ezion-geber, and we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

9 T hen the Lord said to me, ‘Do not bring trouble to Moab or fight them in war. For I will not give you any of their land for your own. I have given Ar to the children of Lot for their own.’

And Jehovah said to me, Distress not the Moabites, neither engage with them in battle; for I will not give thee of their land a possession; for unto the children of Lot have I given Ar as a possession.

10 ( The Emim had lived there before. These people were many and powerful, and as tall as the Anakim.

(The Emim dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall as the Anakim.

11 T hey are known as Rephaim also, like the Anakim. But the Moabites call them Emim.

They also are reckoned as giants like the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.

12 T he Horites once lived in Seir also. But the sons of Esau took their place. They destroyed them and took the land for themselves, as Israel did to the land which the Lord gave them for their own.)

And in Seir dwelt the Horites in times past; and the children of Esau dispossessed them, and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did to the land of their possession, which Jehovah gave to them.)

13 ‘ Now get up and go over the river Zered.’ So we went over the river Zered.

Now rise up, and pass over the torrent Zered. And we passed over the torrent Zered.

14 I t was thirty-eight years from the time we left Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the river Zered. By that time all the men of war among us had died, as the Lord had said they would.

Now the days in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we had come over the torrent Zered, were thirty-eight years; until the whole generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, as Jehovah had sworn unto them.

15 T he hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them within their tents until they were all dead.

Moreover the hand of Jehovah was against them to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed.

16 “ When all the men of war had died from among the people,

And it came to pass when all the men of war were consumed, having died off from among the people,

17 t he Lord said to me,

that Jehovah spoke to me, saying,

18 ‘ Today you will cross over Ar and into Moab.

Thou art to pass this day over the border of Moab, Ar,

19 B ut when you come near the land of the sons of Ammon, do not bring them trouble or make them angry. For I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon for your own. Because I have given it to the sons of Lot for their own.’

and come near over against the children of Ammon; thou shalt not distress them nor attack them; for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon a possession; for unto the children of Lot have I given it as a possession.

20 ( It is known as the land of the Rephaim also. For Rephaim once lived in it. But the Amorites call them Zamzummin,

(That also is reckoned a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in time past, and the Ammonites call them Zamzummim;

21 a people as great, as many and as tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them, and the sons of Ammon took their place and lived in their land.

a people great, and many, and tall as the Anakim; and Jehovah destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them, and dwelt in their stead;

22 I t was as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir. He destroyed the Horites, and the sons of Esau took their place and live in their land even to this day.

as he did to the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, from before whom he destroyed the Horites; and they dispossessed them, and dwelt in their stead, even to this day.

23 A nd the Caphtorim who came from Caphtor destroyed the Avvim who lived in towns as far as Gaza. Then they lived in their place.)

And the Avvites who dwelt in the hamlets as far as Gazah—the Caphtorim, who came out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)

24 ‘ Now rise up and go on your way. Pass through the valley of Arnon. See, I have given you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take it for your own, and fight with him in battle.

Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon. Behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon the king of Heshbon, the Amorite, and his land: begin, take possession, and engage with him in battle.

25 T his day I will begin to put much fear of you upon the nations everywhere under the heavens. When they hear about you, they will shake with fear and be filled with trouble because of you.’ Battle with King Sihon

This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the peoples under the whole heaven; who will hear report of thee, and will tremble, and quake because of thee.

26 “ So I sent men carrying news from the desert of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace. They said,

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

27 ‘ Let me pass through your land. I will travel only on the road. I will not turn to the right or to the left.

Let me pass through thy land: by the highway alone will I go; I will neither turn to the right hand nor to the left.

28 Y ou will sell me food for money so I may eat, and give me water for money so I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot

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

29 a s the sons of Esau did for us in Seir and the Moabites in Ar. Do this until I cross over the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.’

—as the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did to me,—until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which Jehovah our God giveth us.

30 B ut Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing to let us pass through his land. For the Lord your God made his spirit and heart hard, so He might give him into your hand, as he is today.

But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for Jehovah thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obdurate, that he might give him into thy hand, as it is this day.

31 T hen the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land to you. Begin to take it for your own, so you may live in it.’

And Jehovah said to me, Behold, I begin to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin, take possession, that thou mayest possess his land.

32 “ Then Sihon and all his people came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz.

And Sihon came out against us for battle, he and all his people, to Jahaz.

33 T he Lord our God gave him to us. We won the fight against him, his sons and all his people.

But Jehovah our God gave him up before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and his whole people.

34 S o we took all his cities at that time, and destroyed every man, woman and child in them. We left no one alive.

And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every city, men, and women, and little ones: we let none escape.

35 W e took only the animals for our own, and the things that were left behind in the cities.

Only the cattle we took as booty for ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

36 T here was no city too strong for us, from Aroer by the valley of Arnon, and from the city which is in the valley, as far as Gilead. The Lord our God gave all to us.

From Aroer, which is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the ravine even to Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: Jehovah our God delivered all before us.

37 O nly you did not go near the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country. You did not go where the Lord our God told us not to go.

Only thou didst not approach the land of the children of Ammon, the whole border of the river Jabbok, nor the cities of the mountain, nor to whatsoever Jehovah our God had forbidden us.