Deuteronomy 2

1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me; and we encircled Mount Seir many days.

Then we turned around and headed back into the desert on the road that leads to the Red Sea, as the Lord had told me, and we wandered around Mount Seir for a long time.

2 The LORD spoke to me, saying,

This is when the Lord told me,

3 “You have encircled this mountain long enough. Turn northward.

“You have been wandering around this mountain long enough. Go back north,

4 Command the people, saying, ‘You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore be careful.

and give these orders to the people: ‘You are going to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be frightened of you, so you need to be very careful.

5 Do not contend with them; for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession.

Don't fight them, for I'm not going to give you any of their land, not even the size of a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau and it belongs to him.

6 You shall purchase food from them for money, that you may eat. You shall also buy water from them for money, that you may drink.’”

Pay them with money for the food you eat and the water you drink.’

7 For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has known your walking through this great wilderness. These forty years, the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.

Remember that the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you've done. He has looked after you during your journey through this large desert. The Lord your God has been with you for these forty years, and you haven't lacked anything.”

8 So we passed by from our brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion Geber. We turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

So we passed by our relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We didn't take the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber. Instead we used the road that goes through the desert of Moab.

9 The LORD said to me, “Do not bother Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you any of his land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.”

Then the Lord told me, “Don't cause the Moabites any trouble or fight them, for I'm not going to give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot and it belongs to them.”

10 (The Emim lived there before, a great and numerous people, and tall as the Anakim.

(A strong and numerous people called the Emim once lived there. They were as tall as the Anakim,

11 These also are considered to be Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.

and just like the Anakim, they were also considered as Rephaim, but the Moabites called them Emim.

12 The Horites also lived in Seir in the past, but the children of Esau succeeded them. They destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place, as Israel did to the land of his possession, which the LORD gave to them.)

Previously the Horites lived in Seir, but the descendants of Esau took over their land. They killed the Horites and settled there, just like Israel did when they occupied the land that the Lord had given them.)

13 “Now rise up and cross over the brook Zered.” We went over the brook Zered.

Then the Lord told us, “Go and cross over Zered Brook.” So we crossed over Zered Brook.

14 The days in which we came from Kadesh Barnea until we had come over the brook Zered were thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the middle of the camp, as the LORD swore to them.

The time it took for us to travel from Kadesh-barnea to when we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years. By this time the entire generation of warriors had died and were no longer part of the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them would happen.

15 Moreover the LORD’s hand was against them, to destroy them from the middle of the camp, until they were consumed.

In fact the Lord worked against them to remove them from the camp, until they were all dead.

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

Once the people's warriors had died,

17 the LORD spoke to me, saying,

the Lord told me,

18 “You are to pass over Ar, the border of Moab, today.

“Today you will cross out of Moab at the border near Ar.

19 When you come near the border of the children of Ammon, do not bother them, nor contend with them; for I will not give you any of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession, because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession.”

However, when you get enter Ammonite territory, don't cause them any trouble or fight them for I'm not going to give you any Ammonite land, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot and it belongs to them.”

20 (That also is considered a land of Rephaim. Rephaim lived there in the past, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,

(This land was previously considered as the country of the Rephaim who used to live there. However, the Ammonites called them Zamzummites.

21 a great people, many, and tall, as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them from before Israel, and they succeeded them, and lived in their place,

They were a strong and numerous people, as tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them when the Ammonites invaded and drove them out and settled there,

22 as he did for the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place even to this day.

just as he'd done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir when he destroyed the Horites. They drove them out and settled where they used to live, and are still there to this day.

23 Then the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza: the Caphtorim, who came out of Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.)

The Avvim, living in villages as far away as Gaza, were destroyed by the Philistines, who came from Crete, and settled where they used to live.)

24 “Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

Then the Lord told us, “Get up, go and cross the Arnon Valley. Look, I have handed over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, as well as his land. Go and start taking it over, and fight him in battle.

25 Today I will begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole sky, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.”

From this day on, I'm going to make all nations on earth dread you—they will be terrified of you. Because of the news they hear about you they will tremble in terror when you appear.”

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

Moses told the Israelites, “From the Kedemoth Desert I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon, king of Heshbon, telling him,

27 “Let me pass through your land. I will go along by the highway. I will turn neither to the right hand nor to the left.

‘Let us pass through your land. We'll stay on the main road and won't turn off either to the right or 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. Just let me pass through on my feet,

Sell us food to eat and water to drink for money. Just let us pass through on foot,

29 as the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did to me, until I pass over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God gives us.”

just like the descendants of Esau living in Seir and the Moabites living in Ar allowed us, until we cross over the Jordan into the country that the Lord our God is giving to us.”

30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as it is today.

But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through, for the Lord your God gave him a stubborn spirit and an obstinate attitude, so the Lord could hand him over to you, as he has now done.

31 The LORD said to me, “Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you. Begin to possess, that you may inherit his land.”

Then the Lord told me, “Look, I have started handing Sihon and his land over to you. Now you can begin to conquer and take over his land.”

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

Sihon and his whole army came out to fight us at Jahaz.

33 The LORD our God delivered him up before us; and we struck him, his sons, and all his people.

The Lord our God handed him over to us, and we killed him, his sons, and all his army.

34 We took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones. We left no one remaining.

We also captured all his towns, and set apart for destruction the people of every town: men, women, and children. We didn't leave any survivors.

35 Only the livestock we took for plunder for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities which we had taken.

All we took for ourselves was the livestock and plunder from the towns we'd captured.

36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The LORD our God delivered up all before us.

No town had walls too high for us to conquer—from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, the town in the valley, all the way to Gilead. The Lord our God handed them all over to us.

37 Only to the land of the children of Ammon you did not come near: all the banks of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the LORD our God forbade us.

But you didn't go anywhere near the country of the Ammonites—the area that borders the Jabbok River or the towns of the hill country, or any other place that the Lord our God had placed off limits.