< Numbers 21 >
1 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some prisoners.
And when king Arad the Chanaanite, who dwelt towards the south, had heard this, to wit, that Israel was come by the way of the spies, he fought against them, and overcoming them carried off their spoils.
2 So Israel made a vow to the LORD: “If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will devote their cities to destruction.”
But Israel binding himself by vow to the Lord, said: It thou wilt deliver this people into my hand, I will utterly destroy their cities.
3 And the LORD heard Israel’s plea and delivered up the Canaanites. Israel devoted them and their cities to destruction; so they named the place Hormah.
And the Lord heard the prayers of Israel, and delivered up the Chanaanite, and they cut them off and destroyed their cities: and they called the name of that place Horma, that is to say, Anathema.
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey
And they marched from mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom. And the people began to be weary of their journey and labour:
5 and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”
And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.
6 So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.
Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit them and killed many of them.
7 Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so He will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses interceded for the people.
Upon which they came to Moses, and said: We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.”
And the Lord said to him: Make brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.
9 So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live.
Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.
10 Then the Israelites set out and camped at Oboth.
And the children of Israel setting forwards camped in Oboth.
11 They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness opposite Moab to the east.
And departing thence they pitched their tents in Jeabarim, in the wilderness, that faceth Moab toward the east.
12 From there they set out and camped in the Valley of Zered.
And removing from thence, they came to the torrent Zared:
13 From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends into the Amorite territory. Now the Arnon is the border between the Moabites and the Amorites.
Which they left and encamped over against Arnon, which is in the desert and standeth out on the borders of the Amorrhite. For Arnon is the border of Moab, dividing the Moabites and the Amorrhites.
14 Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Wars of the LORD: “Waheb in Suphah and the wadis of the Arnon,
Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord: As he did in the Red Sea, so will he do in the streams of Amen.
15 even the slopes of the wadis that extend to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.”
The rocks of the torrents were bowed down that they might rest in Ar, and lie down in the borders of the Moabites.
16 From there they went on to Beer, the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people so that I may give them water.”
When they went from that place, the well appeared whereof the Lord said to Moses: Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
17 Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well, all of you sing to it!
Then Israel sung this song: Let the well spring up. They sung thereto:
18 The princes dug the well; the nobles of the people hollowed it out with their scepters and with their staffs.” From the wilderness the Israelites went on to Mattanah,
The well, which the princes dug, and the chiefs of the people prepared by the direction of the lawgiver, and with their staves. And they marched from the wilderness to Mathana.
19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
From Mathana unto Nahaliel: from Nahaliel unto Bamoth.
20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.
From Bamoth, is a valley in the country of Moab, to the top of Phasga, which looked towards the desert.
21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
And Israel sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, saying:
22 “Let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
I beseech thee that I may have leave to pass through thy land: we will not go aside into the fields or the vineyards, we will not drink waters of the wells, we will go the king’s highway, till we be past thy borders.
23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.
And he would not grant that Israel should pass by his borders: but rather gathering an army, went forth to meet them in the desert, and came to Jasa, and fought against them.
24 And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.
And he was slain by them with the edge of the sword, and they possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jeboc, and to the confines of the children of Ammon: for the borders of the Ammonites, were kept with a strong garrison.
25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its villages.
So Israel took all his cities, and dwelt in the cities of the Amorrhite, to wit, in Hesebon, and in the villages thereof.
26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land as far as the Arnon.
Hesebon was the city of Sehon the king of the Amorrhites, who fought against the king of Moab: and took all the land, that had been of his dominions, as far as the Arnon.
27 That is why the poets say: “Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt; let the city of Sihon be restored.
Therefore it is said in the proverb: Come into Hesebon, let the city of Sehon be built and set up:
28 For a fire went out from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the rulers of Arnon’s heights.
A fire is gone out of Hesebon, a flame from the city of Sehon, and hath consumed Ar of the Moabites, and the inhabitants of the high places of the Arnon.
29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! He gave up his sons as refugees, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites.
Woe to thee Moab: thou art undone, O people of Chamos. He hath given his sons to flight, and his daughters into captivity to Sehon the king of the Amorrhites.
30 But we have overthrown them; Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon. We demolished them as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.”
Their yoke is perished from Hesebon unto Dibon, they came weary to Nophe, and unto Medaba.
31 So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
So Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorrhite.
32 After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, Israel captured its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
And Moses sent some to take a view of Jazer: and they took the villages of it, and conquered the inhabitants.
33 Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet them in battle at Edrei.
And they turned themselves, and went up by the way of Basan, and Og the king of Basan came against them with all his people, to fight in Edrai.
34 But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”
And the Lord said to Moses: Fear him not, for I have delivered him and all his people, and his country into thy hand: and thou shalt do to him as thou didst to Sehon the king of the Amorrhites, the inhabitant of Hesebon.
35 So they struck down Og, along with his sons and his whole army, until no remnant was left. And they took possession of his land.
So they slew him also with his sons, and all his people, not letting any one escape, and they possessed his land.