Numbers 21
1 And Arad the Chananitish king who dwelt by the wilderness, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharin; and he made war on Israel, and carried off some of them captives.
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.
2 And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou wilt deliver this people into my power, I will devote it and its cities [to thee].
So Israel made a vow to the LORD: “If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will devote their cities to destruction.”
3 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered the Chananite into his power; and [Israel] devoted him and his cities, and they called the name of that place Anathema.
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.
4 And having departed from mount Or by the way [leading] to the Red Sea, they compassed the land of Edom, and the people lost courage by the way.
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
5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, saying, Why is this? Hast thou brought us ought of Egypt to slay us in the wilderness? for there is not bread nor water; and our soul loathes this light bread.
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!”
6 And the Lord sent among the people deadly serpents, and they bit the people, and much people of the children of Israel died.
So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.
7 And the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee: pray therefore to the Lord, and let him take away the serpent from us.
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.
8 And Moses prayed to the Lord for the people; and the Lord said to Moses, Make thee a serpent, and put it on a signal-[staff]; and it shall come to pass that whenever a serpent shall bite a man, every one [so] bitten that looks upon it shall live.
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.”
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a signal-[staff]: and it came to pass that whenever a serpent bit a man, and he looked on the brazen serpent, he lived.
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.
10 And the children of Israel departed, and encamped in Oboth.
Then the Israelites set out and camped at Oboth.
11 And having departed from Oboth, they encamped in Achalgai, on the farther side in the wilderness, which is opposite Moab, toward the east.
They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness opposite Moab to the east.
12 And thence they departed, and encamped in the valley of Zared.
From there they set out and camped in the Valley of Zered.
13 And they departed thence and encamped on the other side of Arnon in the wilderness, [the country] which extends from the coasts of the Amorites; for Arnon is the borders of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
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.
14 Therefore it is said in a book, A war of the Lord has set on fire Zoob, and the brooks of Arnon.
Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Wars of the LORD: “Waheb in Suphah and the wadis of the Arnon,
15 And he has appointed brooks to cause Er to dwell [there]; and it lies near to the coasts of Moab.
even the slopes of the wadis that extend to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.”
16 And thence [they came to] the well; this [is] the well of which the Lord said to Moses, Gather the people, and I will give them water to drink.
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.”
17 Then Israel sang this song at the well, Begin [to sing] of the well;
Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well, all of you sing to it!
18 the princes digged it, the kings of the nations in their kingdom, in their lordship sank it in the rock: and [they went] from the well to Manthanain,
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,
19 and from Manthanain to Naaliel, and from Naaliel to Bamoth, and from Bamoth to Janen, which is in the plain of Moab [as seen] from the top of the quarried [rock] that looks toward the wilderness.
and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20 And Moses sent ambassadors to Seon king of the Amorites, with peaceable words, saying,
and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.
21 We will pass through thy land, we will go by the road; we will not turn aside to the field or to the vineyard.
Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
22 We will not drink water out of thy well; we will go by the king's highway, until we have past thy boundaries.
“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.”
23 And Seon did not allow Israel to pass through his borders, and Seon gathered all his people, and went out to set the battle in array against Israel into the wilderness; and he came to Jassa, and set the battle in array against Israel.
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.
24 And Israel smote him with the slaughter of the sword, and they became possessors of his land, from Arnon to Jaboc, as far as the children of Amman, for Jazer is the borders of the children of Amman.
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.
25 And Israel took all their cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Esebon, and in all cities belonging to it.
Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its villages.
26 For Esebon is the city of Seon king of the Amorites; and he before fought against the king of Moab, and they took all his land, from Aroer to Arnon.
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.
27 Therefore say they who deal in dark speeches, Come to Esebon, that the city of Seon may be built and prepared.
That is why the poets say: “Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt; let the city of Sihon be restored.
28 For a fire has gone forth from Esebon, a flame from the city of Seon, and has consumed as far as Moab, and devoured the pillars of Arnon.
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.
29 Woe to thee, Moab; thou art lost, thou people of Chamos: their sons are sold for preservation, and their daughters are captives to Seon king of the Amorites.
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.
30 And their seed shall perish [from] Esebon to Daebon; and their women have yet farther kindled a fire against Moab.
But we have overthrown them; Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon. We demolished them as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.”
31 And Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites.
So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
32 And Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took it, and its villages, and cast out the Amorite that dwelt there.
After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, Israel captured its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
33 And having returned, they went up the road thhebraismat leads to Basan; and Og the king of Basan went forth to meet them, and all his people to war to Edrain.
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.
34 And the Lord said to Moses, Fear him not; for I have delivered him and all his people, and all his land, into thy hands; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst to Seon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Esebon.
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.”
35 And he smote him and his sons, and all his people, until he left none of his to be taken alive; and they inherited his land.
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.
