Numbers 21
1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, who was living toward the south, had heard this, namely, that Israel had arrived by the way of spies, he fought against them. And proving to be the victor, he led away prey from them.
When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was traveling by the road to Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive.
2 But Israel, obliging himself by a vow to the Lord, said: “If you deliver this people into my hand, I will wipe away their cities.”
Israel vowed to Yahweh and said, “If you give us victory over these people, then we will completely destroy their cities.”
3 And the Lord heard the prayers of Israel, and he delivered the Canaanite, whom they put to death, overthrowing his cities. And they called the name of that place Hormah, that is, Anathema.
Yahweh listened to Israel's voice and he gave them victory over the Canaanites. They completely destroyed them and their cities. That place was called Hormah.
4 Then they set out from mount Hor, by the way that leads to the Red Sea, to circle around the land of Edom. And the people began to tire of their journey and hardships.
They traveled from Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Reeds to go around the land of Edom. The people became very discouraged on the way.
5 And speaking against God and Moses, they said: “Why did you lead us away from Egypt, so as to die in the wilderness? Bread is lacking; there are no waters. Our soul is now nauseous over this very light food.”
The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, no water, and we hate this miserable food.”
6 For this reason, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, which wounded or killed many of them.
Then Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among the people. The snakes bit the people; many people died.
7 And so they went to Moses, and they said: “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray, so that he may take away these serpents from us.” And Moses prayed for the people.
The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned because we have spoken against Yahweh and you. Pray to Yahweh for him to take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said to him: “Make a bronze serpent, and place it as a sign. Whoever, having been struck, gazes upon it, shall live.”
Yahweh said to Moses, “Make a snake and attach it to a pole. It will happen that everyone who is bitten will survive, if he looks at it.”
9 Therefore, Moses made a bronze serpent, and he placed it as a sign. When those who had been struck gazed upon it, they were healed.
So Moses made a bronze snake and attached it to a pole. When a snake bit any person, if he looked at the bronze snake, he survived.
10 And the sons of Israel, setting out, made camp at Oboth.
Then the people of Israel traveled on and camped at Oboth.
11 Having departed from there, they pitched their tents at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness, which looks out toward Moab, opposite the eastern region.
They traveled from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim in the wilderness that faces Moab toward the east.
12 And moving from there, they arrived at the Torrent of Zared.
From there they traveled on and camped in the Valley of Zered.
13 Having left that place behind, they then made camp opposite Arnon, which is in the desert, and which juts out at the borders of the Amorite. For certainly Arnon is at the limit of Moab, dividing the Moabites and the Amorites.
From there they traveled on and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites. The Arnon River forms the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14 About this place, it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord: “As he did at the Red Sea, so will he do at the Torrents of Arnon.”
That is why it says in the scroll of the Wars of Yahweh, “... Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
15 The stones of the torrents were bent, so that they might rest in Ar and lie back within the borders of the Moabites.
the slope of the valleys that lead toward the town of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.”
16 Beyond that place appeared a well, about which the Lord said to Moses: “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”
From there they traveled to Beer, the well where Yahweh said to Moses, “Gather the people together for me to give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this verse: “Let the well rise up.” They sang:
Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, well! Sing about it,
18 “The well, the leaders dug it, and the commanders of the multitude prepared it, at the direction of the lawgiver, and with their staffs.”
about the well that our leaders dug, the well the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and their staffs.” Then from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah.
19 They went from the wilderness to Mattanah, from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
From Mattanah they traveled to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20 from Bamoth, a valley in the region of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looks out opposite the desert.
and from Bamoth to a valley in the land of Moab. That is where the top of Mount Pisgah looks down on the wilderness.
21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, saying:
Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites saying,
22 “I beg you to permit me to cross through your land. We will not turn aside into the fields or the vineyards. We will not drink waters from the wells. We will travel by the royal way, until we have passed your borders.”
“Let us pass through your land. We will not turn into any field or vineyard. We will not drink the water from your wells. We will travel by the king's highway until we have crossed your border.”
23 And he was not willing to allow Israel to cross through his borders. But instead, gathering an army, he went out to meet them in the desert, and he arrived at Jahaz and fought against them.
But King Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through their border. Instead, Sihon gathered all his army together and attacked Israel in the wilderness. He came to Jahaz, where he fought against Israel.
24 And he was struck down by them with the edge of the sword, and they possessed his land from Arnon, even to Jabbok and the sons of Ammon. For the borders of the Ammonites were held by a strong fortress.
Israel attacked the army of Sihon with the edge of the sword and took their land from the Arnon to the Jabbok river, as far as the land of the people of Ammon. Now the border of the people of Ammon was fortified.
25 Therefore, Israel took all his cities and lived in the cities of the Amorite, namely, in Heshbon and its villages.
Israel took all the Amorite cities and lived in all of them, including Heshbon and all of its villages.
26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who fought against the king of Moab. And he took all the land, which had been under his sovereignty, as far as Arnon.
Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab. Sihon had taken all his land from his territory to the Arnon River.
27 About this, it is said in the proverb: “Enter into Heshbon. Let the city of Sihon be established and built.
That is why those who speak in proverbs say, “Come to Heshbon. Let the city of Sihon be rebuilt and established again.
28 A fire has gone forth from Heshbon, a flame from the town of Sihon, and it has devoured Ar of the Moabites, and the inhabitants of the heights of Arnon.
A fire blazed from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon that devoured Ar of Moab, and the owners of the high places of Arnon.
29 Woe to you, Moab! You are perishing, O people of Chemosh. He gave flight to his sons, and he gave the daughters into captivity, to the king of the Amorites, Sihon.
Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, people of Chemosh. He has made his sons to be fugitives and his daughters to be prisoners of Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 Their yoke has been scattered from Heshbon even to Dibon. They have passed through, wearily, into Nophah, and as far as Medeba.”
But we have conquered Sihon. Heshbon is devastated all the way to Dibon. We have defeated them all the way to Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.”
31 And so Israel lived in the land of the Amorite.
So Israel began to live in the Amorites' land.
32 And Moses sent some to explore Jazer. These captured its villages and possessed its inhabitants.
Then Moses sent men to look at Jazer. They took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
33 And they turned themselves and ascended, along the way of Bashan. And Og, the king of Bashan, met them with all his people, to fight at Edrei.
Then they turned and went up by the road of Bashan. Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his army, to fight them at Edrei.
34 And the Lord said to Moses: “Do not be afraid of him. For I have delivered him, and all his people, as well as his land, into your hand. And you shall do to him just as you did to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, the inhabitant of Heshbon.”
Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Do not fear him, because I have given you victory over him, all his army, and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”
35 Therefore, they struck him down also, with his sons, and all his people, even to utter destruction, and they possessed his land.
So they killed him, his sons, and all his army, until none of his people were left alive. Then they took over his land.
