Deuteronomy 2
1 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.
And departing from thence we came into the wilderness that leadeth to the Red Sea, as the Lord had spoken to me: and we compassed mount Seir a long time.
2 This is when the Lord told me,
And the Lord said to me:
3 “You have been wandering around this mountain long enough. Go back north,
You have compassed this mountain long enough: go toward the north:
4 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.
And command thou the people, saying: You shall pass by the borders of your brethren the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they will be afraid of you.
5 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.
Take ye then good heed that you stir not against them. For I will not give you of their land so much as the step of one foot can tread upon, because I have given mount Seir to Esau, for a possession.
6 Pay them with money for the food you eat and the water you drink.’
You shall buy meats of them for money and shall eat: you shall draw waters for money, and shall drink.
7 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.”
The Lord thy God hath blessed thee in every work of thy hands: the Lord thy God dwelling with thee, knoweth thy journey, how thou hast passed through this great wilderness, for forty years, and thou hast wanted nothing.
8 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.
And when we had passed by our brethren the children of Esau, that dwelt in Seir, by the way of the plain from Elath and from Asiongaber, we came to the way that leadeth to the desert of Moab.
9 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.”
And the Lord said to me: Fight not against the Moabites, neither go to battle against them: for I will not give thee any of their land, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot in possession.
10 (A strong and numerous people called the Emim once lived there. They were as tall as the Anakim,
The Emims first were the inhabitants thereof, a people great, and strong, and so tall, that like the race of the Enacims,
11 and just like the Anakim, they were also considered as Rephaim, but the Moabites called them Emim.
They were esteemed as giants, and were like the sons of the Enacims. But the Moabites call them Emims.
12 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.)
The Horrhites also formerly dwelt in Seir: who being driven out and destroyed, the children of Esau dwelt there, as Israel did in the land of his possession, which the Lord gave him.
13 Then the Lord told us, “Go and cross over Zered Brook.” So we crossed over Zered Brook.
Then rising up to pass the torrent Zared, we came to it.
14 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.
And the time that we journeyed from Cadesbarne till we passed over the torrent Zared, was thirty-eight years: until all the generation of the men that were fit for war was consumed out of the camp, as the Lord had sworn:
15 In fact the Lord worked against them to remove them from the camp, until they were all dead.
For his hand was against them, that they should perish from the midst of the camp.
16 Once the people's warriors had died,
And after all the fighting men were dead,
17 the Lord told me,
The Lord spoke to me, saying:
18 “Today you will cross out of Moab at the border near Ar.
Thou shalt pass this day the borders of Moab, the city named Ar:
19 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.”
And when thou comest nigh the frontiers of the children of Ammon, take heed thou fight not against them, nor once move to battle: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon, because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession.
20 (This land was previously considered as the country of the Rephaim who used to live there. However, the Ammonites called them Zamzummites.
It was accounted a land of giants: and giants formerly dwelt in it, whom the Ammonites call Zomzommims,
21 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,
A people great and many, and of tall stature, like the Enacims whom the Lord destroyed before their face: and he made them to dwell in their stead,
22 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.
As he had done in favour of the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, destroying the Horrhites, and delivering their land to them, which they possess to this day.
23 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.)
The Hevites also, that dwelt in Haserim as far as Gaza, were expelled by the Cappadocians: who came out of Cappadocia, and destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.
24 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.
Arise ye, and pass the torrent Arnon: Behold I have delivered into thy hand Sehon king of Hesebon the Amorrhite, and begin thou to possess his land and make war against him.
25 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.”
This day will I begin to send the dread and fear of thee upon the nations that dwell under the whole heaven: that when they hear thy name they may fear and tremble, and be in pain like women in travail.
26 Moses told the Israelites, “From the Kedemoth Desert I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon, king of Heshbon, telling him,
So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Cademoth to Sehon the king of Hesebon with peaceable words, saying:
27 ‘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.
We will pass through thy land, we will go along by the highway: we will not turn aside neither to the right hand nor to the left.
28 Sell us food to eat and water to drink for money. Just let us pass through on foot,
Sell us meat for money, that we may eat: give us water for money and so we will drink. We only ask that thou wilt let us pass through,
29 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.”
As the children of Esau have done, that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites, that abide in Ar: until we come to the Jordan, and pass to the land which the Lord our God will give us.
30 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.
And Sehon the king of Hesebon would not let us pass: because the Lord thy God had hardened his spirit, and fixed his heart, that he might be delivered into thy hands, as now thou seest.
31 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.”
And the Lord said to me: Behold I have begun to deliver unto thee Sehon and his land, begin to possess it.
32 Sihon and his whole army came out to fight us at Jahaz.
And Sehon came out to meet us with all his people to fight at Jasa.
33 The Lord our God handed him over to us, and we killed him, his sons, and all his army.
And the Lord our God delivered him to us: and we slew him with his sons and all his people.
34 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.
And we took all his cities at that time, killing the inhabitants of them, men and women and children. We left nothing of them:
35 All we took for ourselves was the livestock and plunder from the towns we'd captured.
Except the cattle which came to the share of them that took them: and the spoils of the cities, which we took:
36 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.
From Aroer, which is upon the bank of the torrent Amen, a town that is situate in a valley, as far as Galaad. There was not a village or city, that escaped our hands: the Lord our God delivered all unto us:
37 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.
Except the land of the children of Ammon, to which we approached not: and all that border upon the torrent Jeboc, and the cities in the mountains, and all the places which the Lord our God forbade us.
