Deuteronomy 2

1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spoke to me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.

“And setting out from there, we arrived at the wilderness which leads to the Red Sea, just as the Lord had spoken to me. And we encompassed Mount Seir for a long time.

2 And the LORD spoke to me, saying,

And the Lord said to me:

3 You have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.

‘You have encompassed this mountain for long enough. Go forth, toward the north.

4 And command you the people, saying, You are to pass through the coast of your brothers the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take you good heed to yourselves therefore:

And instruct the people, saying: You shall cross through the borders of your brothers, the sons of Esau, who live at Seir, and they will fear you.

5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir to Esau for a possession.

Therefore, take care diligently, lest you be moved against them. For I will not give to you from their land even as much as the step that one foot can tread upon, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.

6 You shall buy meat of them for money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water of them for money, that you may drink.

You shall buy food from them for money, and you shall eat. You shall draw water for money, and you shall drink.

7 For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the works of your hand: he knows your walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.

The Lord your God has blessed you in every work of your hands. The Lord your God, dwelling with you, knows your journey, how you crossed through this great wilderness over forty years, and how you have been lacking in nothing.’

8 And when we passed by from our brothers the children of Esau, which dwelled in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

And when we had passed through our brothers, the sons of Esau, who were living at Seir by the way of the plain from Elath and from Eziongeber, we arrived at the way which leads to the desert of Moab.

9 And the LORD said to me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give you of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.

And the Lord said to me: ‘You should not fight against the Moabites, nor should you go to battle against them. For I will not give to you anything from their land, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.’

10 The Emims dwelled therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;

The Emim were the first of its inhabitants, a people great and strong, and of such great height, like the race of the Anakim.

11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites called them Emims.

They were considered to be like giants, and they were like the sons of the Anakim. And, indeed, the Moabites call them: the Emim.

12 The Horims also dwelled in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelled in their stead; as Israel did to the land of his possession, which the LORD gave to them.

The Horites also formerly lived at Seir. When these had been driven out and destroyed, the sons of Esau lived there, just as Israel did in the land of his possession, which the Lord gave to him.

13 Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.

Then, rising up so as to cross over the torrent Zered, we arrived at the place.

14 And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD swore to them.

Then, from the time that we advanced from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the torrent Zered, there were thirty-eight years, until the entire generation of the men who were fit for war had been consumed out of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn.

15 For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.

For his hand was against them, so that they would pass away from the midst of the camp.

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

Then, after all the fighting men had fallen,

17 That the LORD spoke to me, saying,

the Lord spoke to me, saying:

18 You are to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:

‘Today, you shall cross the borders of Moab, at the city named Ar.

19 And when you come near over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give you of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession.

And when you have arrived in the vicinity of the sons of Ammon, be careful that you do not fight against them, nor should you be moved to battle. For I will not give to you from the land of the sons of Ammon, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’

20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelled therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

It was reputed to be a land of giants. And giants lived there in times past, those whom the Ammonites call the Zamzummim.

21 A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelled in their stead:

They are a people, great and numerous, and of lofty stature, like the Anakim, whom the Lord wiped away before their face. And he caused them to live there in place of them,

22 As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelled in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelled in their stead even to this day:

just as he had done for the sons of Esau, who live at Seir, wiping out the Horites and delivering their land to them, which they possess even to the present time.

23 And the Avims which dwelled in Hazerim, even to Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelled in their stead.)

Likewise the Hevites, who were living in small villages as far as Gaza, were expelled by the Cappadocians, who went forth from Cappadocia, and they wiped them out and lived in their place.

24 Rise you up, take your journey, and pass over the river 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.

‘Rise up and cross the torrent Arnon! Behold, I have delivered Sihon, the king of Heshbon, the Amorite, into your hand, and so, begin to possess his land and to engage in battle against him.

25 This day will I begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you on the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of you, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you.

Today I will begin to send the terror and dread of you among the peoples who are living under all of heaven, so that, when they hear your name, they may be afraid, and may tremble in the manner of a woman giving birth, and may be gripped by anguish.’

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

Therefore, I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon, the king of Heshbon, with peaceful words, saying:

27 Let me pass through your land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn to the right hand nor to the left.

‘We will cross through your land. We will advance by the public way. We will not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left.

28 You shall sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;

Sell us food for a price, so that we may eat. Provide us with water for money, and so we will drink. We only ask that you allow us to pass through,

29 (As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did to me; ) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the LORD our God gives us.

just as the sons of Esau have done, who live at Seir, and the Moabites, who abide in Ar, until we arrive at the Jordan, and we cross to the land which the Lord our God will give 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 appears this day.

And Sihon, the king of Heshbon, was not willing to grant passage to us. For the Lord your God had hardened his spirit, and had fastened his heart, so that he would be delivered into your hands, just as you now see.

31 And the LORD said to me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before you: begin to possess, that you may inherit his land.

And the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land to you. Begin to possess it.’

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

And Sihon went out to meet us with all his people, to battle at Jahaz.

33 And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

And the Lord our God delivered him to us. And we struck him down, with his sons and all his people.

34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:

And we seized all his cities at that time, putting to death their inhabitants: men as well as women and children. We left nothing of them,

35 Only the cattle we took for a prey to ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

except the cattle, which went to the share of those who plundered them. And we seized the spoils of the cities,

36 From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even to Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all to us:

from Aroer, which is above the bank of the torrent Arnon, a town which is situated in a valley, all the way to Gilead. There was not a village or city which escaped from our hands. The Lord our God delivered everything to us,

37 Only to the land of the children of Ammon you came not, nor to any place of the river Jabbok, nor to the cities in the mountains, nor to whatever the LORD our God forbade us.

except the land of the sons of Ammon, which we did not approach, and all that is adjacent to the torrent Jabbok, and the cities in the mountains, and all the places which the Lord our God prohibited to us.”