Deuteronomy 2

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

Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had instructed me, and for many days we wandered around Mount Seir.

2 And YHWH spake unto me, saying,

At this time the LORD said to me,

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

“You have been wandering around this hill country long enough; turn to the north

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

and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful.

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 unto Esau for a possession.

Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession.

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

You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

7 For YHWH thy Elohim hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years YHWH thy Elohim hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

Indeed, the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you these forty years, and you have lacked nothing.

8 And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt 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.

So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber, and traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab.

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

Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”

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

(The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites.

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

Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites.

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

The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land that the LORD gave them as their possession.)

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

“Now arise and cross over the Brook of Zered.” So we crossed over the Brook of Zered.

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 YHWH sware unto them.

The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.

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

Indeed, the LORD’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp, until they had all perished.

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

Now when all the fighting men among the people had died,

17 That YHWH spake unto me, saying,

the LORD said to me,

18 Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:

“Today you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar.

19 And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.

But when you get close to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”

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

(That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites.

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

They were a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place,

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

just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day.

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

And the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, were destroyed by the Caphtorites, who came out of Caphtor and settled in their place.)

24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

“Arise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle.

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

This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.”

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

So from the Wilderness of Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon, saying,

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

“Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left.

28 Thou shalt 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;

You can sell us food to eat and water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on foot,

29 (As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me; ) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which YHWH our Elohim giveth us.

just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for us, until we cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us.”

30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for YHWH thy Elohim hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day.

31 And YHWH said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.

Then the LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”

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

So Sihon and his whole army came out for battle against us at Jahaz.

33 And YHWH our Elohim delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

And the LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole army.

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:

At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors.

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

We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.

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

From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead, not one city had walls too high for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them.

37 Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever YHWH our Elohim forbad us.

But you did not go near the land of the Ammonites, or the land along the banks of the Jabbok River, or the cities of the hill country, or any place that the LORD our God had forbidden.