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 around and went through the desert toward the (Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba), as Yahweh told us to do, and we wandered in the Edom area for many years.
2 And YHWH spake unto me, saying,
Then Yahweh said to me,
3 Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.
‘You have been wandering around this hilly area for a long enough time. Now turn [and travel] toward 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 tell the people that they are about to travel near the land that belongs to the descendants of Esau, who are also descendants of Isaac. They live in the [hilly] Edom region. They will be afraid of 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 unto Esau for a possession.
but do not start to fight against them, because I am not going to give you even a tiny bit [HYP] of their land. I have given that land to the descendants of Esau.
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.
[When you travel near their land], buy food and water from them.’
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.
Do not forget that Yahweh our God has blessed you in everything that you [SYN] have done. He knows [what has happened to you while] you have wandered in this huge desert. But he has been with you during those 40 years, and as a result you have had everything that you needed [LIT].
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 continued to travel. We avoided going through the hilly area where the descendants of Esau live. We stayed away from the road through the Jordan [River] Valley past Ezion-Geber and Elath [towns], and we turned and traveled northeast toward the desert area where the Moab people-group lives.
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.
Yahweh said to me, ‘Do not bother/harass the people of Moab, and do not start to fight against them, because I am not going to give you any of their land. [Do not forget that] they are descendants of [Abraham’s nephew] Lot, and I have given to them Ar [city, their capital, and the other areas in that country].’”
10 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;
A large group of giants called Emim formerly lived there. They were strong and numerous, and as tall as the giants who were descendants of Anak.
11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites called them Emims.
They and the descendants of Anak are also called the Repha giants, but the people of Moab call them Emim.
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 Hor people-group also formerly lived in the Edom area, but the descendants of Esau chased them out. They defeated and killed them and (settled in/occupied) their land, just as the Israeli people later expelled their enemies from the land that Yahweh gave to them.
13 Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.
[I also said to the Israeli people], “Then we crossed the Zered Gorge, as Yahweh told us to do.
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.
It had been thirty-eight years from the time we first left Kadesh-Barnea until we crossed the Zered Gorge. During those years, all the Israeli (fighting men/soldiers) of that generation had died, as Yahweh had vowed would happen.
15 For indeed the hand of YHWH was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.
They died because Yahweh opposed them, until he had gotten rid of all of them.
16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,
After all the men who had been old enough to fight in wars had died [DOU],
17 That YHWH spake unto me, saying,
Yahweh said to me,
18 Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:
‘Today you all must cross the border into the Moab region, near Ar, [their capital city].
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.
When you come near the border of the land where the Ammon people-group live, do not bother/harass them or start to fight against them. They are also descendants of Lot, so I am not going to give you any of the land that I have given to them.’”
20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;
That region is also called the land of the Repha giants, who formerly lived there. The Ammon people-group call them the Zamzum group.
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 large and powerful group, who were as tall as the descendants of Anak. But Yahweh got rid of them, and the Ammon people-group expelled them and took their land away from them and started to live there.
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:
Yahweh had done the same thing for the descendants of Esau who live in the hilly area of Edom. He got rid of the Hor people-group, with the result that the Edom people-group took their land from them and started to live there. They still live there.
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.)
People who came from Crete [Island] got rid of the Av group [who previously lived in the land close to the Mediterranean Sea], as far south as Gaza. They took their land from them and started to live there.
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.
“[After we had gone through the Moab region], Yahweh said to us, ‘Now cross the Arnon [River]. I will help you to defeat [IDM] [the army of] Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group, who lives in Heshbon [city]. So attack their army and start to take their land from them.
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.
Today I will begin to cause everyone, everywhere, to be afraid of you. Everyone who hears about you will tremble and be terrified.’
26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,
Then I sent messengers to go from the desert to King Sihon at Heshbon. I told them to give this peaceful message to the king:
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.
‘Please allow us to travel through your land. We [promise that we] will stay on the road; we will not turn off 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;
We will pay for any food or water that you allow us to buy. We want only to walk through your country,
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.
until we cross the Jordan [River] into the land that Yahweh our God is giving to us. Do for us just as the descendants of Esau who live in the Edom area and the Moab people-group did for us when they allowed us to go through their areas.’
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 King Sihon would not allow us to go through his country. That was because Yahweh our God caused him to be stubborn [IDM]. The result was that Yahweh enabled us to defeat his army and take his land [IDM], which we still live in.
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.
Yahweh said to me, ‘Listen! I am about to allow you to defeat Sihon’s [army] and to take the people’s land from them. So start to occupy it!’
32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.
Then Sihon came out [of the city] with all his army to fight against us at Jahaz [town].
33 And YHWH our Elohim delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
But God enabled us to defeat [DOU] them, and we killed Sihon and his sons and all his soldiers.
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:
We captured all their cities and destroyed them all. We killed all the men and women and children; we did not allow any of them to remain alive.
35 Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.
We took the valuable things that were in the cities that we captured and also their cattle.
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:
Yahweh our God enabled us to capture [IDM] all their towns from Aroer [in the south], which is at the edge of the Arnon River [Valley], to the Gilead [region in the north]. Some of their cities had [walls around them], but we were able to [climb over 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 we did not go near the area where the Ammon people-group live, or the banks of the Jabbok riverbed, or the towns in the hilly area, or any other place where Yahweh our God told us not to go.”
