Deuteronomy 2
1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, as the Lord had spoken unto me: and we traveled around mount Seir many days.
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.
2 And the Lord said unto me, as followeth,
This is when the Lord told me,
3 Ye have traveled long enough around this mountain; turn yourselves northward.
“You have been wandering around this mountain long enough. Go back north,
4 And the people command thou, saying, Ye are passing by the border of your brethren the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you; therefore take ye good heed unto yourselves;
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.
5 Do not contend with them; for I will not give unto you of their land, even so much as a foot's breadth; because unto Esau have I given mount Seir for an inheritance.
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.
6 Food shall ye buy of them for money, that ye may eat; and water also shall ye buy of them for money, that ye may drink.
Pay them with money for the food you eat and the water you drink.’
7 For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand; he hath provided for thy wandering through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.
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.”
8 And we passed away from our brethren the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, from the way through the plain, from Elath, and from 'Ezyon-gaber. And we turned and passed the way of the wilderness of Moab.
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.
9 And the Lord said unto me, Do not attack the Moabites, nor contend with them in battle; for I will not give thee from their land any inheritance, because unto the children of Lot have I given 'Ar for an inheritance.
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.”
10 The Emim in times past dwelt therein, a people great, and numerous, and tall as the 'Anakim;
(A strong and numerous people called the Emim once lived there. They were as tall as the Anakim,
11 As Rephaim were also they accounted, equally with the 'Anakim; and the Moabites called the[[m]] Emim.
and just like the Anakim, they were also considered as Rephaim, but the Moabites called them Emim.
12 And in Seir dwelt the Chorim in times past; but the children of Esau drove them out, and they destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel hath done unto the land of his inheritance, which the Lord hath given unto them.
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.)
13 Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered; and we passed over the brook Zered.
Then the Lord told us, “Go and cross over Zered Brook.” So we crossed over Zered Brook.
14 And the time which we came from Kadesh-barnea', until we had passed over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were spent from out the midst of the camp, as the Lord had sworn unto them.
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.
15 And also the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp; until they were spent.
In fact the Lord worked against them to remove them from the camp, until they were all dead.
16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were spent by, dying from the midst of the people,
Once the people's warriors had died,
17 That the Lord spoke unto me, saying,
the Lord told me,
18 Thou art passing this day by the border of Moab, by 'Ar,
“Today you will cross out of Moab at the border near Ar.
19 And thou comest nigh opposite the children of 'Ammon: do not attack them, nor contend with them; for I will not give unto thee of the land of the children of 'Ammon any inheritance; because unto the children of Lot have I given it for an inheritance.
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.”
20 As the land of Rephaim was it also accounted: Rephaim dwelt therein in times past; and the 'Ammonites called them Zamzummim;
(This land was previously considered as the country of the Rephaim who used to live there. However, the Ammonites called them Zamzummites.
21 A people great, and numerous, and tall, as the 'Anakim; but the Lord destroyed them before them; and they drove them out, and dwelt in their stead:
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,
22 As he hath done to the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, from before whom he destroyed the Chorim; and they drove them out and dwelt in their stead, even unto this day.
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.
23 And the 'Avvim, who dwelt in open towns, as far as unto Gazzah, —the Caphtorim, who came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.
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.)
24 Rise ye up, set forward, and pass over the brook Arnon; behold I have given into thy hand Sichon the king of Cheshbon, the Emorite, and his land: begin to drive him out, and contend with him in battle.
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.
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; whoever will hear the report of thee, shall tremble, and shall quake because of thee.
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.”
26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sichon, the king of Cheshbon, with words of peace, saying,
Moses told the Israelites, “From the Kedemoth Desert I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon, king of Heshbon, telling him,
27 Let me pass through thy land: always by the highway will I go along; I will not turn unto the right hand or unto the left.
‘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.
28 Food shalt thou sell me for money, that I may eat; and water for money shalt thou give me, that I may drink: only let me pass through on foot;
Sell us food to eat and water to drink for money. Just let us pass through on foot,
29 (As the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in 'Ar, have done unto me: ) until that I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which the Lord our God giveth us.
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.”
30 But Sichon, the king of Cheshbon, would not suffer our passing by him; for the Lord thy God had hardened his spirit, and had made obstinate his heart, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as [hath happened] this day.
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.
31 And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give up Sichon and his land before thee: begin to drive him out, that thou mayest inherit his land.
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.”
32 And Sichon came out against us, he and all his people, to the battle at Yahaz.
Sihon and his whole army came out to fight us at Jahaz.
33 And the Lord our God gave him up before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
The Lord our God handed him over to us, and we killed him, his sons, and all his army.
34 And we conquered all his cities at that time, and devoted every inhabited city, and the women, and the little ones; we left none that escaped.
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.
35 Only the cattle we took as booty unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we had captured.
All we took for ourselves was the livestock and plunder from the towns we'd captured.
36 From 'Aro'er, which is by the bank of the brook of Arnon, and the city that is in the brook, even unto Gil'ad, there was not one city which was too strong for us; the whole did the Lord our God give up before us.
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.
37 Only unto the land of the children of 'Ammon didst thou not come nigh, unto the whole margin of the brook Yabbok, and the cities in the mountain, and unto whatsoever the Lord our God had forbidden us.
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.
