Deuteronomy 2
1 Then turned we, and set forward towards the desert by way of the Red Sea, as Yahweh, spake unto me; and we encompassed 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 Yahweh spake unto me, saying:
And the Lord said to me:
3 Long enough, have ye encompassed this mountain, —turn yourselves north, wards.
‘You have encompassed this mountain for long enough. Go forth, toward the north.
4 And, the people, command thou saying, Ye are about to pass through the boundary of your brethren the sons of Esau, who are dwelling in Seir, —and should they be afraid of you, take ye good heed to yourselves:
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 do not engage in strife with them, for I will not give you of their land, so much as place for the tread of a foot-sole, —for as a possession to Esau, have I given Mount Seir.
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 Food, shall ye buy of them with silver so shall ye eat, —yea even water, shall ye buy of them with silver so shall ye 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 Yahweh thy God, hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand, he hath considered thy traversing of this great desert, —these forty years, hath Yahweh thy God been with thee, thou hast 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 So we passed on, a way from our brethren the sons of Esau who dwell in Seir, from the way of the waste plain, from Elath, and from Ezion-geber, —and we turned and passed on by way of the desert 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 Yahweh said unto me—Do not lay siege to Moab, nor engage in strife with them in battle, —for I will not give unto thee of this land as a possession, for unto the sons of Lot, have I given Ar, as 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 Emim, formerly dwelt therein, —a people great and many and tall, like the Anakim.
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 Giants, used, they also, to be accounted like the Anakim, —but the Moabites, called them Emim.
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 And in Seir, dwelt the Horim aforetime, but, the sons of Esau, dispossessed them, and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead, —as did Israel unto the land of his own possession, which Yahweh had given unto 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, arise, and pass ye over the ravine of Zered. So we passed over the ravine of Zered.
Then, rising up so as to cross over the torrent Zered, we arrived at the place.
14 Now, the days in which we journeyed from Kadesh-barnea, as far as where we crossed the ravine of Zered, were thirty-eight years, —until all the generation of the men of war were consumed out of the midst of the camp, as Yahweh had sworn unto 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 Yea, even the hand of Yahweh was against them, to destroy them out of the midst of the camp, —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 by dying, out of the midst of the people,
Then, after all the fighting men had fallen,
17 then spake Yahweh unto me, saying:
the Lord spoke to me, saying:
18 Thou, art passing, to-day, the boundary of Moab even Ar;
‘Today, you shall cross the borders of Moab, at the city named Ar.
19 so wilt thou draw near over against the sons of Ammon, do not thou besiege them neither engage in strife with them, —for I will not give of the land of the sons of Ammon unto thee as a possession, for unto the sons of Lot, have I given it as 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 A land of giants, used, that also, to be accounted, —giants, dwelt therein aforetime, but the Ammonites, called them Zamzummim:
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, like the Anakim, —but Yahweh destroyed them from before them, and they took their possessions, and dwelt 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 for the sons of Esau, who are dwelling in Seir, —when he destroyed the Horim from before them, and they took their possessions and have dwelt in their stead, even unto 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 The Avvim also, who dwelt in settlements as far as Gaza, Caphtorim, who were coming forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt 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 Arise ye, set forward and cross over the ravine of Arnon, see! I have given into thy hand—Sihon king of Heshbon, the Amorite and his land, begin—take possession, —and engage in strife 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 extend the dread of thee and the fear of thee over the face of the peoples under all the heavens, —who will hear the report of thee, then will they quake and writhe in pain because of thee.
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 So I sent messengers out of the desert of Kademoth, unto 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 I would pass along through thy land, by the road, by the road, will I go, —I will not turn aside, to the right hand or 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 Food for silver, shalt thou sell me so will I eat, and water for silver, shalt thou let me have, so will I drink, —only I would 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 sons of Esau, who are dwelling in Seir, did to me, and the Moabites who are dwelling in Ar, —until that I pass over the Jordan, into the land which, Yahweh our God, is giving unto 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, was not willing, to let us pass along through it, —for Yahweh thy God had suffered him to make his spirit harsh and his heart bold, that he might give him into thy hand—(as [appeareth] 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 Then said Yahweh unto me, See! I have begun to deliver up before thee Sihon and his land, —begin take possession, that thou mayest make a possession of 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 So then Sihon came out to meet us he, and all his people, to give battle at Jahaz.
And Sihon went out to meet us with all his people, to battle at Jahaz.
33 And Yahweh our God delivered him up 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 captured all his cities, at that time, and devoted to destruction every city of males, with the women and the little ones, —we left not remaining a survivor:
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, made we our prey, —and the spoil of the cities which we captured.
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 on the edge of the ravine of Arnon and the city that is in the ravine even as far as Gilead, there was not a fortress that proved too high for us, —the whole, did Yahweh our God deliver up before 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 unto the land of the sons of Ammon, didst thou not come near, —all the side of the Jabbok ravine, nor the cities of the hill country, nor any which Yahweh our God had forbidden to 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.”
