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.
“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 Yahweh spake unto me, saying:
Then Yahweh said to me,
3 Long enough, have ye encompassed this mountain, —turn yourselves north, wards.
‘You have been wandering around this hilly area for a long enough time. Now turn [and travel] 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 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 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.
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 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.
[When you travel near their land], buy food and water from them.’
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 Emim, formerly dwelt therein, —a people great and many and tall, like the Anakim.
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 Giants, used, they also, to be accounted like the Anakim, —but the Moabites, called them Emim.
They and the descendants of Anak are also called the Repha giants, but the people of Moab call them 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 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, arise, and pass ye over the ravine of Zered. So we passed over the ravine of Zered.
[I also said to the Israeli people], “Then we crossed the Zered Gorge, as Yahweh told us to do.
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.
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 Yea, even the hand of Yahweh was against them, to destroy them out of the midst of the camp, —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 by dying, out of the midst of the people,
After all the men who had been old enough to fight in wars had died [DOU],
17 then spake Yahweh unto me, saying:
Yahweh said to me,
18 Thou, art passing, to-day, the boundary of Moab even Ar;
‘Today you all must cross the border into the Moab region, near Ar, [their capital city].
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.
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 A land of giants, used, that also, to be accounted, —giants, dwelt therein aforetime, but the Ammonites, called them Zamzummim:
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, like the Anakim, —but Yahweh destroyed them from before them, and they took their possessions, 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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
“[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 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 cause everyone, everywhere, to be afraid of you. Everyone who hears about you will tremble and be terrified.’
26 So I sent messengers out of the desert of Kademoth, 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 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:
‘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 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; —
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 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.
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, 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).
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 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.
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 So then Sihon came out to meet us he, and all his people, to give battle at Jahaz.
Then Sihon came out [of the city] with all his army to fight against us at Jahaz [town].
33 And Yahweh our God delivered him up 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 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:
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, made we our prey, —and the spoil of the cities which we captured.
We took the valuable things that were in the cities that we captured and also their cattle.
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.
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 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.
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.”
