< 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.
2 And Yahweh spake unto me, saying:
3 Long enough, have ye encompassed this mountain, —turn yourselves north, wards.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
10 the Emim, formerly dwelt therein, —a people great and many and tall, like the Anakim.
11 Giants, used, they also, to be accounted like the Anakim, —but the Moabites, called 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.
13 Now, arise, and pass ye over the ravine of Zered. So we passed over the ravine of Zered.
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.
15 Yea, even the hand of Yahweh was against them, to destroy them out of the midst of the camp, —until they were consumed.
16 So it came to pass when all the men of war were consumed by dying, out of the midst of the people,
17 then spake Yahweh unto me, saying:
18 Thou, art passing, to-day, the boundary of Moab even 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.
20 A land of giants, used, that also, to be accounted, —giants, dwelt therein aforetime, but the Ammonites, called them 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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
26 So I sent messengers out of the desert of Kademoth, unto Sihon, king of Heshbon, —with words of peace 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:
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; —
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.
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).
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.
32 So then Sihon came out to meet us he, and all his people, to give battle at Jahaz.
33 And Yahweh our God delivered him up before us, —and we smote him and 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:
35 only the cattle, made we our prey, —and the spoil of the cities which we captured.
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.
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.