Deuteronomy 2

1 Then we turned and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Sea of Reeds, as Yahweh had spoken to me; we went around Mount Seir for 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 Yahweh spoke to me, saying,

And the Lord said to me:

3 'You have gone around this mountain long enough; turn northward.

‘You have encompassed this mountain for long enough. Go forth, toward the north.

4 Command the people, saying, “You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; they will be afraid of you. Therefore be careful

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 not to fight with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not even enough for the sole of a foot to step on; for I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.

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 You will purchase food from them for money, so that you may eat; you will also buy water from them for money, so that you may 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 your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; he has known your walking through this great wilderness. For these forty years Yahweh your God has been with you, and you have 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 by our brothers, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, from Elath and from Ezion Geber. Then we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness 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 Yahweh said to me, 'Do not trouble Moab, and do not fight with them in battle. For I will not give you his land for your own possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot, for their 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 Emites lived there previously, a people as great, as many, and as tall as 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 these also are considered to be the Rephaim, like the Anakim; but the Moabites call them the 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 The Horites also lived in Seir previously, but the descendants of Esau succeeded them. They destroyed them from before them and lived in their place, like Israel did to the land of his possession that Yahweh gave to 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 rise up and go over the brook Zered.' So we went over the brook Zered.

Then, rising up so as to cross over the torrent Zered, we arrived at the place.

14 Now the days from when we came from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the brook Zered, were thirty-eight years. It was by that time that all that generation of the men fit for fighting were gone from the people, as Yahweh had sworn to 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 Moreover, the hand of Yahweh was against that generation in order to destroy them from the people until they were gone.

For his hand was against them, so that they would pass away from the midst of the camp.

16 So it happened, when all the men fit for fighting were dead and gone from among the people,

Then, after all the fighting men had fallen,

17 that Yahweh spoke to me, saying,

the Lord spoke to me, saying:

18 'You are today to pass over Ar, the border of Moab.

‘Today, you shall cross the borders of Moab, at the city named Ar.

19 When you come near opposite the people of Ammon, do not trouble them or fight them; for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession; because I have given it to the descendants of Lot 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 (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived there previously—but the Ammonites call 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 as great, as many, and as tall as the Anakim. But Yahweh destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they succeeded them and lived in their place.

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 This Yahweh also did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them, and the descendants of Esau succeeded them and have lived in their place even until today.

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 As for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.)

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 “'Now rise up, go on your journey, and pass over the Valley of the Arnon; look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and fight 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 Today I will begin to put the fear and terror of you on the peoples that are under the whole sky; they will hear news about you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.'

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 I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to 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 'Let me pass through your land; I will go along the highway; I will turn neither to the right hand nor 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 You will sell me food for money, so that I may eat; give me water for money, so that I may drink; only let me 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 descendants of Esau who live in Seir, and as the Moabites who live in Ar, did for me; until I pass over the Jordan into the land that Yahweh our God is giving 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, would not let us pass by him; for Yahweh your God had hardened his mind and made his heart obstinate, that he might defeat him by your might, which he has now done today.

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 Yahweh said to me, 'Look, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you; begin to possess it, in order that you may inherit 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 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

And Sihon went out to meet us with all his people, to battle at Jahaz.

33 Yahweh our God gave him over to us and we defeated 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 We took all his cities at that time and completely destroyed every city—men and the women and the little ones; we left no 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 we took as spoils for ourselves, along with the spoil of the cities that we had taken.

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 Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, all the way to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. Yahweh our God gave them into our hands.

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 It was only to the land of the descendants of Ammon that you did not go, as well as all the side of the Jabbok River, and the cities of the hill country—wherever Yahweh our God had forbidden us to go.

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.”