Liber Numeri 21
1 Quod cum audisset Chananæus rex Arad, qui habitabat ad meridiem, venisse scilicet Israel per exploratorum viam, pugnavit contra illum, et victor existens, duxit ex eo prædam.
The Canaanite king of Arad who lived in the Negev learned that the Israelites were approaching on the road to Atharim. He went and attacked Israel and took some of them prisoners.
2 At Israel voto se Domino obligans, ait: Si tradideris populum istum in manu mea, delebo urbes eius.
So Israel made a solemn promise to the Lord: “If you hand these people over to us, we pledge to completely destroy their towns.”
3 Exaudivitque Dominus preces Israel, et tradidit Chananæum, quem ille interfecit subversis urbibus eius: et vocavit nomen loci illius Horma, id est, Anathema.
The Lord responded to their appeal and handed over the Canaanites to them. The Israelites completely destroyed them and their towns, and named the place Hormah.
4 Profecti sunt autem et de monte Hor, per viam, quæ ducit ad Mare Rubrum, ut circumirent terram Edom. Et tædere cœpit populum itineris ac laboris:
The Israelites left Mount Hor by the road leading to the Red Sea so they could avoid traveling through the country of Edom. But the people became bad-tempered on the way
5 locutusque contra Deum et Moysen, ait: Cur eduxisti nos de Ægypto, ut moreremur in solitudine? Deest panis, non sunt aquæ: anima nostra iam nauseat super cibo isto levissimo.
and made complaints against God and against Moses, saying, “Why did you lead us out of Egypt to die in the desert? We don't have bread or water, and we hate this awful food!”
6 Quamobrem misit Dominus in populum ignitos serpentes, ad quorum plagas et mortes plurimorum,
So the Lord sent poisonous snakes to attack them, and many Israelites were bitten and died.
7 venerunt ad Moysen, atque dixerunt: Peccavimus, quia locuti sumus contra Dominum et te: ora ut tollat a nobis serpentes. Oravitque Moyses pro populo,
The people went to see Moses and told him, “We were wrong to make complaints against the Lord and against you. Please pray to the Lord to get rid of the snakes from us.” Moses prayed to the Lord on their behalf.
8 et locutus est Dominus ad eum: Fac serpentem æneum, et pone eum pro signo: qui percussus aspexerit eum, vivet.
The Lord told Moses, “Make a model of a snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who has been bitten looks at it, they will live.”
9 Fecit ergo Moyses serpentem æneum, et posuit eum pro signo: quem cum percussi aspicerent, sanabantur.
Moses made a snake out of bronze and put it on a pole. Those who looked at it did live.
10 Profectique filii Israel castrametati sunt in Oboth.
The Israelites left and camped at Oboth.
11 Unde egressi fixere tentoria in Ieabarim, in solitudine, quæ respicit Moab contra orientalem plagam.
Then they moved on from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the desert on the east side of Moab.
12 Et inde moventes, venerunt ad Torrentem Zared.
They left there and camped in the Valley of Zered.
13 Quem relinquentes castrametati sunt contra Arnon, quæ est in deserto, et prominet in finibus Amorrhæi. Si quidem Arnon terminus est Moab, dividens Moabitas et Amorrhæos.
Then they moved on from there and camped on the far side of the Arnon River, in the desert near Amorite territory. The Arnon River is the border between the Moab and the Amorites.
14 Unde dicitur in libro bellorum Domini: Sicut fecit in Mari rubro, sic faciet in Torrentibus Arnon.
That's why the Book of the Wars of the Lord refers to “the town of Waheb in Suphah and the canyon of the Arnon,
15 Scopuli torrentium inclinati sunt, ut requiescerent in Ar, et recumberent in finibus Moabitarum.
the canyon slopes that reach the village of Ar that lies on the border with Moab.”
16 Ex eo loco apparuit puteus, super quo locutus est Dominus ad Moysen: Congrega populum, et dabo ei aquam.
From there they moved on to Beer, the well where the Lord told Moses, “Have the people gather together so I can give them water.”
17 Tunc cecinit Israel carmen istud: Ascendat puteus. Concinebant:
Then the Israelites sang this song: “Pour out water, well! Everyone of you sing to it!
18 Puteus, quem foderunt principes, et paraverunt duces multitudinis in datore legis, et in baculis suis.
The tribal chiefs dug the well; yes the leaders of the people dug the well with their rods of authority and their walking sticks.” The Israelites left the desert and carried on to Mattanah.
19 De solitudine, Matthana. De Matthana in Nahaliel: de Nahaliel, in Bamoth.
From Mattanah they traveled to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20 De Bamoth, vallis est in regione Moab, in vertice Phasga, quod respicit contra desertum.
and from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of Moab where the top of Mount Pisgah looks down on the wastelands.
21 Misit autem Israel nuncios ad Sehon regem Amorrhæorum, dicens:
Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, with the following request:
22 Obsecro ut transire mihi liceat per terram tuam: non declinabimus in agros et vineas, non bibemus aquas ex puteis, via regia gradiemur, donec transeamus terminos tuos.
“Please allow us to travel through your country. We won't cross any of your fields or vineyards, or drink water from any of your wells. We will stay on the King's Highway until we have passed through your country.”
23 Qui concedere noluit ut transiret Israel per fines suos: quin potius exercitu congregato, egressus est obviam in desertum, et venit in Iasa, pugnavitque contra eum.
But Sihon refused to allow the Israelites to travel through his territory. Instead, he called out his whole army and went out to meet the Israelites head-on in the desert. When he arrived at Jahaz, he attacked the Israelites.
24 A quo percussus est in ore gladii, et possessa est terra eius ab Arnon usque Ieboc, et filios Ammon: quia forti præsidio tenebantur termini Ammonitarum.
The Israelites defeated them, killing them with their swords. They took over his land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River —but only as far as the border of the Ammonites, because it was well defended.
25 Tulit ergo Israel omnes civitates eius, et habitavit in urbibus Amorrhæi, in Hesebon scilicet, et viculis eius.
The Israelites conquered all the Amorite towns and took them over, including Heshbon and its surrounding villages.
26 Urbs Hesebon fuit Sehon regis Amorrhæi, qui pugnavit contra regem Moab: et tulit omnem terram, quæ ditionis illius fuerat, usque Arnon.
Heshbon was the capital of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the previous king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon River.
27 Idcirco dicitur in Proverbio: Venite in Hesebon, ædificetur, et construatur civitas Sehon:
That's why the old songwriters wrote: “Come to Heshbon and have it be rebuilt; restore the town of Sihon!
28 Ignis egressus est de Hesebon, flamma de oppido Sehon, et devoravit Ar Moabitarum, et habitatores excelsorum Arnon.
For a fire blazed out from Heshbon, a flame from the town of Sihon. It burned up Ar in Moab where the rulers live on the high places of Arnon.
29 Væ tibi Moab, peristi popule Chamos. Dedit filios eius in fugam, et filias in captivitatem regi Amorrhæorum Sehon.
What a disaster you face, Moab! You are all going to die, people of Chemosh! You handed over your sons as exiles and your daughters as prisoners to Sihon, king of the Amorites.
30 Iugum ipsorum disperiit ad Hesebon usque Dibon, lassi pervenerunt in Nophe, et usque Medaba.
But now we have defeated the Amorites! Heshbon's rule has been destroyed all the way to Dibon. We wiped them out all the way to Nophah and on to Medeba.”
31 Habitavit itaque Israel in Terra Amorrhæi.
The Israelites occupied the country of the Amorites.
32 Misitque Moyses qui explorarent Iazer: cuius ceperunt viculos, et possederunt habitatores.
Moses sent men to explore Jazer. The Israelites conquered its surrounding villages and expelled the Amorites living there.
33 Verteruntque se, et ascenderunt per viam Basan, et occurrit eis Og rex Basan cum omni populo suo, pugnaturus in Edrai.
Then they continued on the road towards Bashan. Og, king of Bashan, led his whole army out to meet them head on, and fought them at Edrei.
34 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Ne timeas eum, quia in manu tua tradidi illum, et omnem populum, ac terram eius: faciesque illi sicut fecisti Sehon regi Amorrhæorum habitatori Hesebon.
The Lord told Moses, “You don't need to be afraid of him, because I have handed him over to you, along with all his people and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled from Heshbon.”
35 Percusserunt igitur et hunc cum filiis suis, universumque populum eius usque ad internecionem, et possederunt terram illius.
So they killed Og, his sons, and all his army. Nobody survived, and the Israelites took over his country.
