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.
And the Canaanite, king of Arad, dwelling in the south, hears that Israel has come the way of the Atharim, and he fights against Israel, and takes [some] of them captive.
2 At Israel voto se Domino obligans, ait: Si tradideris populum istum in manu mea, delebo urbes eius.
And Israel vows a vow to YHWH and says, “If You certainly give this people into my hand, then I have devoted their cities”;
3 Exaudivitque Dominus preces Israel, et tradidit Chananæum, quem ille interfecit subversis urbibus eius: et vocavit nomen loci illius Horma, id est, anathema.
and YHWH listens to the voice of Israel and gives up the Canaanite, and he devotes them and their cities, and calls the name of 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:
And they journey from Mount Hor, the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the soul of the people is short in 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 the people speak against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in a wilderness? For there is no bread, and there is no water, and our soul has been weary of this light bread.”
6 Quamobrem misit Dominus in populum ignitos serpentes, ad quorum plagas et mortes plurimorum,
And YHWH sends the burning serpents among the people, and they bite the people, and many people of Israel die;
7 venerunt ad Moysen, atque dixerunt: Peccavimus, quia locuti sumus contra Dominum et te: ora ut tollat a nobis serpentes. Oravitque Moyses pro populo,
and the people come to Moses and say, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against YHWH and against you; pray to YHWH that He turns the serpent aside from us”; and Moses prays in behalf of the people.
8 et locutus est Dominus ad eum: Fac serpentem æneum, et pone eum pro signo: qui percussus aspexerit eum, vivet.
And YHWH says to Moses, “Make a burning [serpent] for yourself, and set it on an ensign; and it has been, everyone who is bitten and has seen it—he has lived.”
9 Fecit ergo Moyses SERPENTEM ÆNEUM, et posuit eum pro signo: quem cum percussi aspicerent, sanabantur.
And Moses makes a serpent of bronze, and sets it on the ensign, and it has been, if the serpent has bitten any man, and he has looked expectingly to the serpent of bronze—he has lived.
10 Profectique filii Israel castrametati sunt in Oboth.
And the sons of Israel journey and encamp in Oboth.
11 Unde egressi fixere tentoria in Ieabarim, in solitudine, quæ respicit Moab contra orientalem plagam.
And they journey from Oboth and encamp in Ije-Abarim, in the wilderness that [is] on the front of Moab, at the rising of the sun.
12 Et inde moventes, venerunt ad Torrentem Zared.
From there they have journeyed and encamp in the Valley of Zared.
13 Quem relinquentes castrametati sunt contra Arnon, quæ est in deserto, et prominet in finibus Amorrhæi. siquidem Arnon terminus est Moab, dividens Moabitas et Amorrhæos.
From there they have journeyed and encamp beyond Arnon, which [is] in the wilderness which is coming out of the border of the Amorite, for Arnon [is] the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorite;
14 Unde dicitur in libro bellorum Domini: Sicut fecit in Mari rubro, sic faciet in torrentibus Arnon.
therefore it is said in [the] scroll of the Wars of YHWH: “Waheb in Suphah, And the brooks of Arnon;
15 Scopuli torrentium inclinati sunt, ut requiescerent in Ar, et recumberent in finibus Moabitarum.
And the spring of the brooks, Which turned aside to the dwelling of Ar, And has leaned to the border of Moab.”
16 Ex eo loco apparuit puteus, super quo locutus est Dominus ad Moysen: Congrega populum, et dabo ei aquam.
And from there [they journeyed] to Beer; it [is] the well [concerning] which YHWH said to Moses, “Gather the people, and I give water to them.”
17 Tunc cecinit Israel carmen istud: Ascendat puteus. Concinebant:
Then Israel sings this song: “Spring up, O well, Let all answer to it!
18 Puteus, quem foderunt principes, et paraverunt duces multitudinis in datore legis, et in baculis suis. De solitudine, Matthana.
A well—princes have dug it, Nobles of the people have prepared it, With the lawgiver, with their staffs.” And from the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah,
19 De Matthana in Nahaliel: de Nahaliel, in Bamoth.
and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20 De Bamoth, vallis est in regione Moab, in vertice Phasga, quod respicit contra desertum.
and from Bamoth, in the valley which [is] in the field of Moab, [to] the top of Pisgah, which has looked on the front of the wilderness.
21 Misit autem Israel nuncios ad Sehon regem Amorrhæorum, dicens:
And Israel sends messengers to Sihon king of the Amorite, saying,
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.
“Let me pass through your land, we do not turn aside into a field or into a vineyard; we do not drink waters of a well; we go in the king’s way until we pass over your border.”
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.
And Sihon has not permitted Israel to pass through his border, and Sihon gathers all his people, and comes out to meet Israel in the wilderness, and comes to Jahaz, and fights against Israel.
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.
And Israel strikes him by the mouth of the sword, and possesses his land from Arnon to Jabbok—to the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon [is] strong.
25 Tulit ergo Israel omnes civitates eius, et habitavit in urbibus Amorrhæi, in Hesebon scilicet, et viculis eius.
And Israel takes all these cities, and Israel dwells in all the cities of the Amorite, in Heshbon and in all its villages;
26 Urbs Hesebon fuit Sehon regis Amorrhæi, qui pugnavit contra regem Moab: et tulit omnem terram, quæ ditionis illius fuerat, usque Arnon.
for Heshbon is a city of Sihon king of the Amorite, and he has fought against the former king of Moab, and takes all his land out of his hand as far as Arnon;
27 Idcirco dicitur in Proverbio: Venite in Hesebon, ædificetur, et construatur civitas Sehon:
therefore those using allegories say: “Enter Heshbon, Let the city of Sihon be built and ready,
28 Ignis egressus est de Hesebon, flamma de oppido Sehon, et devoravit Ar Moabitarum, et habitatores excelsorum Arnon.
For fire has gone out from Heshbon, A flame from the city of Sihon, It has consumed Ar of Moab, Owners of the high places of Arnon.
29 Væ tibi Moab, peristi popule Chamos. Dedit filios eius in fugam, et filias in captivitatem regi Amorrhæorum Sehon.
Woe to you, O Moab, You have perished, O people of Chemosh! He has given his sons [as] fugitives, And his daughters into captivity, To Sihon king of the Amorite!
30 Iugum ipsorum disperiit ad Hesebon usque Dibon, lassi pervenerunt in Nophe, et usque Medaba.
And we shoot them; Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon, And we make desolate as far as Nophah, Which [is] as far as Medeba.”
31 Habitavit itaque Israel in Terra Amorrhæi.
And Israel dwells in the land of the Amorite,
32 Misitque Moyses qui explorarent Iazer: cuius ceperunt viculos, et possederunt habitatores.
and Moses sends to spy out Jaazer, and they capture its villages, and dispossess the Amorite who [is] there,
33 Verteruntque se, et ascenderunt per viam Basan, et occurrit eis Og rex Basan cum omni populo suo, pugnaturus in Edrai.
and turn and go up the way of Bashan, and Og king of Bashan comes out to meet them, he and all his people, to battle [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.
And YHWH says to Moses, “Do not fear him, for into your hand I have given him, and all his people, and his land, and you have done to him as you have done to Sihon king of the Amorite, who is dwelling in Heshbon.”
35 Percusserunt igitur et hunc cum filiis suis, universumque populum eius usque ad internecionem, et possederunt terram illius.
And they strike him, and his sons, and all his people, until he has no remnant left to him, and they possess his land.
