21:1 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them.
21:2 Then Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.”
21:3 The LORD listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.
21:4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;
21:5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
21:6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
21:7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
21:8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”
21:9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
21:10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.
21:11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the desert that faces Moab toward the sunrise.
21:12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.
21:13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is in the desert extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
21:14 That is why the Book of the Wars of the LORD says: “. . . Waheb in Suphah and the ravines, the Arnon
21:15 and the slopes of the ravines that lead to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.”
21:16 From there they continued on to Beer, the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”
21:17 Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Sing about it,
21:18 about the well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people sank–the nobles with scepters and staffs.” Then they went from the desert to Mattanah,
21:19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
21:20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.
21:21 Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites:
21:22 “Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king’s highway until we have passed through your territory.”
21:23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He mustered his entire army and marched out into the desert against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel.
21:24 Israel, however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified.
21:25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements.
21:26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.
21:27 That is why the poets say: “Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt; let Sihon’s city be restored.
21:28 “Fire went out from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the citizens of Arnon’s heights.
21:29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! He has given up his sons as fugitives and his daughters as captives to Sihon king of the Amorites.
21:30 “But we have overthrown them; Heshbon is destroyed all the way to Dibon. We have demolished them as far as Nophah, which extends to Medeba.”
21:31 So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.
21:32 After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there.
21:33 Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.
21:34 The LORD said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”
21:35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.
21:1 And when the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive.
21:2 And Israel made a vow to Jehovah and said, If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.
21:3 And Jehovah listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah.
21:4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way.
21:5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and there is no water; and our soul loathes this light bread.
21:6 Then Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
21:7 And the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, because we have spoken against Jehovah and against you; pray to Jehovah, that He may take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people.
21:8 Then Jehovah said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.
21:9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the pole; and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
21:10 And the children of Israel journeyed and encamped at Oboth.
21:11 And they journeyed from Oboth and encamped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness which faces Moab toward the sunrise.
21:12 From there they journeyed and encamped in the valley of Zered.
21:13 From there they journeyed and encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
21:14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of Jehovah, Waheb in Suphah, / And the valleys of the Arnon,
21:15 And the slope of the valleys / That inclines toward the seat of Ar / And leans toward the border of Moab.
21:16 And from there they journeyed to Beer; that is the well where Jehovah said to Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
21:17 Then Israel sang this song: Spring up, O well! Sing to it!
21:18 The well, which the leaders sank, / Which the nobles of the people dug, / With the scepter, with their staffs. And from the wilderness they journeyed to Mattanah;
21:19 And from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;
21:20 And from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looks down upon the desert.
21:21 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon the king of the Amorites, saying,
21:22 Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or into vineyard; we will not drink water from any well. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.
21:23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. And Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.
21:24 And Israel struck him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
21:25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all her villages.
21:26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon.
21:27 Therefore those who speak in proverbs say, Come to Heshbon; let it be built, / And let the city of Sihon be established.
21:28 For fire has gone forth from Heshbon, / A flame from the city of Sihon; / It has consumed Ar of Moab / And swallowed up the high places of the Arnon.
21:29 Woe to you, O Moab! / You have perished, O people of Chemosh; / He has given his sons as fugitives, / And his daughters have gone into captivity, / To an Amorite king, Sihon.
21:30 We have shot at them; / Heshbon is ruined as far as Dibon, / And we have laid waste as far as Nophah, / Fire spreads as far as Medeba.
21:31 Thus Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.
21:32 And Moses sent some to spy out Jazer. And they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
21:33 And they turned and went up on the way that leads to Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, for battle at Edrei.
21:34 And Jehovah said to Moses, Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites, who was dwelling at Heshbon.
21:35 So they struck him and his sons and all his people until there was no survivor left to him, and they possessed his land.