2:1 Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the LORD had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.
2:2 Then the LORD said to me,
2:3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.
2:4 Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful.
2:5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.
2:6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”
2:7 The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.
2:8 So we went on past our brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab.
2:9 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.”
2:10 (The Emites used to live there–a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.
2:11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites.
2:12 Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the LORD gave them as their possession.)
2:13 And the LORD said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.” So we crossed the valley.
2:14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.
2:15 The LORD’S hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp.
2:16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died,
2:17 the LORD said to me,
2:18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.
2:19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.”
2:20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites.
2:21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place.
2:22 The LORD had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day.
2:23 And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.)
2:24 “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle.
2:25 This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.”
2:26 From the desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying,
2:27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left.
2:28 Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot–
2:29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us–until we cross the Jordan into the land the LORD our God is giving us.”
2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.
2:31 The LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”
2:32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz,
2:33 the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army.
2:34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them–men, women and children. We left no survivors.
2:35 But the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves.
2:36 From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them.
2:37 But in accordance with the command of the LORD our God, you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, neither the land along the course of the Jabbok nor that around the towns in the hills.
2:1 And we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way that leads to the Red Sea, as Jehovah spoke to me; and we circled Mount Seir for many days.
2:2 Then Jehovah spoke to me, saying,
2:3 You have circled this mountain long enough; turn northward,
2:4 And command the people, saying, You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Take careful heed to yourselves therefore;
2:5 Do not engage them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as much as a footstep; for I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
2:6 You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also obtain water from them with money, that you may drink.
2:7 For Jehovah your God has blessed you in all your doings; He knows your journeying through this great wilderness. These forty years Jehovah your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.
2:8 So we passed on from our brothers the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, away from the way of the Arabah, away from Elath and from Ezion-geber; and we turned and passed on by the way that leads to the wilderness of Moab.
2:9 And Jehovah said to me, Do not harass Moab, nor engage them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession; for to the children of Lot I have given Ar as a possession.
2:10 (The Emim dwelt there before that, a people great and numerous and as tall as the Anakim;
2:11 They were considered Rephaim, as were the Anakim, but the Moabites called them Emim.
2:12 The Horites also dwelt in Seir before that, but the children of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them; and they dwelt there in their place, as Israel did with the land of their possession, which Jehovah gave to them.)
2:13 Now rise up and cross over the brook Zered. And we crossed over the brook Zered.
2:14 And the time that we spent in going from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, as Jehovah had sworn to them.
2:15 Moreover the hand of Jehovah was against them to purge them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.
2:16 So when all the men of war were consumed from the midst of the people and dead,
2:17 Then Jehovah spoke to me, saying,
2:18 You are to pass through the territory of Moab, through Ar, today.
2:19 And when you come near to the children of Ammon, do not harass them, nor engage them, for I will not give any of the land of the children of Ammon to you as a possession; for I have given it to the children of Lot as a possession.
2:20 (It was also considered a land of Rephaim; Rephaim formerly dwelt in it. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,
2:21 A people great and numerous and as tall as the Anakim. Yet Jehovah destroyed them from before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt there in their place;
2:22 As He did for the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. And they dispossessed them and have dwelt there in their place to this day.
2:23 And the Avvim, who dwell in the villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt there in their place.)
2:24 Rise up; set out and cross over the valley of the Arnon. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, the king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and engage him in battle.
2:25 Today I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples under all heaven, who will hear the report of you and will tremble and quake because of you.
2:26 Then I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,
2:27 Let me pass through your land. Only on the road I will go; I will not turn to the right or to the left.
2:28 You will sell me food for money, that I may eat; and you will give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on foot ?
2:29 As the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites, who dwell in Ar, did for me ? until I cross over the Jordan into the land which Jehovah our God is giving us.
2:30 But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass through his land, for Jehovah your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate for the purpose of delivering him into your hand, as he is today.
2:31 And Jehovah said to me, See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land up before you. Begin to possess it that you may occupy his land.
2:32 Then Sihon came out to meet us, he and all his people, for battle at Jahaz.
2:33 And Jehovah our God delivered him up before us, and we slew him and his sons and all his people.
2:34 And we captured all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every city ? men, women, and children; we left no survivors.
2:35 We took only the cattle as our plunder, as well as the spoil of the cities which we captured.
2:36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and from the city which is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was not a town too high for us; Jehovah our God delivered them all up before us.
2:37 But you did not go near the land of the children of Ammon, all along the river Jabbok, nor the cities of the hill country, nor any place that Jehovah our God commanded us not to.