NUMBERS 21

When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. 2 Then Israel made a vow to Yehowah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hands, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 3 And Yehowah heard Israel's voice, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed both them and their cities; so the name of the place was called Hormah.* * That is Utter destruction

4 And they set out from Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Reeds, to go round the land of Edom; and the spirit* of the people failed on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is neither food nor water, and we have no appetite for this worthless bread. 6 Then Yehowah sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against Yehowah and against you; pray to Yehowah to take the snakes away from us. So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then Yehowah said to Moses, Make a poisonous snake, and put it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall live when he sees it. 9 And Moses made a bronze snake, and put it on a pole; and so if a snake bit any man, he would look at the bronze snake and live. * Heb nephesh

10 Then the sons of Israel set out, and camped in Oboth. 11 And they set out from Oboth, and camped at Iye-abarim in the desert which is across from Moab, towards the sunrise. 12 From there they set out, and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they set out, and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the desert that extends from the boundary of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the boundary of Moab, being between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said on the Scroll of the Wars of Yehowah,

Waheb in Suphah, and the Arnon brooks, 15 and the stream of the brooks that extends to the seat of Ar, and leans towards the boundary of Moab.

16 And from there they set out to Beer;* this was the well of which Yehowah spoke to Moses, when he said, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. 17 Then Israel sang this song:

* That is Well

Spring up, O well! Answer to it! 18 The well which the princes dug, which the nobles of the people dug out, with the sceptre and with their staves, and from the desert a gift.* * Heb mattanah

19 And they set out from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; 20 and from Bamoth to the valley which is in the region of Moab, by the top of Pisgah which looks down over the face of Jeshimon.* * Or the desert

21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon the king of the Amorites, and said, 22 Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from any wells; we will go along by the royal route, until we have passed through your territory. 23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory, for Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out to oppose Israel in the desert, and came to Jahaz; and he fought against Israel. 24 And Israel struck him down with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the sons of Ammon, for the boundary of the sons of Ammon was too strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities; and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hands, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the prophetic poets say,

Come to Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and established. 28 For fire went from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the heights of the Arnon. 29 Woe to you, O Moab! You have perished, O people of Chemosh! He made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to Sihon, the Amorite king. 30 But we shot at them; Heshbon has perished, as far as Dibon;

and we laid them waste as far as Nophah, and as far as Medeba.

31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent men to spy out Jazer; and they took its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan went out to meet them, he and all his people, to give battle at Edrei. 34 And Yehowah said to Moses, Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hands with all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon. 35 So they struck him down, with his sons and all his people, until not even one was left to him; and they possessed his land.