Wanderings in the Wilderness

1And we turned and set out into the wilderness, the Way of the Red Sea,† as YHWH had spoken to me. And we went around Mount Seir for many days.

2And YHWH spoke to me, saying, 3“You⁺ have been going around this mountain long enough; turn for yourselves northward. 4And command the people, saying, ‘You⁺ are passing over into the border of your⁺ brothers, the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, and they will be afraid of you⁺. And you⁺ shall be on guard exceedingly. 5Do not meddle with them, for I will not give to you⁺ of their land even the treading of the sole of a foot. For as a possession to Esau I have given Mount Seir. 6You⁺ shall buy food from them with silver, and you⁺ will eat; and you⁺ shall buy water from them with silver, and you⁺ will drink.’”

7For YHWH your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; He knows your walking this vast wilderness these forty years. YHWH your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.

8And we passed beyond our brothers, the sons of Esau, who dwell in Seir, by the way of the plain, by Elath and Ezion-geber, and we turned and passed by the way of the Wilderness of Moab. 9And YHWH said to me, “Do not harass Moab and do not contend with them in battle, for I will not give to you of their land as a possession, because to the sons of Lot I have given Ar as a possession.”

10(The Emites in times past had dwelt there, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. 11They also were regarded as Rephaim like the Anakites; and the Moabites call them Emites. 12And in Seir the Horites dwelt formerly; and the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before their faces and dwelt in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which YHWH gave to them.)

13“Now rise and pass over to the Brook of Zered.”

And we passed over the Brook of Zered.

14And the time that we walked from Kadesh-barnea until that we passed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until were finished all the generation of the men of war from the midst of the camp, as YHWH had sworn to them. 15For indeed, the hand of YHWH was against them to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they came to an end.

16And it came to pass, when all the men of war had finally perished, dead from among the people, 17that YHWH spoke to me, saying, 18“You are to pass over this day the boundary of Moab at Ar. 19And when you come near the sons of Ammon, do not harass them and you shall not fight with them, for I will not give of the land of the sons of Ammon to you as a possession, because I have given it as a possession to the sons of Lot.”

20(It was also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, even it; the Rephaim dwelt there formerly, and the Ammonites call them Zamzumim— 21a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim—and YHWH destroyed them from before them and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place— 22as He had done for the sons of Esau who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horite from before them and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. 23And the Avites who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites who came from Caphtor† destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)

The Defeat of Sihon
(Numbers 21:21–30)

24“Rise, set out, and pass over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand Sihon king of Heshbon, the Amorite, and his land. Begin to possess it and engage him in battle. 25This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under all the heavens, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.”

26And I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27“Let me pass through your land; in the way—in the way I will go along, I will not turn to the right or left. 28Food for silver you shall sell me that I may eat, and water for silver give to me that I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot, 29as the sons of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did for me, until that I cross the Jordan to the land that YHWH our God is giving to us.”

30Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for YHWH your God hardened his spirit and made obstinate his heart, that He might deliver him into your hand in this day.

31And YHWH said to me, “See, I have begun to give over to you Sihon and his land. Begin to possess—to possess his land.”

32And Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz. 33And YHWH our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people.

34And we took all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction† every city, the men, and the women, and the little ones. We left no survivor. 35Only the livestock we plundered for ourselves, and the spoil of the cities that we had captured.

36From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the ravine, and as far as Gilead, there was not one city that was too high for us. YHWH our God gave all before our faces. 37Only near the land of the sons of Ammon you did not go near, anywhere along the River Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever YHWH our God had forbidden us.