| New International Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness 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. | 1Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had instructed me, and for many days we wandered around Mount Seir. |
| 2Then the LORD said to me, | 2At this time the LORD said to me, |
| 3"You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. | 3“You have been wandering around this hill country long enough; turn to the north |
| 4Give the people these orders: 'You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. | 4and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful. |
| 5Do 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. | 5Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession. |
| 6You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.'" | 6You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’ ” |
| 7The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. | 7Indeed, the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you these forty years, and you have lacked nothing. |
| 8So we went on past our relatives 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. | 8So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber, and traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab. |
| 9Then 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." | 9Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.” |
| 10(The Emites used to live there--a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. | 10(The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. |
| 11Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. | 11Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites. |
| 12Horites 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.) | 12The 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 that the LORD gave them as their possession.) |
| 13And the LORD said, "Now get up and cross the Zered Valley." So we crossed the valley. | 13“Now arise and cross over the Brook of Zered.” So we crossed over the Brook of Zered. |
| 14Thirty-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. | 14The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. |
| 15The LORD's hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp. | 15Indeed, the LORD’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp, until they had all perished. |
| 16Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, | 16Now when all the fighting men among the people had died, |
| 17the LORD said to me, | 17the LORD said to me, |
| 18"Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar. | 18“Today you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar. |
| 19When 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." | 19But when you get close to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.” |
| 20(That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. | 20(That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. |
| 21They 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. | 21They were a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place, |
| 22The 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. | 22just as He had done 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. |
| 23And 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.) | 23And the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, were destroyed by the Caphtorites, who came out of Caphtor and settled in their place.) |
| 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. | 24“Arise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. |
| 25This 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." | 25This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.” |
| 26From the Desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying, | 26So from the Wilderness of Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon, saying, |
| 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. | 27“Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left. |
| 28Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot-- | 28You can sell us food to eat and water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on foot, |
| 29as 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." | 29just 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 that the LORD our God is giving us.” |
| 30But 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. | 30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day. |
| 31The 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." | 31Then the LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.” |
| 32When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz, | 32So Sihon and his whole army came out for battle against us at Jahaz. |
| 33the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. | 33And the LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole army. |
| 34At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them--men, women and children. We left no survivors. | 34At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors. |
| 35But the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. | 35We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured. |
| 36From 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. | 36From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead, not one city had walls too high for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them. |
| 37But 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. | 37But you did not go near the land of the Ammonites, or the land along the banks of the Jabbok River, or the cities of the hill country, or any place that the LORD our God had forbidden. |
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