1.
Then we turned and journeyed into the desert by way of the Red Sea, as the Lord had spoken to me, and we circled Mount Seir for many days.
2.
And the Lord spoke to me, saying,
3.
You have circled this mountain long enough; turn northward.
4.
And command the people saying, You are about to pass through the boundary of your kinsmen, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they will be afraid of you. Be very careful.
5.
You shall not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land not so much as a foot step, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for an inheritance.
6.
You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat, and also water you shall buy from them with money, that you may drink.
7.
For the Lord, your God, has blessed you in all the work of your hand; He knows of your walking through this great desert; these forty years that the Lord your God has been with you, you have lacked nothing.
8.
And we departed from our kinsmen, the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, by way of the plain from Elath and from Etzion Geber, and we turned and passed through the way of the desert of Moab.
9.
And the Lord said to me, Do not distress the Moabites, and do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land [as] an inheritance, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot [as]an inheritance.
10.
The Emim dwelt there formerly, a great and numerous people, and tall [in stature], as the Anakim;
11.
They also are considered Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.
12.
And the Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, and the children of Esau were driving them out, and they exterminated them from before them and dwelt in their stead, just as the Israelites did to the land of their inheritance, which the Lord gave them.
13.
Now get up and cross the brook of Zered. So we crossed the brook of Zered.
14.
And the days when we went from Kadesh barnea, until we crossed the brook of Zered, numbered thirty eight years, until all the generation of the men of war expired from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord swore to them.I
15.
Also the hand of the Lord was upon them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed.
16.
So it was, when all the men of war finished dying from among the people,
17.
that the Lord spoke to me saying,
18.
Today you are crossing the boundary of Moab at Ar.
19.
And when you approach opposite the children of Ammon, neither distress them, nor provoke them, for I will not give you of the land of the children of Ammon as an inheritance, because I have given it to the children of Lot as an inheritance.
20.
It too is considered a land of Rephaim; Rephaim dwelt therein formerly, and the Ammonites call them Zamzummim.
21.
A great, numerous and tall people as the Anakim, but the Lord exterminated them before them, and they drove them out and dwelt in their stead.
22.
As He did to the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, when He exterminated the Horites from before them; and they drove them out and dwelt in their stead even to this day.
23.
But the Avim, who dwell in open cities, up till Gazathe Caphtorites, who came forth of Caphtor, exterminated them, and dwelt in their stead.
24.
Get up, journey, and cross the river Arnon. Behold, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: Begin to possess it, and provoke him to war.
25.
Today I will begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you upon the nations that are under the entire heaven, who will hear reports of you and shake and be in trepidation because of you.+
26.
So I sent messengers from the desert of Kedemoth to Sihon, king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying,
27.
"Allow me to pass through your land: I will go along by the highway, I will turn neither to the right nor to the left."
28.
You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give to me water for money, that I may drink; I will only pass through by my feet.
29.
Just as the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did for me; until I cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord our God is giving us."
30.
But Sihon, king of Heshbon, did not wish to let us pass by him, for the Lord your God caused his spirit to be hardened and his heart to be obstinate, in order that He would give him into your hand, as this day.
31.
And the Lord said to me, "Behold I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land before you; begin to drive him out, that you may inherit his land."
32.
Then Sihon went forth towards us, he and all his people, to war at Jahzah.
33.
And the Lord our God delivered him to us; and we smote him and his sons and all his people.
34.
And we conquered all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every city, the men, women, and the young children; we left over no survivor.
35.
Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves with the spoil of the cities which we had taken.
36.
From Aroer which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley,even unto Gilead, there was not a city too high for us: the Lord our God delivered up all before us.
37.
Only to the land of the children of Ammon you came not near; all the side of the river Yabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the Lord our God commanded us.
