Numbers 21

Numbers 21

1The Canaanite , the king of Arad , who lived in the South , heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim. He fought against Israel , and took some of them captive .

2Israel vowed a vow to the LORD , and said, “If you will indeed deliver this people into my hand , then I will utterly destroy their cities .”

3The LORD listened to the voice of Israel , and delivered up the Canaanites ; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities . The name of the place was called Hormah .[#21:3 “Hormah” means “destruction”.]

4They travelled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea , to go around the land of Edom. The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey .

5The people spoke against God and against Moses : “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness ? For there is no bread , there is no water , and our soul loathes this disgusting food !”

6The LORD sent venomous snakes amongst the people , and they bit the people . Many people of Israel died .

7The people came to Moses , and said , “We have sinned , because we have spoken against the LORD and against you . Pray to the LORD , that he take away the serpents from us .” Moses prayed for the people .

8The LORD said to Moses , “Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole . It shall happen that everyone who is bitten , when he sees it , shall live .”

9Moses made a serpent of bronze , and set it on the pole . If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze , he lived .

10The children of Israel travelled, and encamped in Oboth.

11They travelled from Oboth, and encamped at Iyeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab , towards the sunrise .

12From there they travelled, and encamped in the valley of Zered .

13From there they travelled, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab , between Moab and the Amorites.

14Therefore it is said in The Book of the Wars of the LORD , “Vaheb in Suphah , the valleys of the Arnon,

15the slope of the valleys that incline towards the dwelling of Ar , leans on the border of Moab .”

16From there they travelled to Beer; that is the well of which the LORD said to Moses , “Gather the people together , and I will give them water .”

17Then Israel sang this song :

“Spring up , well! Sing to it ,

18the well, which the princes dug ,

which the nobles of the people dug ,

with the sceptre, and with their poles.”

From the wilderness they travelled to Mattanah ;

19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel ; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth ;

20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab , to the top of Pisgah , which looks down on the desert .

21Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

22“Let me pass through your land . We will not turn away into field or vineyard . We will not drink of the water of the wells. We will go by the king ’s highway , until we have passed your border .”

23Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border , but Sihon gathered all his people together , and went out against Israel into the wilderness , and came to Jahaz . He fought against Israel .

24Israel struck him with the edge of the sword , and possessed his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok , even to the children of Ammon ; for the border of the children of Ammon was fortified.

25Israel took all these cities . Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon , and in all its villages .

26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab , and taken all his land out of his hand , even to the Arnon.

27Therefore those who speak in proverbs say,

“Come to Heshbon .

Let the city of Sihon be built and established ;

28for a fire has gone out of Heshbon ,

a flame from the city of Sihon .

It has devoured Ar of Moab ,

The lords of the high places of the Arnon.

29Woe to you , Moab !

You are undone, people of Chemosh !

He has given his sons as fugitives ,

and his daughters into captivity ,

to Sihon king of the Amorites.

30We have shot at them .

Heshbon has perished even to Dibon .

We have laid waste even to Nophah ,

Which reaches to Medeba .”

31Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.

32Moses sent to spy out Jazer . They took its villages , and drove out the Amorites who were there .

33They turned and went up by the way of Bashan . Og the king of Bashan went out against them , he and all his people , to battle at Edrei.

34The LORD said to Moses , “Don’t fear him , for I have delivered him into your hand , with all his people , and his land. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon .”

35So they struck him , with his sons and all his people , until there were no survivors ; and they possessed his land.

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