Numbers, 21

1. The king of Arad, the Canaanite living in the Negeb, learned that Israel was coming by way of Atharim. He attacked Israel and took some prisoners.

1. And [when] king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took [some] of them prisoners.

2. Israel then made this vow to Yahweh, 'If you deliver this people into my power, I shall curse their towns with destruction.'

2. And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

3. Yahweh heard Israel's words and delivered the Canaanites into their power, and they destroyed them in accordance with their curse. Hence the place was given the name Hormah.

3. And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

4. They left Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Suph, to skirt round Edom. On the way the people lost patience.

4. And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

5. They spoke against God and against Moses, 'Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is neither food nor water here; we are sick of this meagre diet.'

5. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for [there is] no bread, neither [is there any] water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

6. At this, God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel.

6. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7. The people came and said to Moses, 'We have sinned by speaking against Yahweh and against you. Intercede for us with Yahweh to save us from these serpents.' Moses interceded for the people,

7. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8. and Yahweh replied, 'Make a fiery serpent and raise it as a standard. Anyone who is bitten and looks at it will survive.'

8. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9. Moses then made a serpent out of bronze and raised it as a standard, and anyone who was bitten by a serpent and looked at the bronze serpent survived.

9. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

10. The Israelites set out and camped at Oboth.

10. And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.

11. Then they left Oboth and camped at Iye-Abarim, in the desert on the eastern border of Moab.

11. And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which [is] before Moab, toward the sunrising.

12. They set out from there and camped in the gorge of the Zered.

12. From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared.

13. They set out from there and camped on the other side of the Arnon. This gorge in the desert begins in the territory of the Amorites. For the Arnon is the frontier of Moab, between the Moabites and the Amorites.

13. From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which [is] in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon [is] the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

14. That is why it says in the Book of the Wars of Yahweh: '. . .Waheb near Suphah and the gorges of the Arnon

14. Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,

15. and the slope of the ravine running down to the site of Ar and over against the frontier of Moab.'

15. And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.

16. And from there they went to Beer, that being the well in connection with which Yahweh had said to Moses, 'Call the people together and I will give them water.'

16. And from thence [they went] to Beer: that [is] the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

17. Then it was that Israel sang this song: Spring up, well! Sing out for the well,

17. Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

18. sunk by the princes, dug by the people's leaders with the sceptre, with their staves! -and from the desert to Mattanah,

18. The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by [the direction of] the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness [they went] to Mattanah:

19. and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

19. And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:

20. and from Bamoth to the valley that opens into the country of Moab, towards the heights of Pisgah overlooking the desert.

20. And from Bamoth [in] the valley, that [is] in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.

21. Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites,

21. And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

22. 'I wish to pass through your country. We shall not stray into the fields or vineyards; we shall not drink the water from the wells; we shall keep to the king's highway until we have passed through your territory.'

22. Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink [of] the waters of the well: [but] we will go along by the king's [high] way, until we be past thy borders.

23. But Sihon would not give Israel leave to pass through his country. He assembled all his people, marched into the desert to meet Israel, and reached Jahaz, where he gave battle to Israel.

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

24. Israel defeated him by force of arms and conquered his country from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the Ammonites, for Jazer marked the Ammonite frontier.

24. And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon [was] strong.

25. Israel took all these towns. Israel occupied all the Amorite towns, Heshbon and all its dependencies,

25. And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.

26. Heshbon being the capital of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had made war on the first king of Moab and captured all his territory as far as the Arnon.

26. For 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 unto Arnon.

27. Hence the poets say: Come to Heshbon! Let the city of Sihon be rebuilt on firm foundations!

27. Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:

28. For fire has burst from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon, devouring Ar of Moab, engulfing the heights of the Arnon.

28. For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, [and] the lords of the high places of Arnon.

29. Oh, unhappy Moab! People of Chemosh, you are lost! He has resigned his sons as fugitives, and his daughters as prisoners to Sihon king of the Amorites.

29. Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.

30. Their posterity has been destroyed from Heshbon all the way to Dibon, and we have lit a fire all the way from Nophah to Medeba.

30. We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which [reacheth] unto Medeba.

31. Thus Israel occupied the Amorites' territory.

31. Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.

32. Moses then sent men to reconnoitre Jazer, and Israel took it and its dependencies, evicting the Amorites who lived there.

32. And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that [were] there.

33. They then turned and marched on Bashan. Og king of Bashan and all his people marched to meet them and give battle at Edrei.

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

34. Yahweh said to Moses, 'Do not be afraid of him, for I have put him, all his people and his country at your mercy. Treat him as you treated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.'

34. And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.

35. So they pressed their attack against him, his sons and all his people until there was no one left alive. And they took possession of his country.

35. So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.