The Fifth Book of Moses: Deuteronomy

⭑ Douay-Rheims :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 2 -

And departing from thence we came into the wilderness that leadeth to the Red Sea, as the Lord had spoken to me: and we compassed mount Seir a long time.

And the Lord said to me:

You have compassed this mountain long enough: go toward the north:

And command thou the people, saying: You shall pass by the borders of your brethren the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they will be afraid of you.

Take ye then good heed that you stir not against them. For I will not give you of their land so much as the step of one foot can tread upon, because I have given mount Seir to Esau, for a possession.

You shall buy meats of them for money and shall eat: you shall draw waters for money, and shall drink.

The Lord thy God hath blessed thee in every work of thy hands: the Lord thy God dwelling with thee, knoweth thy journey, how thou hast passed through this great wilderness, for forty years, and thou hast wanted nothing.

And when we had passed by our brethren the children of Esau, that dwelt in Seir, by the way of the plain from Elath and from Asiongaber, we came to the way that leadeth to the desert of Moab.

And the Lord said to me: Fight not against the Moabites, neither go to battle against them: for I will not give thee any of their land, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot in possession.

The Emims first were the inhabitants thereof, a people great, and strong, and so tall, that like the race of the Enacims,

They were esteemed as giants, and were like the sons of the Enacims. But the Moabites call them Emims.

The Horrhites also formerly dwelt in Seir: who being driven out and destroyed, the children of Esau dwelt there, as Israel did in the land of his possession, which the Lord gave him.

Then rising up to pass the torrent Zared, we came to it.

And the time that we journeyed from Cadesbarne till we passed over the torrent Zared, was thirty-eight years: until all the generation of the men that were fit for war was consumed out of the camp, as the Lord had sworn:

For his hand was against them, that they should perish from the midst of the camp.

And after all the fighting men were dead,

The Lord spoke to me, saying:

Thou shalt pass this day the borders of Moab, the city named Ar:

And when thou comest nigh the frontiers of the children of Ammon, take heed thou fight not against them, nor once move to battle: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon, because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession.

It was accounted a land of giants: and giants formerly dwelt in it, whom the Ammonites call Zomzommims,

A people great and many, and of tall stature, like the Enacims whom the Lord destroyed before their face: and he made them to dwell in their stead,

As he had done in favour of the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, destroying the Horrhites, and delivering their land to them, which they possess to this day.

The Hevites also, that dwelt in Haserim as far as Gaza, were expelled by the Cappadocians: who came out of Cappadocia, and destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.

The Defeat of Sihon

(Numbers 21:21–30)

Arise ye, and pass the torrent Arnon: Behold I have delivered into thy hand Sehon king of Hesebon the Amorrhite, and begin thou to possess his land and make war against him.

This day will I begin to send the dread and fear of thee upon the nations that dwell under the whole heaven: that when they hear thy name they may fear and tremble, and be in pain like women in travail.

So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Cademoth to Sehon the king of Hesebon with peaceable words, saying:

We will pass through thy land, we will go along by the highway: we will not turn aside neither to the right hand nor to the left.

Sell us meat for money, that we may eat: give us water for money and so we will drink. We only ask that thou wilt let us pass through,

As the children of Esau have done, that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites, that abide in Ar: until we come to the Jordan, and pass to the land which the Lord our God will give us.

And Sehon the king of Hesebon would not let us pass: because the Lord thy God had hardened his spirit, and fixed his heart, that he might be delivered into thy hands, as now thou seest.

And the Lord said to me: Behold I have begun to deliver unto thee Sehon and his land, begin to possess it.

And Sehon came out to meet us with all his people to fight at Jasa.

And the Lord our God delivered him to us: and we slew him with his sons and all his people.

And we took all his cities at that time, killing the inhabitants of them, men and women and children. We left nothing of them:

Except the cattle which came to the share of them that took them: and the spoils of the cities, which we took:

From Aroer, which is upon the bank of the torrent Amen, a town that is situate in a valley, as far as Galaad. There was not a village or city, that escaped our hands: the Lord our God delivered all unto us:

Except the land of the children of Ammon, to which we approached not: and all that border upon the torrent Jeboc, and the cities in the mountains, and all the places which the Lord our God forbade us.

Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me; and we encircled Mount Seir many days.

The LORD spoke to me, saying,

“You have encircled this mountain long enough. Turn northward.

Command the people, saying, ‘You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore be careful.

Don’t contend with them; for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession.

You shall purchase food from them for money, that you may eat. You shall also buy water from them for money, that you may drink.’”

For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has known your walking through this great wilderness. These forty years, the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.

So we passed by from our brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion Geber. We turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

The LORD said to me, “Don’t bother Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you any of his land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.”

(The Emim lived there before, a great and numerous people, and tall as the Anakim.

These also are considered to be Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.

The Horites also lived in Seir in the past, but the children of Esau succeeded them. They destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place, as Israel did to the land of his possession, which the LORD gave to them.)

“Now rise up and cross over the brook Zered.” We went over the brook Zered.

The days in which we came from Kadesh Barnea until we had come over the brook Zered were thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the middle of the camp, as the LORD swore to them.

Moreover the LORD’s hand was against them, to destroy them from the middle of the camp, until they were consumed.

So, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,

the LORD spoke to me, saying,

“You are to pass over Ar, the border of Moab, today.

When you come near the border of the children of Ammon, don’t bother them, nor contend with them; for I will not give you any of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession, because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession.”

(That also is considered a land of Rephaim. Rephaim lived there in the past, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,

a great people, many, and tall, as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them from before Israel, and they succeeded them, and lived in their place,

as he did for the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place even to this day.

Then the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza: the Caphtorim, who came out of Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.)

The Defeat of Sihon

(Numbers 21:21–30)

“Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

Today I will begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole sky, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.”

I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,

“Let me pass through your land. I will go along by the highway. I will turn neither to the right hand nor to the left.

You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink. Just let me pass through on my feet,

as the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did to me, until I pass over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God gives us.”

But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as it is today.

The LORD said to me, “Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you. Begin to possess, that you may inherit his land.”

Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz.

The LORD our God delivered him up before us; and we struck him, his sons, and all his people.

We took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones. We left no one remaining.

Only the livestock we took for plunder for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities which we had taken.

From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The LORD our God delivered up all before us.

Only to the land of the children of Ammon you didn’t come near: all the banks of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the LORD our God forbade us.