The Fifth Book of Moses: Deuteronomy

⭑ Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 2 -

“And we turn and journey into the wilderness, the way of the Red Sea, as YHWH has spoken to me, and we go around Mount Seir [for] many days.

And YHWH speaks to me, saying,

For you go around this mountain long enough; turn for yourselves northward.

And the people command you, saying, You are passing over into the border of your brothers, sons of Esau, who are dwelling in Seir, and they are afraid of you; and you have been very watchful;

you do not strive with them, for I do not give [any] of their land to you—even the treading of the sole of a foot; I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession.

You buy food from them with money, and have eaten; and you also buy water from them with money, and have drunk.

For your God YHWH has blessed you in all the work of your hands; He has known your walking in this great wilderness these forty years; your God YHWH [is] with you; you have not lacked anything.

And we pass by from our brothers, sons of Esau, who are dwelling in Seir, by the way of the plain, by Elath and by Ezion-Gaber, and we turn and pass over the way of the wilderness of Moab;

and YHWH says to me, Do not distress Moab, nor stir yourself up against them [in] battle, for I do not give [any] of their land to you [for] a possession; for I have given Ar to the sons of Lot [for] a possession.

The Emim have formerly dwelt in it, a people great, and numerous, and tall as the Anakim;

they are reckoned [as] Rephaim, they also, as the Anakim; and the Moabites call them Emim.

And the Horim have formerly dwelt in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossess them, and destroy them from before them, and dwell in their stead, as Israel has done to the land of his possession which YHWH has given to them.

Now rise and pass over the Brook of Zered for yourselves; and we pass over the Brook of Zered.

And the days which we have walked from Kadesh-Barnea until we have passed over the Brook of Zered [are] thirty-eight years, until the consumption of all the generation of the men of battle from the midst of the camp, as YHWH has sworn to them;

and indeed the hand of YHWH has been against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they are consumed.

And it comes to pass, when all the men of battle have finished dying from the midst of the people,

that YHWH speaks to me, saying,

Today you are passing over the border of Moab, even Ar,

and [when] you have come near the sons of Ammon, you do not distress them, nor stir yourself up against them, for I do not give [any] of the land of the sons of Ammon to you [for] a possession; for I have given it to the sons of Lot [for] a possession.

It is reckoned [as] a land of Rephaim, even it; Rephaim formerly dwelt in it, and the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,

a people great, and numerous, and tall as the Anakim, and YHWH destroys them before them, and they dispossess them, and dwell in their stead,

as He has done for the sons of Esau who are dwelling in Seir, when He destroyed the Horim from before them, and they dispossess them, and dwell in their stead to this day.

As for the Avim who are dwelling in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim—who are coming out from Caphtor—have destroyed them, and dwell in their stead.

The Defeat of Sihon

(Numbers 21:21–30)

Rise, journey, and pass over the Brook of Arnon; see, I have given into your hand Sihon king of Heshbon, the Amorite, and his land; begin to possess [it], and stir yourself up against him [in] battle.

This [is] the day I begin to put your dread and your fear on the face of the peoples under the whole heavens, who hear your fame, and have trembled and been pained because of you.

And I send messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, [with] words of peace, saying,

Let me pass over through your land; in the way—in the way I go, I do not turn aside [to the] right or left.

You sell me food for money, and I have eaten; and you give to me water for money, and I have drunk; only, let me pass over on my feet,

as the sons of Esau who are dwelling in Seir and the Moabites who are dwelling in Ar have done for me, until I pass over the Jordan to the land which our God YHWH is giving to us.

And Sihon king of Heshbon has not been willing to let us pass over by him, for your God YHWH has hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart, so as to give him into your hand as at this day.

And YHWH says to me, See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before your faces; begin to possess—to possess his land.

And Sihon comes out to meet us, he and all his people, to the battle at Jahaz;

and our God YHWH gives him before our faces, and we strike him, and his sons, and all his people;

and we capture all his cities at that time, and devote the whole city—men, and the women, and the infants; we have not left a remnant;

only, we have spoiled the livestock for ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we have captured.

From Aroer, which [is] by the edge of the Brook of Arnon, and the city which [is] by the brook, even to Gilead, there has not been a city which [is] too high for us; our God YHWH has given the whole before our faces.

Only, you have not drawn near to the land of the sons of Ammon—any part of the Brook of Jabbok, and cities of the hill-country, and anything which our God YHWH has [not] commanded.”

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.