Through the desert
1We, therefore, turned back and set out towards the desert by the way leading to the Red Sea, as Yahweh had commanded me, and we walked around the mountains of Seir for a long time.
2Then, Yahweh said to me: 3‘You have been going around these mountains for a long time; now, go north. 4Give this command to the people: You are to pass through the territory of your brothers, the children of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, 5but be very careful that you do not attack them because I will not give you even the parcel of land on which you stand. Know that I have given to Esau the mountains of Seir as a possession. 6You shall buy food and water from them with your silver. 7Think of all the blessings that Yahweh has bestowed on you in all our work and how he has been present in your journey through the desert. Yahweh has been with you for forty years, and never have you been in want.
8So we passed through the land of our brothers, the children of Esau who live in Seir. We left the Arabah road that led to Elath and Ezion-geber, and we took the road going into the desert of Moab.
9Then Yahweh said to me: ‘Do not attack Moab or provoke them to fight since I will not give you any of their land. Know that I have given Ar to the children of Lot as a possession.’
10(The Emim formerly lived there — a great and numerous people, and tall as the Anakim. 11And just like the Anakim, they were also known as giants, but the Moabites called them Emim. 12And the Horites also used to live in Seir but the children of Esau drove them out, killed them and settled in their place, as Israel did in the land they possess and which Yahweh gave them.)
13And now rise up and pass through the brook of Zered.’
We then went to the brook of Zered. 14We walked for thirty-eight years from Kadesh-Barnea until we crossed the brook, until the entire generation of the men old enough to fight had perished just as Yahweh said. 15Even the hand of Yahweh was against them, dealing them their death in the camps until all of them perished.
16When finally all those who were old enough to fight died, 17Yahweh said to me: 18‘Today you will pass through the frontiers of Moab, facing the city of Ar, 19and you will meet these people. Do not attack or defy them for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. Know that I have given that land to the children of Lot.’
20(This land was also considered the land of the giants who formerly lived there and whom the Ammonites called Zummim. 21They were a great and numerous people, tall and of enormous stature, similar to the Anakim. But Yahweh destroyed them through the hand of the Ammonites, and in their place he made the Ammonites to dwell in the land. 22He did the same with the people of Esau who dwell in Seir. They destroyed the Horites and took possession of their land up to this very day. 23He dealt in the same manner with the Avvim who lived in the camps as far as Gaza. They were expelled by the Caphtorim who killed them and occupied their place.)
24Rise up and go to the brook of Arnon. Look, I give into your hands Sihon the Amorite, the king of Heshbon, and all his land. 25Begin, right now, to occupy his land and fight. And I, for my part, will begin to instill among all the peoples under heaven the dread and fear of you. They will tremble when they hear your name; they will tremble like a woman in childbirth and they will lose courage when they face you.
Victory over Sihon and Og
26From the desert of Kedemoth, I sent messengers to Sihon, the king of Heshbon, with these words of peace: 27“I wish to pass through your land but I will go only by the road without turning aside either to the right or to the left. 28We ask you to sell us food for money that we may eat, and water that we may drink. And let us only pass through as the children of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for us, 29until we come to the Jordan and enter the land which Yahweh, our God, gives to us.”
30But Sihon, the king of Heshbon, would not let us pass through his land, (and Yahweh made him stubborn so that our God might give him into our hands.)
31And Yahweh said to me: “You have to know that I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you; begin conquering his land.” 32Then, Sihon came out with all his men to meet us in battle at Jahaz. 33And Yahweh, our God, gave him over to us and we defeated him together with his sons and all his men. 34At that time we captured all their cities and pronounced an anathema over them, killing all their inhabitants, men, women and children without sparing anyone, 35except the animals which were part of the plunder of the cities you have occupied.
36From Aroer, the city at the edge of the brook Arnon, up to Galaad, there was neither a village nor a city which we did not capture. Yahweh, our God, gave every thing over to us, 37except the land of the Ammonites which we did not touch, the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities in the mountains, that is, all the places which Yahweh, our God, forbade us to take.
