Chapter 21
1 The 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 .
2 Israel vowed a vow to Yahweh , and said, "If you will indeed deliver this people into my hand , then I will utterly destroy their cities ."
3 Yahweh 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 .
4 They traveled 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 .
5 The 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 !"
6 Yahweh sent venomous snakes among the people , and they bit the people . Many people of Israel died .
7 The people came to Moses , and said , " We have sinned , because we have spoken against Yahweh and against you . Pray to Yahweh , that he take away the serpents from us ." Moses prayed for the people .
8 Yahweh 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 ."
9 Moses 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 .
10 The children of Israel traveled , and encamped in Oboth.
11 They traveled from Oboth, and encamped at Iyeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab , toward the sunrise .
12 From there they traveled , and encamped in the valley of Zered .
13 From there they traveled , 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.
14 Therefore it is said in The Book of the Wars of Yahweh , "Vaheb in Suphah , the valleys of the Arnon,
15 the slope of the valleys that incline toward the dwelling of Ar , leans on the border of Moab ."
16 From there they traveled to Beer; that is the well of which Yahweh said to Moses , "Gather the people together , and I will give them water ."
17 Then Israel sang this song : " Spring up , well! Sing to it ,
18 the well, which the princes dug , which the nobles of the people dug , with the scepter , and with their poles." From the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah ;
19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel ; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth ;
20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab , to the top of Pisgah , which looks down on the desert .
21 Israel 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 ."
23 Sihon 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 .
24 Israel 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.
25 Israel took all these cities . Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon , and in all its villages .
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 to the Arnon.
27 Therefore those who speak in proverbs say, " Come to Heshbon . Let the city of Sihon be built and established ;
28 for 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.
29 Woe 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.
30 We have shot at them . Heshbon has perished even to Dibon . We have laid waste even to Nophah , Which reaches to Medeba ."
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
32 Moses sent to spy out Jazer . They took its villages , and drove out the Amorites who were there .
33 They 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.
34 Yahweh 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 ."
35 So they struck him , with his sons and all his people , until there were no survivors ; and they possessed his land.