Numbers - Chapter 21

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

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 [I will devote it and its cities].

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

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

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

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

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

11 And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, on the farther side in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.

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

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 Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea [Therefore it is said in a book, A war of the Lord has set on fire Zoob], and in the brooks of Arnon,

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

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

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

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

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

21 And Israel [Moses] sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, with peaceable words, saying,

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

24 And Israel smote him with the edge [the slaughter] 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 [Jazer].

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

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 [from Aroer to Arnon].

27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs [who deal in dark speeches] say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:

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

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

30 We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon [And their seed shall perish (from) Esebon to Daebon], and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba [and their women have yet farther kindled a fire against Moab].

31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land [in all the cities] of the Amorites.

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

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