Deuteronomy 2

1 Then we turned around and went back into the wilderness following the route to the Red Sea, as God had instructed me. We worked our way in and around the hills of Seir for a long, long time.

2-6  Then God said, "You've been going around in circles in these hills long enough; go north. Command the people, You're about to cut through the land belonging to your relatives, the People of Esau who settled in Seir. They are terrified of you, but restrain yourselves. Don't try and start a fight. I am not giving you so much as a square inch of their land. I've already given all the hill country of Seir to Esau—he owns it all. Pay them up front for any food or water you get from them."

7  God, your God, has blessed you in everything you have done. He has guarded you in your travels through this immense wilderness. For forty years now, God, your God, has been right here with you. You haven't lacked one thing.

8  So we detoured around our brothers, the People of Esau who live in Seir, avoiding the Arabah Road that comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber; instead we used the road through the Wilderness of Moab.

9  God told me, "And don't try to pick a fight with the Moabites. I am not giving you any of their land. I've given ownership of Ar to the People of Lot."

10-12  The Emites (Monsters) used to live there—mobs of hulking giants, like Anakites. Along with the Anakites they were lumped in with the Rephaites (Ghosts) but in Moab they were called Emites. Horites also used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau took over and destroyed them, the same as Israel did in the land God gave them to possess.

13  God said, "It's time now to cross the Brook Zered." So we crossed the Brook Zered.

14-15  It took us thirty-eight years to get from Kadesh Barnea to the Brook Zered. That's how long it took for the entire generation of soldiers from the camp to die off, as God had sworn they would. God was relentless against them until the last one was gone from the camp.

16-23  When the last of these soldiers had died, God said to me, "This is the day you cut across the territory of Moab, at Ar. When you approach the People of Ammon, don't try and pick a fight with them because I'm not giving you any of the land of the People of Ammon for yourselves—I've already given it to the People of Lot." It is also considered to have once been the land of the Rephaites. Rephaites lived there long ago—the Ammonites called them Zamzummites (Barbarians)—huge mobs of them, giants like the Anakites. God destroyed them and the Ammonites moved in and took over. It was the same with the People of Esau who live in Seir—God got rid of the Horites who lived there earlier and they moved in and took over, as you can see. Regarding the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites who came from Caphtor (Crete) wiped them out and moved in.

24-25  "On your feet now. Get started. Cross the Brook Arnon. Look: Here's Sihon the Amorite king of Heshbon and his land. I'm handing it over to you—it's all yours. Go ahead, take it. Go to war with him. Before the day is out, I'll make sure that all the people around here are thoroughly terrified. Rumors of you are going to spread like wildfire; they'll totally panic."

26-28  From the Wilderness of Kedemoth, I sent messengers to Sihon, king of Heshbon. They carried a friendly message: "Let me cross through your land on the highway. I'll stay right on the highway; I won't trespass right or left. I'll pay you for any food or water we might need. Let me walk through.

29  "The People of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did this, helping me on my way until I can cross the Jordan and enter the land that God, our God, is giving us."

30  But Sihon king of Heshbon wouldn't let us cross his land. God, your God, turned his spirit mean and his heart hard so he could hand him over to you, as you can see that he has done.

31  Then God said to me, "Look, I've got the ball rolling—Sihon and his land are soon yours. Go ahead. Take it. It's practically yours!"

32-36  So Sihon and his entire army confronted us in battle at Jahaz. God handed him, his sons, and his entire army over to us and we utterly crushed them. While we were at it we captured all his towns and totally destroyed them, a holy destruction—men, women, and children. No survivors. We took the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured and carried them off for ourselves. From Aroer on the edge of the Brook Arnon and the town in the gorge, as far as Gilead, not a single town proved too much for us; God, our God, gave every last one of them to us.

37  The only land you didn't take, obeying God's command, was the land of the People of Ammon, the land along the Jabbok and around the cities in the hills.

Deuteronomy 2

The Journey from Kadesh Barnea to Moab

1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Seat just as the Lord told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time.2 At this point the Lord said to me,3 “You have circled around this mountain long enough; now turn north.4 Instructt these people as follows: ‘You are about to cross the border of your relativest the descendants of Esau,s who inhabit Seir. They will be afraid of you, so watch yourselves carefully.5 Do not be hostile toward them, because I am not giving you any of their land, not even a footprint, for I have given Mount Seirs as an inheritance for Esau.6 You may purchaset food to eat and water to drink from them.

7 All along the way I, the Lord your God,t have blessed your every effort.t I havet been attentive tot your travels through this great wasteland. These forty years I havet been with you; you have lacked for nothing.’”
8 So we turned away from our relativest the descendants of Esau, the inhabitants of Seir, turning from the desert route,t from Elats and Ezion Geber,s and traveling the way of the Moab wastelands.9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass Moab and provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as your territory. This is because I have given Ars to the descendants of Lots as their possession.10 (The Emitess used to live there, a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites.11 These people, as well as the Anakites, are also considered Rephaites;s the Moabites call them Emites.12 Previously the Horitess lived in Seir but the descendants of Esau dispossessed and destroyed them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land it came to possess, the land the Lord gave them.)t13 Now, get up and cross the Wadi Zered.”s So we did so.t14 Now the length of time it took for us to go from Kadesh Barnea to the crossing of Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, time for all the military men of that generation to die, just as the Lord had vowed to them.

15 Indeed, it was the very hand of the Lord that eliminated them from withint the camp until they were all gone.

Instructions Concerning Ammon

16 So it was that after all the military men had been eliminated from the community,t17 the Lord said to me,18 “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab, that is, of Ar.s

19 But when you come close to the Ammonites, do not harass or provoke them because I am not giving you any of the Ammonites’ land as your possession; I have already given it to Lot’s descendantss as their possession.
20 (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaites.s The Rephaites lived there originally; the Ammonites call them Zamzummites.s21 They are a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed the Rephaitest in advance of the Ammonites,t so they dispossessed them and settled down in their place.22 This is exactly what he did for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir when he destroyed the Horites before them so that they could dispossess them and settle in their area to this very day.

23 As for the Avvitess who lived in settlements as far west as Gaza, Caphtoritess who came from Cretet destroyed them and settled down in their place.)
24 Get up, make your way across Wadi Arnon. Look! I have already delivered over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon,s and his land. Go ahead! Take it! Engage him in war!

25 This very day I will begin to fill all the people of the eartht with dread and to terrify them when they hear about you. They will shiver and shake in anticipation of your approach.”t

Defeat of Sihon, King of Heshbon

26 Then I sent messengers from the Kedemoths Desert to King Sihon of Heshbon with an offer of peace:27 “Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the roadway.t I will not turn aside to the right or the left.28 Sell me food for casht so that I can eat and sell me water to drink.t Just allow me to go through on foot,29 just as the descendants of Esau who live at Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land the Lord our God is giving us.”30 But King Sihon of Heshbon was unwilling to allow us to pass near him because the Lord ours God had made him obstinatet and stubbornt so that he might deliver him over to yout this very day.31 The Lord said to me, “Look! I have already begun to give over Sihon and his land to you. Start right now to take his land as your possession.”32 When Sihon and all his troopst emerged to encounter us in battle at Jahaz,s33 the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, along with his sonss and everyone else.t34 At that time we seized all his cities and put every one of themt under divine judgment,ts including even the women and children; we left no survivors.35 We kept only the livestock and plunder from the cities for ourselves.36 From Aroer,s which is at the edge of Wadi Arnon (it is the city in the wadi),t all the way to Gilead there was not a town able to resist us – the Lord our God gave them all to us.

37 However, you did not approach the land of the Ammonites, the Wadi Jabbok,s the cities of the hill country, or any place else forbidden by the Lord our God.