Deuteronomy 2

The Desert Years

1 Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days. Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days.2 And the Lord spoke to me, saying:3 You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward.4 And command the people, saying, You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully.5 Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.6 You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.8 And when we passed beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir, away from the road of the plain, away from Elath and Ezion Geber, we turned and passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab.9 Then the Lord said to me, Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.10 (The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim.11 They were also regarded as giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim.12 The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave them.)13 Now rise and cross over the Valley of the Zered. So we crossed over the Valley of the Zered.14 And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them.15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.16 So it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people,17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying:18 This day you are to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab.19 And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.20 (That was also regarded as a land of giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,21 a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place,22 just as He had done for the descendants of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day.23 And the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)24 Rise, take your journey, and cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and engage him in battle.25 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.

King Sihon Defeated

26 And I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying,27 Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left.28 You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on foot,29 just as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord our God is giving us.30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.31 And the Lord said to me, See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.32 Then Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz.33 And the Lord our God delivered him over to us; so we defeated him, his sons, and all his people.34 We took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining.35 We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we took.36 From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the Lord our God delivered all to us.37 Only you did not go near the land of the people of Ammonanywhere along the River Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us.

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.