Deuteronomy 2

1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Seat, as Yahweh spoke to me; and we encircled Mount Seir many days.
2 Yahweh spoke to me, saying,3 “You have encircled this mountain long enough. Turn northward.4 Command the people, saying, ‘You are to pass through the border of your brothers the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take good heed to yourselves therefore;5 don’t contend with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession.

6 You shall purchase food of them for money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water of them for money, that you may drink.’”

7 For Yahweh your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; he has known your walking through this great wilderness: these forty years Yahweh your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.

8 So we passed by from our brothers the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion Geber. We turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

9 Yahweh said to me, “Don’t bother Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you of his land for a possession; because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.”
10 (The Emim lived therein before, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim:11 these also are accounted Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.

12 The Horites also lived in Seir before, but the children of Esau succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place; as Israel did to the land of his possession, which Yahweh gave to them.)
13 “Now rise up, and cross over the brook Zered.” We went over the brook Zered.14 The days in which we came from Kadesh Barnea, until we had come over the brook Zered, were thirty-eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the midst of the camp, as Yahweh swore to them.15 Moreover the hand of Yahweh was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed.16 So it happened, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,17 that Yahweh spoke to me, saying,18 “You are this day to pass over Ar, the border of Moab:

19 and when you come near over against the children of Ammon, don’t bother them, nor contend with them; for I will not give you of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession; because I have given it to the children of Lot for apossession.”
20 (That also is accounted a land of Rephaim: Rephaim lived therein before; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,21 a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim; but Yahweh destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place;22 as he did for the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place even to this day:

23 and the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and lived in their place.)
24 “Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon: behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

25 This day will I begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole sky, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you.”
26 I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,27 “Let me pass through your land: I will go along by the highway, I will turn neither to the right hand 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 my feet,29 as the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did to me; until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which Yahweh our God gives us.”

30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for Yahweh your God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as at this day.
31 Yahweh said to me, “Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you: begin to possess, that you may inherit his land.”32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz.33 Yahweh our God delivered him up before us; and we struck him, and his sons, and all his people.34 We took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones; we left none remaining:35 only the livestock we took for a prey to ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken.36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us; Yahweh our God delivered up all before us:

37 only to the land of the children of Ammon you didn’t come near; all the side of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill country, and wherever Yahweh our God forbade 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.