曠野漂流

「之後,我們遵照耶和華的吩咐掉轉頭,沿紅海的路前往曠野,在西珥山區繞行了很久。 後來,耶和華對我說, 『你們在這山區繞行的日子夠了,現在轉向北方吧。 你告訴眾人,你們將經過西珥,那裡住著你們的親屬以掃的子孫。他們懼怕你們,所以要格外謹慎, 不要惹他們,因為我已把西珥山賜給以掃作產業,他們的土地,我一寸也不會賜給你們。 你們吃的、喝的,都要花錢向他們買。 你們的上帝耶和華使你們凡事蒙福,看顧著你們走過這遼闊的曠野,四十年來與你們同在,使你們一無所缺。』

「於是,我們繞過我們親屬以掃的子孫所住的西珥,沿亞拉巴的路,經過以拉他、以旬·迦別,向摩押曠野走去。 耶和華對我說,『不可騷擾摩押人,不可與他們爭戰,因為我不會把他們的土地賜給你,我已把亞珥賜給羅得的子孫為業。』

10 「從前以米人住在亞珥,他們人數眾多,像亞衲人一樣身材高大。 11 以米人同亞衲人一樣也被稱為利乏音人,但摩押人稱他們為以米人。 12 以前,何利人也住在西珥,但以掃的子孫消滅了他們,佔領了他們的土地,住在那裡,正如後來以色列人佔領了耶和華賜給他們的土地。 13 耶和華又說,『現在,你們要動身過撒烈溪。』於是,我們過了撒烈溪。 14 我們從離開加低斯·巴尼亞到穿過撒烈溪用了三十八年。期間,那一代戰士都死光了,正如耶和華的誓言。 15 其實是耶和華的手攻擊他們,直到把他們從營中全部消滅。

16 「所有的戰士都死後, 17 耶和華對我說, 18 『今天你要從亞珥繞過摩押邊境。 19 到亞捫人之地後,不可騷擾他們,不可與他們爭戰,因為我不會把他們的土地賜給你們,我已把那裡賜給羅得的子孫作產業。』 20 那裡以前也是利乏音人住的地方,亞捫人稱利乏音人為散送冥, 21 利乏音族人數眾多,像亞衲人一樣身材高大。耶和華消滅了他們,讓亞捫人佔領他們的土地,住在那裡。 22 耶和華也曾為以掃的子孫消滅住在西珥的何利人,讓他們佔據何利人的土地,住在那裡,直到今日。 23 同樣,來自克里特的迦斐托人消滅了迦薩附近的亞衛人,住在那裡。 24 耶和華說,『起來穿過亞嫩谷,我已將亞摩利人希實本王西宏和他的土地交在你手中,你要攻打他,佔領他的土地。 25 從今天起,我要使天下萬民在你面前驚恐萬狀,一聽到你的名字就嚇得發抖。』

擊敗希實本王

26 「於是,我從基底莫曠野派使者去見希實本王西宏,提出和平的建議,說, 27 『請允許我們從貴國經過,我們只走大路,不會偏離。 28 我們吃的喝的,都會按價向你買,只求讓我們借道經過, 29 就像西珥的以東人和亞珥的摩押人那樣對待我們。我們只想過約旦河,去我們的上帝耶和華所賜之地。』 30 希實本王西宏卻拒絕我們的請求,因為我們的上帝耶和華使他頑固不化,好讓我們擊敗他,正如今日的情形。 31 耶和華對我說,『看啊,我已把西宏和他的土地交給你了,去佔領那裡,奪取他的土地吧。』 32 西宏率領全軍在雅雜與我們交戰。 33 我們的上帝耶和華使西宏父子及其軍隊敗在我們手下,全軍覆沒。 34 我們攻佔了西宏的所有城邑,將其夷為平地,殺光城中的男女老幼,一個不留, 35 只留下牲畜和財物作戰利品。 36 從亞嫩谷邊的亞羅珥和谷中的城,直到基列的所有城邑全被我們攻克,我們的上帝耶和華把這一切都交給了我們。 37 我們遵照我們的上帝耶和華的吩咐,沒有侵犯亞捫人的土地,即雅博河一帶和山區的城邑。

Wanderings in the Wilderness

(A)Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way of the [a]Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we circled (B)Mount Seir for many days. And the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north, (C)and command the people, saying, “You are going to pass through the (D)territory of your brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir; and (E)they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; do not [b]provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as much as a [c]footprint, (F)because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You are to buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink. For the Lord your God has blessed you in all [d]that you have done; He has known your [e]wandering through this (G)great wilderness. These (H)forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked anything.”’

“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the (I)Arabah road, away from Elath and (J)Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not attack Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of [f]their land as a possession, because I have given (K)Ar to (L)the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 10 (The (M)Emim lived there previously, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11 Like the Anakim, they too are regarded as (N)Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 (O)The Horites previously lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before [g]them, and settled in their place; (P)just as Israel did to the land of [h]their possession which the Lord gave them.) 13 ‘Now arise and cross over the [i]Wadi Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the [j]Wadi Zered. 14 Now the [k]time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the [l]Wadi Zered was (Q)thirty-eight years, until (R)all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, just as (S)the Lord had sworn to them. 15 (T)Indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.

16 “So it came about, when (U)all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying, 18 ‘Today you shall cross over (V)Ar, the border of Moab. 19 When you come opposite the (W)sons of Ammon, do not attack them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to (X)the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20 (It is also regarded as the land of the (Y)Rephaim, because the Rephaim previously lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21 a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim; but the Lord destroyed them before [m]them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22 just as He did for the sons of Esau, who (Z)live in Seir, when He destroyed (AA)the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place, where they remain even to this day. 23 And as for the (AB)Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the [n](AC)Caphtorim, who came from [o](AD)Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.) 24 ‘Arise, set out, and pass through the [p](AE)Valley of Arnon. Look! I have handed over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; start taking possession and plunge into battle with him. 25 This day I will begin to put (AF)the dread and fear of you upon the faces of [q]people everywhere, [r]who, when they hear the news of you, (AG)will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

26 (AH)So 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 [s]travel only on the road. I will not turn aside to the right or to the left. 28 You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, (AI)only let me pass through on [t]foot, 29 just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in (AJ)Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving us.’ 30 But (AK)Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass [u]through his land; for the (AL)Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today. 31 And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to turn Sihon and his land over [v]to you. Begin taking possession, so that you may possess his land.’

32 “Then Sihon came out [w]with all his people to meet us in battle at Jahaz. 33 And (AM)the Lord our God turned him over [x]to us, and we [y](AN)defeated him with his sons and all his people. 34 So we captured all his cities at that time and [z](AO)utterly destroyed [aa]the men, women, and children of every city. We left no survivor. 35 We took (AP)only the animals as our plunder, and the spoils of the cities which we had captured. 36 From (AQ)Aroer which is on the edge of the [ab]Valley of Arnon and from the city which is in the [ac]valley, even to Gilead, there was no city that was too [ad]high for us; the Lord our God turned it all over [ae]to us. 37 (AR)Only you did not go near the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the [af]river (AS)Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the Lord our God had commanded us to avoid.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:1 Lit Sea of Reeds
  2. Deuteronomy 2:5 Or engage in strife with
  3. Deuteronomy 2:5 Lit treading of a sole of a foot
  4. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit the work of your hand
  5. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit going
  6. Deuteronomy 2:9 Lit his
  7. Deuteronomy 2:12 I.e., the sons of Esau
  8. Deuteronomy 2:12 Lit his
  9. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e., dry stream bed, except in the rainy season
  10. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e., dry stream bed, except in the rainy season
  11. Deuteronomy 2:14 Lit days in which we went
  12. Deuteronomy 2:14 See note v 13
  13. Deuteronomy 2:21 I.e., the Ammonites
  14. Deuteronomy 2:23 I.e., Philistines
  15. Deuteronomy 2:23 I.e., Crete
  16. Deuteronomy 2:24 Or wadi
  17. Deuteronomy 2:25 Lit peoples under all the heavens
  18. Deuteronomy 2:25 Lit who will hear...and tremble
  19. Deuteronomy 2:27 Lit go on the road, on the road
  20. Deuteronomy 2:28 Lit my feet
  21. Deuteronomy 2:30 Lit by him
  22. Deuteronomy 2:31 Lit before you
  23. Deuteronomy 2:32 Lit he and
  24. Deuteronomy 2:33 Lit before us
  25. Deuteronomy 2:33 Lit struck
  26. Deuteronomy 2:34 Or put under the ban
  27. Deuteronomy 2:34 Lit every city of men...
  28. Deuteronomy 2:36 Or wadi
  29. Deuteronomy 2:36 Or wadi
  30. Deuteronomy 2:36 Or strong
  31. Deuteronomy 2:36 Lit before us
  32. Deuteronomy 2:37 Or wadi