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Deuteronomy 2
New English Translation

The Journey from Kadesh Barnea to Moab

2 Then we turned and set out toward the wilderness on the way to the Red Sea[a] 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 Instruct[b] these people as follows: ‘You are about to cross the border of your relatives[c] the descendants of Esau,[d] 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 Seir[e] as an inheritance for Esau. 6 You may purchase[f] food to eat and water to drink from them. 7 All along the way I, the Lord your God,[g] have blessed your every effort.[h] I have[i] been attentive to[j] your travels through this great wilderness. These forty years I have[k] been with you; you have lacked nothing.’”

8 So we turned away from our relatives[l] the descendants of Esau, the inhabitants of Seir, turning from the route of the rift valley[m] which comes up from[n] Elat[o] and Ezion Geber,[p] and traveling the way of the wilderness of Moab. 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 Ar[q] to the descendants of Lot[r] as their possession. 10 (The Emites[s] 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;[t] the Moabites call them Emites. 12 Previously the Horites[u] 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.)[v] 13 Now, get up and cross the Wadi Zered.”[w] So we did so.[x] 14 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 within[y] 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,[z] 17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab, that is, of Ar.[aa] 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 descendants[ab] as their possession.”

20 (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaites.[ac] The Rephaites lived there originally; the Ammonites call them Zamzummites.[ad] 21 They are a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed the Rephaites[ae] in advance of the Ammonites,[af] 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 Avvites[ag] who lived in settlements as far west as Gaza, Caphtorites[ah] who came from Crete[ai] 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,[aj] 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 earth[ak] with dread and to terrify them when they hear about you. They will shiver and shake in anticipation of your approach.”[al]

Defeat of Sihon, King of Heshbon

26 Then I sent messengers from the Kedemoth[am] wilderness to King Sihon of Heshbon with an offer of peace: 27 “Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the roadway.[an] I will not turn aside to the right or the left. 28 Sell me food for cash[ao] so that I can eat and sell me water to drink.[ap] 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 our[aq] God had made him obstinate[ar] and stubborn[as] so that he might deliver him over to you[at] 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 troops[au] emerged to encounter us in battle at Jahaz,[av] 33 the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, along with his sons[aw] and everyone else.[ax] 34 At that time we seized all his cities and put every one of them[ay] under divine judgment,[az] 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,[ba] which is at the edge of Wadi Arnon (it is the city in the wadi),[bb] 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,[bc] the cities of the hill country, or any place else forbidden by the Lord our God.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:1 tn Heb “Reed Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Deut 1:40.
  2. Deuteronomy 2:4 tn Heb “command” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “charge the people as follows.”
  3. Deuteronomy 2:4 tn Heb “brothers”; NAB “your kinsmen.”
  4. Deuteronomy 2:4 sn The descendants of Esau (Heb “sons of Esau”; the phrase also occurs in 2:8, 12, 22, 29). These are the inhabitants of the land otherwise known as Edom, south and east of the Dead Sea. Jacob’s brother Esau had settled there after his bitter strife with Jacob (Gen 36:1-8). “Edom” means “reddish,” probably because of the red sandstone of the region, but also by popular etymology because Esau, at birth, was reddish (Gen 25:25).
  5. Deuteronomy 2:5 sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom.
  6. Deuteronomy 2:6 tn Heb includes “with silver.”
  7. Deuteronomy 2:7 tn The Hebrew text does not have the first person pronoun; it has been supplied for purposes of English style (the Lord is speaking here).
  8. Deuteronomy 2:7 tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”
  9. Deuteronomy 2:7 tn Heb “he has.” This has been converted to first person in the translation in keeping with English style.
  10. Deuteronomy 2:7 tn Heb “known” (so ASV, NASB); NAB “been concerned about.”
  11. Deuteronomy 2:7 tn Heb “the Lord your God has.” This has been replaced in the translation by the first person pronoun (“I”) in keeping with English style.
  12. Deuteronomy 2:8 tn Or “brothers”; NRSV “our kin.”
  13. Deuteronomy 2:8 sn As a geographic feature the rift valley (עֲרָבָה, ʿaravah) extends from the Gulf of Aqaba to Galilee. Traveling up the middle of the rift valley probably would have been the easiest path, at least up to the Dead Sea.
  14. Deuteronomy 2:8 tn Heb “from.”
  15. Deuteronomy 2:8 sn Elat was a port city at the head of the eastern arm of the Red Sea, that is, the Gulf of Aqaba (or Gulf of Eilat). Solomon (1 Kgs 9:28), Uzziah (2 Kgs 14:22), and Ahaz (2 Kgs 16:5-6) used it as a port but eventually it became permanently part of Edom. It may be what is known today as Tell el-Kheleifeh. Modern Eilat is located farther west along the northern coast. See G. Pratico, “Nelson Glueck’s 1938-1940 Excavations at Tell el-Kheleifeh: A Reappraisal,” BASOR 259 (1985): 1-32.
  16. Deuteronomy 2:8 sn Ezion Geber. A place near the Gulf of Aqaba, Ezion-geber must be distinguished from Elat (cf. 1 Kgs 9:26-28; 2 Chr 8:17-18). It was, however, also a port city (1 Kgs 22:48-49). It may be the same as the modern site Gezirat al-Fauran, 15 mi (24 km) south-southwest from Tell el-Kheleifah.
  17. Deuteronomy 2:9 sn Ar was a Moabite city on the Arnon River east of the Dead Sea. It is mentioned elsewhere in the “Book of the Wars of Yahweh” (Num 21:15; cf. 21:28; Isa 15:1). Here it is synonymous with the whole land of Moab.
  18. Deuteronomy 2:9 sn The descendants of Lot. Following the destruction of the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah, as God’s judgment, Lot fathered two sons by his two daughters, namely, Moab and Ammon (Gen 19:30-38). Thus, these descendants of Lot in and around Ar were the Moabites.
  19. Deuteronomy 2:10 sn Emites. These giant people, like the Anakites (Deut 1:28), were also known as Rephaites (v. 11). They appear elsewhere in the narrative of the invasion of the kings of the east where they are said to have lived around Shaveh Kiriathaim, perhaps 9 to 11 mi (15 to 18 km) east of the north end of the Dead Sea (Gen 14:5).
  20. Deuteronomy 2:11 sn Rephaites. The earliest reference to this infamous giant race is, again, in the story of the invasion of the eastern kings (Gen 14:5). They lived around Ashteroth Karnaim, probably modern Tel Ashtarah (cf. Deut 1:4), in the Bashan plateau east of the Sea of Galilee. Og, king of Bashan, was a Rephaite (Deut 3:11; Josh 12:4; 13:12). Other texts speak of them or their kinfolk in both Transjordan (Deut 2:20; 3:13) and Canaan (Josh 11:21-22; 14:12, 15; 15:13-14; Judg 1:20; 1 Sam 17:4; 1 Chr 20:4-8). They also appear in extra-biblical literature, especially in connection with the city state of Ugarit. See C. L’Heureux, “Ugaritic and Biblical Rephaim,” HTR 67 (1974): 265-74.
  21. Deuteronomy 2:12 sn Horites. Most likely these are the same as the well-known people of ancient Near Eastern texts described as Hurrians. They were geographically widespread and probably non-Semitic. Genesis speaks of them as the indigenous peoples of Edom that Esau expelled (Gen 36:8-19, 31-43) and also as among those who confronted the kings of the east (Gen 14:6).
  22. Deuteronomy 2:12 tn Most modern English versions, beginning with the ASV (1901), regard vv. 10-12 as parenthetical to the narrative.
  23. Deuteronomy 2:13 sn Wadi Zered. Now known as Wadi el-Ḥesa, this valley marked the boundary between Moab to the north and Edom to the south.
  24. Deuteronomy 2:13 tn Heb “we crossed the Wadi Zered.” This has been translated as “we did so” for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  25. Deuteronomy 2:15 tn Heb “from the middle of.” Although many recent English versions leave this expression untranslated, the point seems to be that these soldiers did not die in battle but “within the camp.”
  26. Deuteronomy 2:16 tn Heb “and it was when they were eliminated, all the men of war, to die from the midst of the people.”
  27. Deuteronomy 2:18 sn Ar. See note on this word in Deut 2:9.
  28. Deuteronomy 2:19 sn Lot’s descendants. See note on this phrase in Deut 2:9.
  29. Deuteronomy 2:20 sn Rephaites. See note on this word in Deut 2:11.
  30. Deuteronomy 2:20 sn Zamzummites. Just as the Moabites called Rephaites by the name Emites, the Ammonites called them Zamzummites (or Zazites; Gen 14:5).
  31. Deuteronomy 2:21 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Rephaites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  32. Deuteronomy 2:21 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Ammonites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  33. Deuteronomy 2:23 sn Avvites. Otherwise unknown, these people were probably also Anakite (or Rephaite) giants who lived in the lower Mediterranean coastal plain until they were expelled by the Caphtorites.
  34. Deuteronomy 2:23 sn Caphtorites. These peoples are familiar from both the OT (Gen 10:14; 1 Chr 1:12; Jer 47:4; Amos 9:7) and ancient Near Eastern texts (Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:37-38; ANET 138). They originated in Crete (OT “Caphtor”) and are identified as the ancestors of the Philistines (Gen 10:14; Jer 47:4).
  35. Deuteronomy 2:23 tn Heb “Caphtor”; the modern name of the island of Crete is used in the translation for clarity (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT).
  36. Deuteronomy 2:24 sn Heshbon is the name of a prominent site (now Tel Hesbān, about 7.5 mi [12 km] south southwest of Amman, Jordan). Sihon made it his capital after having driven Moab from the area and forced them south to the Arnon (Num 21:26-30). Heshbon is also mentioned in Deut 1:4.
  37. Deuteronomy 2:25 tn Heb “under heaven” (so NIV, NRSV).
  38. Deuteronomy 2:25 tn Heb “from before you.”
  39. Deuteronomy 2:26 sn Kedemoth. This is probably Aleiyan, about 8 mi (13 km) north of the Arnon and between Dibon and Mattanah.
  40. Deuteronomy 2:27 tn Heb “in the way in the way” (בַּדֶּרֶךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ, badderekh badderekh). The repetition lays great stress on the idea of resolute determination to stick to the path. IBHS 116 §7.2.3c.
  41. Deuteronomy 2:28 tn Heb “silver.”
  42. Deuteronomy 2:28 tn Heb “and water for silver give to me so that I may drink.”
  43. Deuteronomy 2:30 tc The translation follows the LXX in reading the first person pronoun. The MT, followed by many English versions, has a second person masculine singular pronoun, “your.”
  44. Deuteronomy 2:30 tn Heb “hardened his spirit” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “made his spirit stubborn.”
  45. Deuteronomy 2:30 tn Heb “made his heart obstinate” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “made his heart defiant.”
  46. Deuteronomy 2:30 tn Heb “into your hand.”
  47. Deuteronomy 2:32 tn Heb “people.”
  48. Deuteronomy 2:32 sn Jahaz. This is probably Khirbet el-Medeiyineh. See J. Dearman, “The Levitical Cities of Reuben and Moabite Toponymy,” BASOR 276 (1984): 55-57.
  49. Deuteronomy 2:33 tc The translation follows the Qere or marginal reading; the Kethib (consonantal text) has the singular, “his son.”
  50. Deuteronomy 2:33 tn Heb “all his people.”
  51. Deuteronomy 2:34 tn Heb “every city of men.” This apparently identifies the cities as inhabited.
  52. Deuteronomy 2:34 tn Heb “under the ban” (נַחֲרֵם, nakharem). The verb employed is חָרַם (kharam, usually in the Hiphil) and the associated noun is חֵרֶם (kherem). See J. Naudé, NIDOTTE, 2:276-77, and, for a more thorough discussion, Susan Niditch, War in the Hebrew Bible, 28-77.sn Divine judgment refers to God’s designation of certain persons, places, and things as objects of his special wrath and judgment because, in his omniscience, he knows them to be impure and hopelessly unrepentant.
  53. Deuteronomy 2:36 sn Aroer. Now known as ʿAraʾir on the northern edge of the Arnon river, Aroer marked the southern limit of Moab and, later, of the allotment of the tribe of Reuben (Josh 13:9, 16).
  54. Deuteronomy 2:36 tn Heb “the city in the wadi.” This enigmatic reference may refer to Ar or, more likely, to Aroer itself. Epexegetically the text might read, “From Aroer…, that is, the city in the wadi.” See D. L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1-11 (WBC), 49.
  55. Deuteronomy 2:37 sn Wadi Jabbok. Now known as the Zerqa River, this is a major tributary of the Jordan that normally served as a boundary between Ammon and Gad (Deut 3:16).
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Deuteronomy 2
King James Version

2 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the Lord spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.

2 And the Lord spake unto me, saying,

3 Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.

4 And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

6 Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.

7 For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

8 And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

9 And the Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

10 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;

11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites called them Emims.

12 The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the Lord gave unto them.

13 Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.

14 And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the Lord sware unto them.

15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.

16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,

17 That the Lord spake unto me, saying,

18 Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:

19 And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.

20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

21 A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the Lord destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:

22 As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day:

23 And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)

24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine 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 thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.

26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,

27 Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.

28 Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;

29 (As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me;) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the Lord our God giveth us.

30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

31 And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.

32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

33 And the Lord our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:

35 Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

36 From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the Lord our God delivered all unto us:

37 Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the Lord our God forbad us.

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Deuteronomy 2
Amplified Bible

Wanderings in the Wilderness

2 “Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, just as the Lord had told me; and we circled Mount Seir for many days. 2 And the Lord spoke to me, saying, 3 ‘You have circled this mountain long enough; [a]turn northward, 4 and command the people, saying, “You are passing through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau (the Edomites), who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; 5 do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as little as a footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall buy food from them with money so that you may [have something to] eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money so that you may [have something to] drink. 7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all [b]that you have done; He has known about your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.”’

8 “So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who lived in Seir, away from the Arabah (wilderness) road, away from Elath and from Ezion-geber. Then we turned and passed through by the way of the Wilderness of Moab. 9 And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass [the descendants of] Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons (Moab and Ammon) of Lot as a possession.’(A) 10 (The Emim lived there in times past, a people great and numerous, and as tall as the Anakim. 11 These also are regarded as Rephaim [an ancient people], as are the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 The Horites also used to live in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them. They destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land which the Lord gave them as their possession.) 13 ‘Now [c]arise and cross the valley of the [d]Zered.’ So we crossed the Zered Valley. 14 Now thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley, until that entire generation of the men of war had died from within the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 Moreover the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from within the camp, until they were all dead.

16 “So it came about when all the men of war had finally died from among the people, 17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying, 18 ‘Today you are to pass through Ar, the border of Moab. 19 When you come opposite the territory of the sons of [e]Ammon, do not harass 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 the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20 (It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim [of giant stature], for Rephaim used to live there, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21 a great, numerous people, and tall as the Anakim, but the Lord destroyed them before the sons of Ammon. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22 just as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; and the sons of Esau (the Edomites) dispossessed them and settled in their place [and remain there] even to this day. 23 As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim (Cretans, later Philistines) who came from Caphtor (Crete) destroyed them and settled in their place.) 24 ‘Now arise, continue on, and go through the valley of the [f]Arnon. Look, I have handed over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin! Take possession [of it] and fight with him in battle. 25 This day I will begin to put the dread and the fear of you on the peoples (pagans) under the whole heaven, who, when they hear the reports about you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

26 “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 [with my people]. I will travel [with them] only on the highway; I will not turn away to the right or to the left. 28 You will sell me food for money so that I [along with my people] will eat, and you will give me water for money so that I [along with my people] will drink; only let me [and my people] travel through [the land] on foot, 29 just as the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, [g]did for me, until I cross the Jordan into the land which the Lord our God is giving us.’ 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to travel through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today. 31 The Lord said to me, ‘Look, I have begun to hand over to you Sihon and his land. Begin! Take possession [of it], so that you may possess his land.’

32 “Then at Jahaz, Sihon and all his people came out to meet us in battle. 33 So the Lord our God handed him over to us [and gave us the victory], and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. 34 At the same time we took all his cities and utterly destroyed every city—men, women and children. We left no survivor. 35 We took only the cattle as plunder for ourselves and the spoil of the cities which we had captured. 36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon Valley, and from the city which is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was no city [whose wall was] too high and too strong for us; the Lord our God handed over everything to us. 37 Only you did not go near the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the river [h]Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:3 The Israelites were now directed to journey toward the lands given by God to their distant relatives, the Edomites, Moabites, and the Ammonites.
  2. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit the work of your hand.
  3. Deuteronomy 2:13 The Hebrew verb “arise” is an instruction to prepare to fulfill a command, somewhat similar to the military command “attention.”
  4. Deuteronomy 2:13 Most of the year, the Zered brook has no water, so it is only a valley. The Hebrew word “nahal” (like the Aramaic word “wadi”) indicates a seasonal river.
  5. Deuteronomy 2:19 Forefather of the Ammonites, was the son of Lot, through his younger daughter (Gen 19:30-38).
  6. Deuteronomy 2:24 Another of the seasonal rivers.
  7. Deuteronomy 2:29 All that is said here is that the Edomites and Moabites sold Israel food and water. There is no comment regarding their hostility toward Israel and their desire for her destruction. See Num 21:21-32 and Deut 23:3, 4.
  8. Deuteronomy 2:37 Another of the seasonal rivers. The Jabbok River was the site where Jacob (Israel) encountered God (Gen 32:22-32).
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Deuteronomy 2
New International Version

Wanderings in the Wilderness

2 Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea,[a](A) as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.(B)

2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough;(C) now turn north. 4 Give the people these orders:(D) ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau,(E) who live in Seir.(F) They will be afraid(G) of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.(H) 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched(I) over your journey through this vast wilderness.(J) These forty years(K) the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.(L)

8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from(M) the Arabah(N) road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber,(O) and traveled along the desert road of Moab.(P)

9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar(Q) to the descendants of Lot(R) as a possession.”

10 (The Emites(S) used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.(T) 11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites,(U) but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites(V) used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did(W) in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)

13 And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.(X)” So we crossed the valley.

14 Thirty-eight years(Y) passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea(Z) until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation(AA) of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them.(AB) 15 The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated(AC) them from the camp.

16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.(AD) 19 When you come to the Ammonites,(AE) do not harass them or provoke them to war,(AF) for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.(AG)”

20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites,(AH) who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.(AI) The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. 22 The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir,(AJ) when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23 And as for the Avvites(AK) who lived in villages as far as Gaza,(AL) the Caphtorites(AM) coming out from Caphtor[b](AN) destroyed them and settled in their place.)

Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

24 “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge.(AO) See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite,(AP) king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage(AQ) him in battle. 25 This very day I will begin to put the terror(AR) and fear(AS) of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble(AT) and be in anguish because of you.”

26 From the Desert of Kedemoth(AU) I sent messengers to Sihon(AV) king of Heshbon offering peace(AW) and saying, 27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left.(AX) 28 Sell us food to eat(AY) and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot(AZ)— 29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord(BA) your God had made his spirit stubborn(BB) and his heart obstinate(BC) in order to give him into your hands,(BD) as he has now done.

31 The Lord said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”(BE)

32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle(BF) at Jahaz, 33 the Lord our God delivered(BG) him over to us and we struck him down,(BH) together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed[c](BI) them—men, women and children. We left no survivors. 35 But the livestock(BJ) and the plunder(BK) from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36 From Aroer(BL) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead,(BM) not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave(BN) us all of them. 37 But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God,(BO) you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites,(BP) neither the land along the course of the Jabbok(BQ) nor that around the towns in the hills.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:1 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Deuteronomy 2:23 That is, Crete
  3. Deuteronomy 2:34 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
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Deutéronome 2
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Vers Canaan

Le contournement d’Edom, de Moab et d’Ammon

2 Nous avons fait demi-tour et nous sommes repartis pour le désert en direction de la mer des Roseaux, comme l’Eternel me l’avait demandé. Pendant de longs jours, nous avons tourné autour de la montagne de Séir.

2 Alors l’Eternel me dit : 3 « Vous avez fait assez longtemps le tour de ces montagnes, prenez la direction du nord. 4 Ordonne au peuple : “Vous allez passer près de la frontière de vos frères, les descendants d’Esaü[a], qui habitent la région de Séir ; ils auront peur de vous, mais faites bien attention : 5 n’allez pas les attaquer, car je ne vous donnerai rien dans leur pays, pas même de quoi poser le pied. En effet, j’ai donné la région montagneuse de Séir en possession à Esaü[b]. 6 Vous achèterez d’eux tout ce que vous mangerez et vous leur paierez même l’eau que vous boirez : 7 car l’Eternel votre Dieu vous a bénis dans toutes vos entreprises, il a veillé sur vous pendant votre marche à travers ce vaste désert ; voilà quarante années que l’Eternel votre Dieu est avec vous et vous n’avez manqué de rien.” »

8 Nous avons donc passé plus loin, laissant de côté nos frères, les descendants d’Esaü[c], qui habitent la région de Séir, et nous avons pris la route de la vallée d’Eilath et d’Etsyôn-Guéber, puis, changeant de direction, nous avons pris la route du désert de Moab.

9 Alors l’Eternel m’avertit : « Ne traitez pas Moab en ennemi et n’engagez pas de combat contre lui, car je ne vous donnerai rien dans son pays ; en effet, j’ai donné le pays d’Ar en possession aux descendants de Loth[d]. »

10 Autrefois, les Emim y habitaient[e], c’était un grand peuple, nombreux et de haute taille, comme les Anaqim. 11 Ils passaient, eux aussi, de même que les Anaqim, pour des Rephaïm, et les Moabites les appellaient Emim. 12 Auparavant, le pays de Séir était habité par les Horiens, mais les descendants d’Esaü les ont chassés : ils les ont exterminés et se sont établis à leur place, comme Israël a fait pour le pays que l’Eternel lui a donné en possession.

13 « Maintenant, dit l’Eternel, en route, traversez le torrent du Zéred. » Nous avons donc traversé le torrent du Zéred[f]. 14 Entre notre départ de Qadesh-Barnéa et notre traversée du torrent du Zéred, il s’est écoulé trente-huit ans, le temps que disparaisse l’ensemble des hommes en âge de combattre, comme l’Eternel le leur avait juré[g]. 15 La main de l’Eternel vint même les atteindre à l’intérieur du camp, jusqu’à leur complète disparition.

16 Lorsque la mort eut fait disparaître du milieu du peuple tous les hommes en âge de porter les armes jusqu’au dernier, 17 l’Eternel me dit : 18 « Aujourd’hui, tu franchiras la frontière de Moab et tu traverseras le pays d’Ar. 19 Tu te trouveras en face des Ammonites. Ne les attaque pas et ne les provoque pas, car je ne te donne aucun territoire dans le pays des Ammonites ; en effet, c’est aux descendants de Loth que je l’ai donné en possession[h]. »

20 Ce pays[i] aussi passait pour avoir été habité par des Rephaïm. Ceux-ci l’occupaient autrefois, et ils étaient appelés Zamzoummim par les Ammonites. 21 C’était un grand peuple, nombreux et de haute taille comme les Anaqim, mais l’Eternel les avait détruits par les Ammonites, qui avaient pris possession de leur pays pour s’établir à leur place. 22 Il fit pour les Ammonites comme pour les descendants d’Esaü qui demeurent dans le pays de Séir, pour lesquels il a détruit les Horiens et qui ont pris possession de leur pays, où ils ont habité à leur place jusqu’à ce jour. 23 Il en est de même des Avviens qui habitent dans les villages jusqu’à Gaza ; les Crétois, venus de Crète[j], les détruisirent et s’installèrent à leur place.

La victoire sur Sihôn et Og

24 « Allons, mettez-vous en route, dit l’Eternel, et traversez le torrent de l’Arnon. Je vais vous livrer Sihôn l’Amoréen, roi de Heshbôn, avec tout son pays. Commencez à prendre possession de son domaine, engagez le combat contre lui. 25 Aujourd’hui je vais commencer à faire de vous la terreur de tous les peuples qui habitent sous le ciel, ils vous craindront tellement qu’au seul bruit de votre approche, ils se mettront à trembler et seront pris de panique en face de vous. »

26 Alors, depuis le désert de Qedémoth, j’ai envoyé à Sihôn, roi de Heshbôn, des émissaires, avec ce message de paix : 27 « Permets-nous de passer par ton pays. Nous suivrons uniquement la route sans nous en écarter ni à droite, ni à gauche. 28 Tu nous fourniras à prix d’argent la nourriture que nous mangerons et tu nous donneras contre paiement l’eau que nous boirons, 29 comme l’ont fait les descendants d’Esaü qui habitent en Séir et les Moabites qui vivent dans le pays d’Ar. Laisse-nous simplement passer à pied jusqu’à ce que nous ayons traversé le Jourdain pour entrer dans le pays que l’Eternel notre Dieu nous donne. » 30 Mais Sihôn, roi de Heshbôn, refusa de nous laisser passer chez lui, car l’Eternel votre Dieu l’avait rendu inflexible et entêté, afin de le livrer en votre pouvoir – comme cela est arrivé.

31 Puis l’Eternel me dit : « Vois, j’ai commencé de vous livrer Sihôn et son pays. Entreprends la conquête de son pays. » 32 Alors Sihôn se mit en campagne contre nous et nous attaqua à Yahats avec toute son armée. 33 Mais l’Eternel notre Dieu le livra à notre merci, et nous l’avons vaincu, lui, ses fils et toute son armée. 34 Nous nous sommes alors emparés de toutes ses villes et nous en avons exterminé la population pour la vouer à l’Eternel, hommes, femmes et enfants, sans laisser aucun survivant. 35 Nous avons seulement gardé pour nous le bétail ainsi que le butin trouvé dans les villes conquises. 36 Depuis Aroër sur la falaise au-dessus du torrent de l’Arnon, et depuis la ville qui est au fond des gorges du torrent jusqu’à Galaad, il n’y a pas eu de cité imprenable pour nous, car l’Eternel notre Dieu nous les a toutes livrées. 37 Mais vous ne vous êtes pas approchés du pays des Ammonites, ni d’aucun endroit situé sur la rive du torrent du Yabboq, ni des villes de la montagne, ni d’aucun des lieux que l’Eternel notre Dieu nous avait commandé d’épargner.

Footnotes

  1. 2.4 Voir Gn 36.8.
  2. 2.5 Edom, Moab et Ammon étaient des parents d’Israël auxquels Dieu avait donné un pays en possession – comme il en donnera un à Israël.
  3. 2.8 C’est-à-dire les Edomites. Ils sont qualifiés de frères parce que leur ancêtre Esaü était le frère de Jacob (Gn 25.24-26).
  4. 2.9 Voir Gn 19.30-38 pour l’origine des Moabites.
  5. 2.10 Les versets 10-12 constituent une remarque explicative interrompant le discours de Moïse. Voir allusion aux Emim dans Gn 14.5. Pour les Anaqim : Nb 13.22, 33.
  6. 2.13 Oued intermittent qui se jette dans la partie sud-est de la mer Morte.
  7. 2.14 Voir Nb 14.28-35.
  8. 2.19 Pour l’origine des Ammonites, voir Gn 19.30-38. Ils s’étaient fixés à l’est du Jourdain, au nord des Moabites.
  9. 2.20 Les v. 20-23 interrompent le discours de Moïse par une nouvelle remarque explicative.
  10. 2.23 Ces Crétois ont envahi cette région au xiie siècle av. J.-C. et furent appelés Philistins.
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