Deuteronomy 2:26-37

Contemporary English Version

The Defeat of King Sihon of Heshbon

(Numbers 21.21-30)

Moses said to Israel:

²⁶ After we had crossed the Arnon and had set up camp in the Kedemoth Desert, I sent messengers to King Sihon of Heshbon, telling him that his nation and ours could be at peace. I said:

²⁷ Please let Israel go across your country. We will walk straight through, without turning off the road. ^28-29 You can even sell us food and water, and we will pay with silver. We need to reach the Jordan River and cross it, because the Lord our God is giving us the land on the west side. The Edomites and Moabites^[a] have already let us cross their land. Please let us cross your land as well.

^30-31 But Sihon refused to let us go across his country, because the Lord made him stubborn and eager to fight us. The Lord told me, “I am going to help you defeat Sihon and take his land, so attack him!”

³² We met Sihon and his army in battle at Jahaz, ³³ and the Lord our God helped us defeat them. We killed Sihon, his sons, and everyone else in his army. ³⁴ Then we captured and destroyed every town in Sihon's kingdom, killing everyone, ³⁵ but keeping the livestock and everything else of value. ³⁶ The Lord helped us capture every town from the Arnon River gorge north to the boundary of Gilead, including the town of Aroer on the edge of the gorge and the town in the middle of the gorge.

³⁷ However, we stayed away from all the Ammonite towns, both in the hill country and near the Jabbok River, just as the Lord had commanded.