Defeat of Og of Bashan

“Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and King Og of Bashan(A) came out against us with his whole army to do battle at Edrei.(B) But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you along with his whole army and his land. Do to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites,(C) who lived in Heshbon.’ So the Lord our God also handed over King Og of Bashan and his whole army to us. We struck him until there was no survivor left.(D) We captured all his cities at that time. There wasn’t a city that we didn’t take from them: sixty cities, the entire region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a large number of rural villages. We completely destroyed them, as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon, destroying the men, women, and children of every city. But we took all the livestock and the spoil from the cities as plunder for ourselves.(E)

The Land of the Transjordan Tribes

“At that time we took the land from the two Amorite kings across the Jordan,(F) from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon, which the Sidonians call Sirion, but the Amorites call Senir, 10 all the cities of the plateau, Gilead, and Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of Og’s kingdom in Bashan.(G) 11 (Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim.(H) His bed[a] was made of iron. Isn’t it in Rabbah of the Ammonites?(I) It is 13½ feet long and 6 feet wide by a standard measure.[b])(J)

12 “At that time we took possession of this land.(K) I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites the area extending from Aroer by the Arnon Valley, and half the hill country of Gilead along with its cities. 13 I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh the rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og. The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim. 14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took over the entire region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. He called Bashan by his own name, Jair’s Villages,[c] as it is today. 15 I gave Gilead to Machir, 16 and I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites the area extending from Gilead to the Arnon Valley (the middle of the valley was the border) and up to the Jabbok River, the border of the Ammonites. 17 The Arabah and Jordan are also borders from Chinnereth[d] as far as the Sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah on the east.(L)

18 “I commanded you at that time: The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All your valiant men will cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers the Israelites. 19 But your wives, dependents, and livestock—I know that you have a lot of livestock—will remain in the cities I have given you(M) 20 until the Lord gives rest(N) to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession that I have given you.(O)

The Transfer of Israel’s Leadership

21 “I commanded Joshua at that time: Your own eyes have seen everything the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms you are about to enter. 22 Don’t be afraid of them, for the Lord your God fights for you.

23 “At that time I begged the Lord: 24 Lord God, you have begun to show your greatness and your strong hand to your servant, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours? 25 Please let me cross over and see the beautiful land(P) on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.

26 “But the Lord was angry with me because of you[e] and would not listen to me. The Lord said to me, ‘That’s enough! Do not speak to me again about this matter. 27 Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west, north, south, and east, and see it with your own eyes, for you will not cross the Jordan.(Q) 28 But commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit this land that you will see.’(R) 29 So we stayed in the valley facing Beth-peor.

Footnotes

  1. 3:11 Or sarcophagus
  2. 3:11 Lit nine cubits its length and four cubits its width, by a man’s cubit
  3. 3:14 Or Havvoth-jair
  4. 3:17 = the Sea of Galilee; Jos 12:3; 13:27; Lk 5:1
  5. 3:26 Or me for your sake

Defeat of King Og

“When we headed up the road to Bashan, King Og of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, for battle at Edrei.(A) The Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you, along with his people and his land. Do to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.’(B) So the Lord our God also handed over to us King Og of Bashan and all his people. We struck him down until not a single survivor was left.(C) At that time we captured all his towns; there was no citadel that we did not take from them: sixty towns, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.(D) All these were fortress towns with high walls, double gates, and bars, besides a great many villages. And we utterly destroyed them, as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon, in each city utterly destroying men, women, and children.(E) But all the livestock and the plunder of the towns we kept as spoil for ourselves.

“So at that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the land beyond the Jordan, from the Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites call it Senir),(F) 10 all the towns of the tableland, the whole of Gilead, and all of Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. 11 (Now only King Og of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. In fact, his bed, an iron bed, can still be seen in Rabbah of the Ammonites. By the common cubit it is nine cubits long and four cubits wide.)(G) 12 As for the land that we took possession of at that time, I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites the territory north of Aroer[a] that is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon, as well as half the hill country of Gilead with its towns,(H) 13 and I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, Og’s kingdom. (The whole region of Argob: all that portion of Bashan used to be called a land of Rephaim; 14 Jair the Manassite acquired the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and he named them—that is, Bashan—after himself, Havvoth-jair,[b] as it is to this day.)(I) 15 To Machir I gave Gilead.(J) 16 And to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead as far as the Wadi Arnon, with the middle of the wadi as a boundary, and up to the Jabbok, the wadi being boundary of the Ammonites; 17 the Arabah also, with the Jordan and its banks, from Chinnereth down to the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea,[c] with the lower slopes of Pisgah on the east.(K)

18 “At that time, I charged you as follows: ‘Although the Lord your God has given you this land to occupy, all your troops shall cross over armed as the vanguard of your Israelite kin.(L) 19 Only your wives, your children, and your livestock—I know that you have much livestock—shall stay behind in the towns that I have given to you. 20 When the Lord gives rest to your kindred, as to you, and they also have occupied the land that the Lord your God is giving them beyond the Jordan, then each of you may return to the property that I have given to you.’(M) 21 And I charged Joshua as well at that time, saying: ‘Your own eyes have seen everything that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so the Lord will do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. 22 Do not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.’(N)

Moses Views Canaan from Pisgah

23 “At that time, too, I entreated the Lord, saying, 24 ‘O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your might. What god in heaven or on earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours?(O) 25 Let me cross over to see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and the Lebanon.’ 26 But the Lord was angry with me on your account and would not heed me. The Lord said to me, ‘Enough from you! Never speak to me of this matter again!(P) 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look around you to the west, to the north, to the south, and to the east. Look well, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.(Q) 28 But charge Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, because it is he who shall cross over at the head of this people and who shall secure their possession of the land that you will see.’(R) 29 So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 3.12 Heb territory from Aroer
  2. 3.14 That is, settlement of Jair
  3. 3.17 Heb Salt Sea