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The Battle at Bashan

Then we turned and went up the road toward Bashan. Og king of Bashan and all his army came out to fight us at Edrei. The Lord said to me, “Don’t be afraid of Og. I will hand him, his whole army and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.”

So the Lord our God gave us Og king of Bashan and all his army. We defeated them and left no one alive. Then we captured all of Og’s cities. We captured all 60 of them. We took the whole area of Argob, Og’s kingdom in Bashan. All these were strong cities. They had high walls and gates with bars. And there were also many small towns with no walls. We completely destroyed them. We destroyed them just like the cities of Sihon king of Heshbon. We killed all the men, women and children. But we kept all the cattle and valuable things from the cities for ourselves.

So at that time we took the land east of the Jordan River. We took it from these two Amorite kings. It went from the Arnon Ravine to Mount Hermon. (Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonian people. The Amorites call it Senir.) 10 We captured all the cities on the high plain and all of Gilead. We took all of Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei. These were towns in Og’s kingdom of Bashan. 11 (Only Og king of Bashan was left of the few Rephaites. His bed was made of iron. It was more than 13 feet long and 6 feet wide! It is still in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)

The Land Is Divided

12 At that time we took this land to be our own. I gave the people of Reuben and Gad the land from Aroer by the Arnon Ravine. And I gave them half of the mountain country of Gilead and the cities in it. 13 To the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh I gave the rest of Gilead. And I gave them all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. (The area of Argob in Bashan was called the land of the Rephaites. 14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole area of Argob. It went to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. That land was named for Jair. So even today Bashan is called the Towns of Jair.) 15 I gave Gilead to Makir. 16 I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the land that begins at Gilead. It goes from the Arnon Ravine to the Jabbok River. (The middle of the Arnon is the border.) The Jabbok River is the Ammonite border. 17 The border on the west was the Jordan River in the Jordan Valley. It goes from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea west of Mount Pisgah.

18 At that time I gave you this command: “The Lord your God has given you this land as your own. Now your fighting men must take their weapons. And you must lead the other Israelites across the river. 19 Your wives, your young children and your cattle may stay here. I know you have many cattle. They may stay here in the cities I have given you. 20 Some day your Israelite relatives will also have a place to rest. They will receive the land the Lord your God has given them. It is on the other side of the Jordan River. After that, you may each return to the land I have given you.”

21 Then I gave this command to Joshua: “You have seen for yourself what the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same thing to all the kingdoms where you are going. 22 Don’t be afraid of them. The Lord your God will fight for you.”

Moses Cannot Enter the Land

23 Then I begged the Lord: 24 “Lord God, you have begun to show me, your servant, how great you are. You have great strength. No other god in heaven or earth can do the powerful things you do. There is no other god like you. 25 Please let me cross the Jordan River. I want to see the beautiful mountains and Lebanon.”

26 But the Lord was angry with me because of you. He would not listen to me. The Lord said to me, “That’s enough. Don’t talk to me anymore about it. 27 Climb to the top of Mount Pisgah. Look west, north, south and east. You can look at the land. But you will not cross the Jordan River. 28 Appoint Joshua. Help him be brave and strong. He will lead the people across the river. He will give them the land that they are to inherit. You can only look at it.” 29 So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

Defeat of Og King of Bashan

Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan(A) with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.(B) The Lord said to me, “Do not be afraid(C) of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”

So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down,(D) leaving no survivors.(E) At that time we took all his cities.(F) There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—the whole region of Argob, Og’s kingdom(G) in Bashan.(H) All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages. We completely destroyed[a] them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying[b](I) every city—men, women and children. But all the livestock(J) and the plunder from their cities we carried off for ourselves.

So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites(K) the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon.(L) (Hermon is called Sirion(M) by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.)(N) 10 We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salekah(O) and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. 11 (Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites.(P) His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide.[c] It is still in Rabbah(Q) of the Ammonites.)

Division of the Land

12 Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory north of Aroer(R) by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns. 13 The rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh.(S) (The whole region of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites.(T) 14 Jair,(U) a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites;(V) it was named(W) after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair.[d]) 15 And I gave Gilead to Makir.(X) 16 But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River,(Y) which is the border of the Ammonites. 17 Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah,(Z) from Kinnereth(AA) to the Sea of the Arabah(AB) (that is, the Dead Sea(AC)), below the slopes of Pisgah.

18 I commanded you at that time: “The Lord your God has given(AD) you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of the other Israelites.(AE) 19 However, your wives,(AF) your children and your livestock(AG) (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you, 20 until the Lord gives rest to your fellow Israelites as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.”

Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan

21 At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be afraid(AH) of them;(AI) the Lord your God himself will fight(AJ) for you.”

23 At that time I pleaded(AK) with the Lord: 24 “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness(AL) and your strong hand. For what god(AM) is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works(AN) you do?(AO) 25 Let me go over and see the good land(AP) beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.(AQ)

26 But because of you the Lord was angry(AR) with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah(AS) and look west and north and south and east.(AT) Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross(AU) this Jordan.(AV) 28 But commission(AW) Joshua, and encourage(AX) and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across(AY) and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” 29 So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.(AZ)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 3:6 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  2. Deuteronomy 3:6 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  3. Deuteronomy 3:11 That is, about 14 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 4 meters long and 1.8 meters wide
  4. Deuteronomy 3:14 Or called the settlements of Jair