Deuteronomy 2
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 2
The People Travel North. 1 Then we turned back and set out for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had instructed me. We traveled around the highlands of Seir for many days.
2 Then the Lord spoke to me, saying, 3 “You have been going around these highlands long enough. Turn to the north 4 and command the people: ‘You are to pass through the territory of your kin, the children of Esau,[a] who dwell in Seir. 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 a single foot, for I have given Esau possession of the highlands of Seir. 6 You are to purchase your food with silver, and you will also purchase your drinking water with silver. 7 The Lord, your God, has blessed you in all your undertakings, and he has watched over your journey through this great wilderness these forty years. The Lord, your God, has been with you, and you have lacked for nothing.’ ”
8 So we went on, bypassing our kin, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road that comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber and traveled along the desert road of Moab.
Bypassing Moab. 9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not provoke the Moabites nor fight with them, for I will not give you their land as a possession. I have given the Ar to the children of Lot as a possession.” 10 (The Emim lived there in days of old, they were a great and numerous people, as tall as the Anakim. 11 Like the Anakim they were considered to be Rephaim, but the Moabites called them the Emim. 12 The Horites lived in Seir in days of old, but the children of Esau drove them out from before themselves and destroyed them, settling where they had lived, just as Israel did in the land that the Lord had given them to possess.)
13 “Now rise up and cross the Valley of the Zered.” So we crossed the Valley of the Zered. 14 It was thirty-eight years from when we left Kadesh-barnea until when we crossed over the Valley of the Zered. During this time the entire generation of men of war perished in the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 For the hand of the Lord was set against them, to wipe them out from the camp until they were consumed. 16 And so the men of war among the people perished.
17 Bypassing Ammon. Then the Lord spoke to me, saying, 18 “Today you will cross over the Ar,[b] the boundary of Moab. 19 When you come up against the Ammonites, do not harass nor provoke them, for I will not give you the land of the Ammonites as a possession. I have given it to the children of Lot as a possession.” 20 (It is considered to be the land of the Rephaim, for the Rephaim lived in it in days of old, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin. 21 They were a great and numerous people, as tall as the Anakim, but the Lord destroyed them before them. They drove them out and settled in their place. 22 He had done the same for the children of Esau in Seir when he destroyed the Horites before them. They drove them out and live where they had lived to the present. 23 The Avvim, who lived in villages up to Gaza,[c] were destroyed by the Caphtorim who came from Caphtor. They dwell in their place.)
24 Defeat of Sihon.“Rise, set out and cross over the Valley of the Arnon. I have given Sihon the Amorite, the king of Heshbon, and his land into your hands. Start to occupy it and do battle with him. 25 From today on I will place terror and fear of you in all of the nations under the heavens. Whoever hears about you will tremble and be in anguish because of you.”
26 I sent messengers from the Desert of Kedemoth to Sihon, the king of Heshbon, with words of peace saying, 27 “Let me pass through your land. I will travel on the road, and I will not turn either to the right or the left. 28 You can sell us food for silver so that we might eat, and water for silver so that we might drink, only let me pass through on foot. 29 This is what the descendants of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me. Then I will pass over the Jordan into the land that the Lord, our God, has given us.” 30 But Sihon, the king of Heshbon, would not let us pass through, for the Lord had hardened his spirit and made his heart stubborn so that he might deliver him into your hands, as he has today.
31 Then the Lord said to me, “I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land to you. Now begin to take it, so that you may inherit his land.” 32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to give battle at Jahaz. 33 The Lord, our God, delivered him over to us. We killed him and his sons and all his people. 34 It was then that we captured all of his cities and completely wiped out the men, the women, and the children of all the cities.[d] We left nothing alive 35 except for the cattle that we took as pillage along with the spoils from the cities that we captured. 36 There was not a city that was too strong for us, from Aroer on the shore of the Arnon River and the city that is in the valley, all the way up to Gilead. The Lord, our God, delivered everything into our hands. 37 But as the Lord, our God, had commanded, you did not enter the land of the Ammonites, nor the land along the River Jabbok, nor the cities in the hill country.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 2:4 Esau (Edom) has allowed Israel to pass through and given it a welcome (v. 29; 23:8). A different version of the facts is given in Num 20:18.
- Deuteronomy 2:18 Ar: a Moabite city that gave its name to the entire land; perhaps to be identified with Khirbet-rabba.
- Deuteronomy 2:23 Gaza: a stronghold of the Philistines (see Am 9:7), who had entered Palestine in the thirteenth/twelfth century B.C.; Caphtor (Egyptian, Keftiu): Crete and the islands and coasts of the eastern Mediterranean.
- Deuteronomy 2:34 Destruction, or anathema, was a way of completely consecrating something to the divinity. Deuteronomy makes it a means of preserving the people. See Deut 7:2.
Deuteronomy 2
New King James Version
The Desert Years
2 “Then we turned and (A)journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, (B)as the Lord spoke to me, and we [a]skirted Mount Seir for many days.
2 “And the Lord spoke to me, saying: 3 ‘You have skirted this mountain (C)long enough; turn northward. 4 And command the people, saying, (D)“You are about to pass through the territory of (E)your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully. 5 Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, (F)because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.
7 “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your [b]trudging through this great wilderness. (G)These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” ’
8 “And when we passed beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir, away from the road of the plain, away from (H)Elath and Ezion Geber, we (I)turned and passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab. 9 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given (J)Ar to (K)the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”
10 (L)(The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as (M)the Anakim. 11 They were also regarded as [c]giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 (N)The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their [d]place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave them.)
13 “ ‘Now rise and cross over (O)the [e]Valley of the Zered.’ So we crossed over the Valley of the Zered. 14 And the time we took to come (P)from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, (Q)until all the generation of the men of war [f]was consumed from the midst of the camp, (R)just as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they [g]were consumed.
16 “So it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying: 18 ‘This day you are to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab. 19 And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to (S)the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”
20 (That was also regarded as a land of [h]giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them (T)Zamzummim, 21 (U)a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, 22 just as He had done for the descendants of Esau, (V)who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed (W)the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. 23 And (X)the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza—(Y)the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)
24 “ ‘Rise, take your journey, and (Z)cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand (AA)Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin [i]to possess it, and engage him in battle. 25 (AB)This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations [j]under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall (AC)tremble and be in anguish because of you.’
King Sihon Defeated(AD)
26 “And I (AE)sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, (AF)with words of peace, saying, 27 (AG)‘Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left. 28 You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink; (AH)only let me pass through on foot, 29 (AI)just as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord our God is giving us.’
30 (AJ)“But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for (AK)the Lord your God (AL)hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.
31 “And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to (AM)give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’ 32 (AN)Then Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz. 33 And (AO)the Lord our God delivered him [k]over to us; so (AP)we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. 34 We took all his cities at that time, and we (AQ)utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining. 35 We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we took. 36 (AR)From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from (AS)the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; (AT)the Lord our God delivered all to us. 37 Only you did not go near the land of the people of Ammon—anywhere along the River (AU)Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, or (AV)wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 2:1 circled around
- Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit. goings
- Deuteronomy 2:11 Heb. rephaim
- Deuteronomy 2:12 stead
- Deuteronomy 2:13 Wadi or Brook
- Deuteronomy 2:14 perished
- Deuteronomy 2:15 perished
- Deuteronomy 2:20 Heb. rephaim
- Deuteronomy 2:24 to take possession
- Deuteronomy 2:25 everywhere under the heavens
- Deuteronomy 2:33 Lit. before us
Deuteronomio 2
Palabra de Dios para Todos
Israel vaga por el desierto
2 Luego nos dirigimos de vuelta hacia el desierto por el camino al mar Rojo así como el SEÑOR me había mandado y vagamos alrededor de la región montañosa de Seír[a] por mucho tiempo. 2 Luego el SEÑOR me dijo: 3 «Ustedes han estado caminando por esta región montañosa lo suficiente, vayan ahora al norte. 4 Luego dale estas órdenes al pueblo: Ustedes están pasando por el territorio de sus hermanos, los descendientes de Esaú, que están viviendo en Seír. Ellos están temerosos de ustedes. 5 No los provoquen porque yo no les daré ni un palmo[b] de tierra de ellos, porque yo le di a Esaú la región montañosa de Seír como su propiedad. 6 Para alimentarse ustedes, cómprenles trigo, e incluso páguenles el agua que ustedes consuman. 7 Recuerden que nunca les ha faltado nada porque el SEÑOR su Dios los ha bendecido a ustedes en todo lo que han hecho. Dios los cuidó mientras recorrían este gran desierto, y durante los últimos 40 años el SEÑOR ha estado con ustedes».
8 Entonces nos alejamos de la tierra de nuestros parientes, los descendientes de Esaú, que vivían en Seír, del camino de Arabá, de Elat y de Ezión Guéber, y tomamos entonces el camino hacia el desierto de Moab.
9 El SEÑOR me dijo: «No provoquen a Moab y no entren en batalla con ellos porque yo no les daré a ustedes nada de la tierra de Moab. A los descendientes de Lot[c] les he dado de herencia la región de Ar.
10 (Los emitas vivían antes en Ar. Ellos eran gente fuerte y numerosa como los anaquitas. 11 Se creía que ellos también eran refaítas como los anaquitas, pero los moabitas los llamaban emitas. 12 También los horeos habían vivido anteriormente en Seír, pero los descendientes de Esaú los expulsaron y vivieron ahí en su lugar, así como lo hizo Israel en la tierra que el SEÑOR les había dado).
13 »Ahora, pónganse en marcha y crucen sobre el valle Zéred». Entonces lo hicimos. 14 Nos tomó 38 años viajar desde Cades Barnea al valle Zéred. En aquel tiempo, toda la generación de guerreros que no había confiado en Dios en Cades Barnea había muerto, tal como el SEÑOR lo había prometido. 15 De hecho, el SEÑOR mismo se opuso a ellos hasta que los eliminó completamente del campamento.
16 Cuando todos los guerreros del pueblo murieron, 17 el SEÑOR me dijo: 18 «Hoy cruzarás por el territorio de Moab en Ar, 19 y cuando se aproximen a los amonitas, no los provoques y no pelees con ellos, porque yo no te daré nada de la tierra de los amorreos. Yo se la he dado de herencia a los descendientes de Lot.
20 (Esta era también considerada la tierra de los refaítas. Ellos vivieron allí antes y los amonitas los llamaron los zamzumitas. 21 Eran grandes y numerosos como los anaquitas, pero el SEÑOR los destruyó y los amonitas los expulsaron y habitaron ahí en su lugar. 22 Él les ayudó igualmente a los descendientes de Esaú que vivían en Seír cuando destruyó a los horeos ante ellos, para que tomaran su tierra y vivieran ahí hasta el día de hoy. 23 Y respecto a los aveos que vivían en poblaciones cerca de Gaza; los filisteos, que venían de Creta los destruyeron y se establecieron en su lugar).
24 »Ponte en marcha, prepárate y cruza el arroyo Arnón. Mira, te he dado el poder de vencer al rey Sijón de los amorreos de Hesbón. Comienza a tomar su tierra y emprende la guerra contra él. 25 Este día haré que todos los pueblos de la tierra les teman y se aterroricen de ustedes. Cuando ellos escuchen noticias sobre ustedes, se asustarán y temblarán ante ustedes».
La derrota de Sijón
(Nm 21:21-30)
26 Entonces yo, Moisés, envié mensajeros desde el desierto oriental al rey Sijón de Hesbón con esta propuesta de paz: 27 «Déjanos pasar por el camino de tu tierra, permaneceremos en él y no nos saldremos ni a la derecha ni a la izquierda. 28 Nos venderás comida para que podamos comer, y te compraremos el agua para que podamos beber. Solamente déjanos cruzar a pie, 29 así como los descendientes de Esaú que viven en Seír y los moabitas que viven en Ar nos lo permitieron, hasta que hayamos cruzado el río Jordán a la tierra que el SEÑOR nuestro Dios nos da». 30 Pero el rey Sijón de Hesbón se negó a dejarnos cruzar por su tierra, porque el SEÑOR tu Dios lo volvió terco de espíritu y endureció su corazón para ponerlo bajo tu control (como lo está ahora).
31 Luego el SEÑOR me dijo: «Mira, he comenzado a darte a Sijón y su tierra; entra a tomar posesión de su tierra, pues será tuya». 32 Entonces Sijón, con toda su gente, fue a Yahaza a enfrentarse con nosotros en batalla. 33 El SEÑOR nuestro Dios nos lo entregó para que lo venciéramos a él, junto con sus hijos y todo su ejército. 34 En aquel tiempo capturamos todas sus ciudades y matamos en cada ciudad a todos los hombres, mujeres y niños. No dejamos ningún sobreviviente. 35 Tomamos solamente como botín el ganado y las cosas de valor de las ciudades que capturamos. 36 Desde Aroer en el límite del arroyo Arnón, incluyendo la ciudad que se encuentra en el valle, hasta la región de Galaad, no dejamos ninguna ciudad sin conquistar. El SEÑOR nuestro Dios nos entregó cada una de ellas. 37 Lo único a lo que no nos acercamos, conforme a la orden del SEÑOR, fue a la tierra de los amonitas que incluía todo lo que está a la orilla del arroyo Jaboc y las ciudades de la región montañosa.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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