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“we journeyed back into the wilderness, in the direction of the Red Sea,[a] as the Lord had told me, and skirted Mount Seir for many days.(A) Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have been skirting this hill country long enough. Head north, and charge the people as follows: “You are about to pass through the territory of your kindred, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so be very careful(B) not to engage in battle with them, for I will not give you even so much as a foot’s length of their land, since I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.(C) You shall purchase food from them for money, so that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them for money, so that you may drink. Surely the Lord your God has blessed you in all your undertakings; he knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” ’(D) So we passed by our kin, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir, leaving behind the route of the Arabah and leaving behind Elath and Ezion-geber.

“When we had headed out along the route of the wilderness of Moab,(E) the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or engage them in battle, for I will not give you any of its land as a possession, since I have given Ar as a possession to the descendants of Lot.’(F) 10 (The Emim—a large and numerous people, as tall as the Anakim—had formerly inhabited it.(G) 11 Like the Anakim, they are usually reckoned as Rephaim, though the Moabites call them Emim. 12 Moreover, the Horim had formerly inhabited Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them, destroying them and settling in their place, as Israel has done in the land that the Lord gave them as a possession.)(H) 13 ‘Now then, proceed to cross over the Wadi Zered.’

“So we crossed over the Wadi Zered. 14 And the length of time we had traveled from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation of warriors had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn concerning them.(I) 15 Indeed, the Lord’s own hand was against them, to root them out from the camp, until all had perished.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. 2.1 Or Sea of Reeds

Israel Passes through Edomite Territory

“We turned and set out for the desert on the road to the Reed[a] Sea, just as the Lord had directed me. We traveled around Mount Seir for many days. Then the Lord told me, ‘You’ve walked around this mountain long enough. Turn northward and command this people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau who live around Seir. They will be afraid of you so be very careful. Don’t fight them, because I won’t give you any part of their land, not even the size of a footprint.[b] I have given Mount Seir to Esau as their property. You may buy food to eat and water to drink from them, paying[c] with cash.”’ Indeed, the Lord your God blessed all the works of your hands. He knows about your travels through this vast desert. The Lord your God was with you these past 40 years, so that you didn’t lack anything. So we bypassed our relatives, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir. We turned through the Arabah desert from Elath, and from Ezion-geber we traveled the desert road to Moab.”

Israel Passes through Moabite Territory

“Then the Lord told me, ‘Don’t harass Moab or provoke them to war, because I won’t give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their property. 10 (The Emites, a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakim,[d] lived there before. 11 Like the Anakim,[e] they were thought of as Rephaim,[f] but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 The Horites used to live in Seir before the descendants of Esau dispossessed them, exterminated them, and settled there instead, just as Israel will do in the land of its possession, which the Lord gave them.) 13 Now get going and cross the Wadi[g] Zered.’ And so we crossed the Wadi[h] Zered. 14 Now from the time we left Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Wadi[i] Zered was 38 years. All of that generation, the soldiers in the camp, were destroyed just as the Lord swore they would be. 15 Indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them to root them out from the camp until they were utterly destroyed.”

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:1 So MT; LXX reads Red
  2. Deuteronomy 2:5 Lit. the treading of the calf of your foot
  3. Deuteronomy 2:6 The Heb. lacks paying
  4. Deuteronomy 2:10 I.e. a race of giants that formerly populated Canaan; cf. Num 13:22, 33; Deut 9:2
  5. Deuteronomy 2:11 I.e. a race of giants that formerly populated Canaan; cf. Num 13:22, 33; Deut 9:2
  6. Deuteronomy 2:11 I.e. a race of giants that formerly populated Canaan; cf. Num 13:22, 33
  7. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
  8. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
  9. Deuteronomy 2:14 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times