2 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as Yahweh spoke to me; and we encircled Mount Seir many days.

² Yahweh spoke to me, saying, ³ “You have encircled this mountain long enough. Turn northward. ⁴ Command the people, saying, ‘You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore be careful. ⁵ Don’t contend with them; for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession. ⁶ You shall purchase food from them for money, that you may eat. You shall also buy water from them for money, that you may drink.’”

⁷ For Yahweh your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has known your walking through this great wilderness. These forty years, Yahweh your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.

⁸ So we passed by from our brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion Geber. We turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

⁹ Yahweh said to me, “Don’t bother Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you any of his land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.”

¹⁰ (The Emim lived there before, a great and numerous people, and tall as the Anakim. ¹¹ These also are considered to be Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim. ¹² The Horites also lived in Seir in the past, but the children of Esau succeeded them. They destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place, as Israel did to the land of his possession, which Yahweh gave to them.)

¹³ “Now rise up, and cross over the brook Zered.” We went over the brook Zered.

¹⁴ The days in which we came from Kadesh Barnea until we had come over the brook Zered were thirty-eight years: until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the middle of the camp, as Yahweh swore to them. ¹⁵ Moreover Yahweh’s hand was against them, to destroy them from the middle of the camp, until they were consumed.