Edom Denies Israel Passage

¹⁴ Moses sent messengers from Kadesh^(A) to the king of Edom,^(B) saying:

⁷ Do not despise an Edomite,^(A) for the Edomites are related to you.^(B) Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.^(C)

Israel Doubts God’s Love

² “I have loved^(A) you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask,^(B) ‘How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,^(C)

⁹ They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country^(A) because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports^(B) of him: all that he did in Egypt,^(C)

⁴ Give the people these orders:^(A) ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau,^(B) who live in Seir.^(C) They will be afraid^(D) of you, but be very careful. ⁵ Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.^{(E) 6} You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

⁷ The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched^(F) over your journey through this vast wilderness.^(G) These forty years^(H) the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.^(I)

⁸ So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from^(J) the Arabah^(K) road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber,^(L) and traveled along the desert road of Moab.^(M)

⁹ Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar^(N) to the descendants of Lot^(O) as a possession.”

¹⁰ (The Emites^(P) used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.^{(Q) 11} Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites,^(R) but the Moabites called them Emites. ¹² Horites^(S) used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did^(T) in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)

¹³ And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.^(U)” So we crossed the valley.

¹⁴ Thirty-eight years^(V) passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea^(W) until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation^(X) of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them.^{(Y) 15} The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated^(Z) them from the camp.

¹⁶ Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, ¹⁷ the Lord said to me, ¹⁸ “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.^{(AA) 19} When you come to the Ammonites,^(AB) do not harass them or provoke them to war,^(AC) for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.^(AD)”

²⁰ (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites,^(AE) who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. ²¹ They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.^(AF) The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. ²² The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir,^(AG) when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. ²³ And as for the Avvites^(AH) who lived in villages as far as Gaza,^(AI) the Caphtorites^(AJ) coming out from Caphtor^[a](AK) destroyed them and settled in their place.)

Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

²⁴ “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge.^(AL) See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite,^(AM) king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage^(AN) him in battle. ²⁵ This very day I will begin to put the terror^(AO) and fear^(AP) of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble^(AQ) and be in anguish because of you.”

The Rulers of Edom^(A)

³¹ These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king^(B) reigned:

³ Jacob sent messengers^(A) ahead of him to his brother Esau^(B) in the land of Seir,^(C) the country of Edom.^{(D) 4} He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord^(E) Esau: ‘Your servant^(F) Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban^(G) and have remained there till now.