Edom Denies Israel Passage

¹⁴ Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom,

“Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that has found us, ¹⁵ how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians distressed us and our fathers. ¹⁶ And when we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.

“And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. ¹⁷ Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through the fields or the vineyards, or drink of the water of the wells. We will travel the king’s highway. We will not turn to the right hand nor the left, until we have passed through your territory.”

¹⁸ Edom said to him,

“You will not pass through me, lest with the sword I come out against you.”

¹⁹ The children of Israel said to him,

“We will travel the highway, and if we and our livestock drink of your water, then we will pay for it. I will only go through on my feet without doing anything else.”

²⁰ He said,

“You will not go through.”

And Edom came out against them with many people and with a strong hand. ²¹ Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.