Numbers 21
Lexham English Bible
Arad Captured
21 The Canaanite king of Arad, who was dwelling in the Negev,[a] heard that Israel came along the way of Atharim; he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2 Israel made a vow to Yahweh, and they said, “If you will surely give this people into our[b] hand, then we[c] will destroy[d] their cities.” 3 Yahweh heard the voice of Israel; he gave to them the Canaanites, and they destroyed them[e] and their cities. They called the name of the place Hormah.
4 They set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea[f] to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient[g] along the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us from Egypt to die in the desert? There is no food and no water, and our hearts detest this miserable food.”
The Bronze Serpent
6 And Yahweh sent among the people poisonous snakes; they bit the people, and many people from Israel died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned because we have spoken against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh and let him remove the snakes[h] from among us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Make for yourself a snake and place it on a pole. When[i] anyone is bitten and looks at it, that person will live.” 9 So Moses made a snake of bronze, and he placed it on the pole; whenever[j] a snake bit someone, and that person looked at the snake of bronze, he lived.
10 The Israelites[k] set out and encamped at Oboth. 11 They set out from Oboth and encamped at Iye Abarim in the desert, which was in front of Moab toward the sunrise.[l] 12 From there they set out and encamped at the valley of Zered. 13 From there they set out and encamped beyond Arnon, which is in the desert that goes out from the boundary of the Amorites,[m] because Arnon is the boundary of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.[n] 14 Therefore thus it is said in the scroll of the Wars of Yahweh,
“Waheb in Suphah,
and the wadis of Arnon,
15 and the slope of the wadis
that spreads out to the dwelling of Ar
and lies at the boundary of Moab.”
16 From there they went to Beer, which is the water well where Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Gather the people, that I may give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song, “Arise, well water! Sing to it! 18 Well water that the princes dug, that the leaders of the people dug, with a staff and with their rods.” And from the desert they continued to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; 20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the territory of Moab, by the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the surface of the wasteland.
Sihon and Og Defeated
21 Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites,[o] saying, 22 “Let us go through your land; we will not turn aside into a field or vineyard; we will not drink well water along the way of the king until we have gone through your territory.” 23 But Sihon did not allow Israel to go through his territory. Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet Israel; he came to the desert, to Jahaz, and he fought against Israel. 24 But Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and they took possession of his land from Arnon to Jabbok, until the Ammonites,[p] because the boundary of the Ammonites[q] was strong. 25 Israel took all these cities, and Israel inhabited all the cities of the Amorites,[r] in Heshbon, and in all its environs.[s] 26 Because Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites,[t] who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land from his hand until Arnon. 27 Thus the ones who quote proverbs say,
“Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!
And let the city of Sihon be established.
28 Because fire went out from Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon;
it consumed Ar of Moab,
the lords of the[u] high places of Arnon.
29 Woe to you, Moab!
You have perished, people of Chemosh.
He has given his sons as fugitives,
and his daughters into captivity,
to the king of the Amorites,[v] Sihon.
30 We destroyed them;
Heshbon has perished up to Dibon;
we laid waste up to Nophah,
which reaches[w] Medeba.”
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.[x] 32 Moses sent to explore Jaazer; they captured its environs[y] and dispossessed the Amorites[z] who were there.
33 Then they turned and went up by the way of the Bashan, and Og king of the Bashan and all his people went out to meet them for battle at Edrei. 34 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Do not fear him because I will give him and all his people and all his land into your hand. You will do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites,[aa] who was living in Heshbon.” 35 And so they destroyed him and his sons, and all his people until they had not spared a survivor; and they took possession of his land.
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:1 An arid region south of the Judean hills
- Numbers 21:2 Hebrew “my”
- Numbers 21:2 Hebrew “I”
- Numbers 21:2 Literally “devote to God”
- Numbers 21:3 Literally “they devoted to God”
- Numbers 21:4 Literally “sea of reed”
- Numbers 21:4 Literally “the life of the people became short”
- Numbers 21:7 Hebrew “snake”
- Numbers 21:8 Hebrew “And it will happen”
- Numbers 21:9 Hebrew “And it will happen”
- Numbers 21:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 21:11 Literally “from the east of the sun”
- Numbers 21:13 Hebrew “Amorite”
- Numbers 21:13 Hebrew “Amorite”
- Numbers 21:21 Hebrew “Amorite”
- Numbers 21:24 Literally “sons of Ammon”
- Numbers 21:24 Literally “sons of Ammon”
- Numbers 21:25 Hebrew “Amorite”
- Numbers 21:25 Hebrew “her daughters;” other modern versions translate “its villages”
- Numbers 21:26 Hebrew “Amorite”
- Numbers 21:28 Or “the dominant”
- Numbers 21:29 Hebrew “Amorite”
- Numbers 21:30 Literally “is up to”
- Numbers 21:31 Hebrew “Amorite”
- Numbers 21:32 Hebrew “her daughters;” other modern versions translate “its villages”
- Numbers 21:32 Hebrew “Amorite”
- Numbers 21:34 Hebrew “Amorite”
Numbers 21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Bronze Serpent
21 When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive.(A) 2 Then Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed give this people into our hands, then we will utterly destroy their towns.” 3 The Lord listened to the voice of Israel and handed over the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their towns; so the place was called Hormah.[a]
4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea,[b] to go around the land of Edom, but the people became discouraged on the way.(B) 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.”(C) 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous[c] serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.(D) 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.(E) 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous[d] serpent, and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it upon a pole, and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.(F)
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites set out and camped in Oboth.(G) 11 They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness bordering Moab toward the sunrise.(H) 12 From there they set out and camped in the Wadi Zered.(I) 13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in[e] the wilderness that extends from the boundary of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the boundary of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Wherefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,
“Waheb in Suphah and the wadis.
The Arnon 15 and the slopes of the wadis
that extend to the seat of Ar
and lie along the border of Moab.”[f](J)
16 From there they continued to Beer;[g] that is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well!—Sing to it!—
18 the well that the leaders sank,
that the nobles of the people dug,
with the scepter, with the staff.”
From the wilderness to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah that overlooks the wasteland.[h]
King Sihon Defeated
21 Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites, saying,(K) 22 “Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into field or vineyard; we will not drink the water of any well; we will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”(L) 23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness; he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.(M) 24 Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the boundary of the Ammonites was strong.(N) 25 Israel took all these towns, and Israel settled in all the towns of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and captured all his land as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the singers say,
“Come to Heshbon; let it be built;
let the city of Sihon be established.
28 For fire came out from Heshbon,
flame from the city of Sihon.
It devoured Ar of Moab
and swallowed up[i] the heights of the Arnon.(O)
29 Woe to you, O Moab!
You are undone, O people of Chemosh!
He has made his sons fugitives
and his daughters captives
to an Amorite king, Sihon.(P)
30 So their posterity perished
from Heshbon[j] to Dibon,
and we laid waste until fire spread to Medeba.”[k](Q)
31 Thus Israel settled in the land of the Amorites. 32 Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.(R)
King Og Defeated
33 Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and King Og of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.(S) 34 But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have given him into your hand, with all his people and his land. You shall do to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”(T) 35 So they killed him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left, and they took possession of his land.
Footnotes
- 21.3 That is, destruction
- 21.4 Or Sea of Reeds
- 21.6 Or fiery
- 21.8 Or fiery
- 21.13 Gk: Heb which is in
- 21.15 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 21.16 That is, well
- 21.20 Or Jeshimon
- 21.28 Gk: Heb and the lords of
- 21.30 Gk: Heb we have shot at them; Heshbon has perished
- 21.30 Compare Sam Gk: Meaning of MT uncertain
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