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Edom Refuses Passage

14 From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to (A)the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You (B)know all the hardship that has befallen us, 15 that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16 So (C)we cried out to Yahweh, and He heard our voice and sent (D)an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17 Please (E)let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we pass through your territory.’”

18 (F)Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through [a]us, lest I come out to meet you with the sword.” 19 Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and (G)my livestock do drink any of your water, (H)then I will [b]pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, [c]nothing else.” 20 But he said, “(I)You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out to meet him with a heavy [d]force and with a strong hand. 21 (J)Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; (K)so Israel turned away from him.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 20:18 Lit me
  2. Numbers 20:19 Lit give
  3. Numbers 20:19 Or no great thing
  4. Numbers 20:20 Lit people

14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: 15 how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and our fathers: 16 and when we cried unto Jehovah, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border. 17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land: we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; we will go along the king’s highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border. 18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against thee. 19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go up by the highway; and if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then will I give the price thereof: let me only, without doing anything else, pass through on my feet. 20 And he said, Thou shalt not pass through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

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