Numbers 21:1-22

Common English Bible

Defeat of the Canaanite king of Arad

21 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who ruled in the arid southern plain, heard that the Israelites were coming on the Atharim road, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. ² Then Israel made a solemn promise to the Lord and said, “If you give this people into our hands, we will completely destroy their city.” ³ The Lord heard the voice of Israel and handed the Canaanites over. They completely destroyed them and their cities, so the name of the place is called Hormah.^[a]

The bronze snake’s healing power

⁴ They marched from Mount Hor on the Reed Sea^[b] road around the land of Edom. The people became impatient on the road. ⁵ The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why did you bring us up from Egypt to kill us in the desert, where there is no food or water. And we detest this miserable bread!” ⁶ So the Lord sent poisonous^[c] snakes among the people and they bit the people. Many of the Israelites died.

⁷ The people went to Moses and said, “We’ve sinned, for we spoke against the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord so that he will send the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous snake and place it on a pole. Whoever is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁹ Moses made a bronze snake and placed it on a pole. If a snake bit someone, that person could look at the bronze snake and live.

March around Moab

¹⁰ Then the Israelites marched and they camped at Oboth. ¹¹ They marched from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the desert on the border of Moab toward the east. ¹² From there they marched and camped in the Zered ravine. ¹³ From there they marched and camped across the Arnon in the desert that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon was the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. ¹⁴ For this reason the scroll of the Lord’s wars says:

¹⁶ From there they marched to Beer, the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people, and I’ll give them water.” ¹⁷ Then the Israelites sang this song:

They marched from the desert to Mattanah; ¹⁹ from Mattanah to Nahaliel; from Nahaliel to Bamoth; ²⁰ from Bamoth to the valley in the Moabite countryside, to the top of Pisgah overlooking Jeshimon.^[d]

Wars against Sihon and Og

²¹ Then the Israelites sent messengers to Sihon the Amorite king: ²² “Let us pass through your land. We won’t turn aside into a field or vineyard. We won’t drink water from a well. We will walk on the King’s Highway until we cross your border.”