Numbers 21
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:
Waheb in Suphah and the ravines.
The Arnon 15 and the ravines
that extend to the settlement of Ar
and lie along the border of Moab.
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:
“Well, flow up!
Sing about it!
18 The well that the officials dug,
that the officials of the people hollowed out
with the ruler’s scepter and their staffs.”
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.”
23 But Sihon wouldn’t allow the Israelites to cross his border. Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet the Israelites in the desert. When he came to Jahaz, he attacked the Israelites. 24 The Israelites struck him down with their swords and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was fortified. 25 The Israelites took all these cities. Then the Israelites settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and all its villages.
26 Now Heshbon was the city of Sihon the Amorite king who had fought against the former king of Moab. He had taken all his land from him as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore, the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon, let it be built.
Let the city of Sihon be established.
28 Fire went out from Heshbon,
flame from Sihon’s city.
It consumed Ar of Moab
and swallowed up the shrines of the Arnon.
29 You are doomed, Moab!
You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!
He gave his sons as fugitives,
and his daughters as captives
to the Amorite king Sihon.
30 Yet we have thrown them down,
destroying them[e]
from Heshbon to Dibon.
We brought ruin until Nophah,
which is by Medeba.”
31 Israel settled in the land of the Amorites. 32 Moses sent spies to Jazer. They captured its villages and took possession of the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and ascended the road of Bashan. Og, Bashan’s king, came out at Edrei to meet them in battle, he and all his people. 34 The Lord said to Moses: Don’t be afraid of him, for I have handed over all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon.
35 They slaughtered Og, his sons, and all his people until there were no survivors. Then they took possession of his land.
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:3 Or destruction
- Numbers 21:4 Or Red Sea
- Numbers 21:6 Heb uncertain
- Numbers 21:20 Or wasteland
- Numbers 21:30 Heb uncertain; LXX their posterity has perished
Bamidbar 21
Orthodox Jewish Bible
21 And when melech of Arad the Kena’ani, which dwelt in the Negev, heard that Yisroel came by the Derech HaAtarim; then he fought against Yisroel, and took some of them prisoners.
2 And Yisroel vowed a neder unto Hashem, and said, If Thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.
3 And Hashem paid heed to the kol Yisroel, and delivered up the Kena’ani; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; and the place was named Chormah (Utter Destruction).
4 And they journeyed from Mt Hor by the way of the Yam Suf, to go around Eretz Edom; and the nefesh haAm was much impatient because of the way.
5 And the people spoke against Elohim, and against Moshe, Why have ye brought us up out of Mitzrayim to die in the midbar? For there is no lechem, neither is there any mayim; and our nefesh loatheth this wretched lechem.
6 And Hashem sent fiery nechashim among the people, and they bit the people; and Am rav miYisroel died.
7 Therefore HaAm came to Moshe, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against Hashem, and against thee; pray unto Hashem that He take away the Nachash from us. And Moshe davened for the people.
8 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Make thee a fiery serpent, set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moshe made a nachash of nechoshet, put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a nachash had bitten any man, when he beheld the nachash hanechoshet, then he lived [see Yn 3:14-15].
10 And the Bnei Yisroel set out, and encamped in Ovot.
11 And they journeyed from Ovot, and encamped at Iyei-HaAvarim, in the midbar which is before Moav, toward the mizrach hashemesh.
12 From thence they removed, and encamped in the Wadi Zered.
13 From thence they removed, and encamped on the other side of Arnon, which is in the midbar encroaching the Emori; for Arnon is the border of Moav, between Moav and the Emori.
14 Wherefore it is said in the Sefer Michamot Hashem, Vahev v’sufah and in the Vadis Arnon,
15 And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the site of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moav.
16 And from thence they went to Beer; that is the Well whereof Hashem spoke unto Moshe, Gather the people together, and I will give them mayim.
17 Then Yisroel sang this shirah (song), Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it.
18 The sarim (princes) dug the well, the nobles of the people dug it, by the direction of the Mechokek (Lawgiver), with their rods. And from the midbar they went to Mattanah;
19 And from Mattanah to Nachaliel; and from Nachaliel to Bamot;
20 And from Bamot in the valley, that is in the country of Moav, to the top of Pisgah, overlooking the surface of the wasteland.
21 And Yisroel sent messengers unto Sichon Melech HaEmori, saying,
22 Let me pass through thy land; we will not turn into the fields, or into the kerem (vineyards); we will not drink of the waters of the well, but we will go along by the Derech HaMelech until we be past thy borders [Yn 14:6].
23 And Sichon would not suffer Yisroel to pass through his border; but Sichon gathered all his army together, and went out against Yisroel into the midbar; and he came to Yachatz and fought against Yisroel.
24 And Yisroel struck down him with the edge of the cherev, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Yabbok, even unto the Bnei Ammon; for the border of the Bnei Ammon was fortified.
25 And Yisroel took all these cities; Yisroel dwelt in all the cities of the Emori, in Cheshbon, and in all the villages thereof.
26 For Chesbon was the city of Sichon Melech HaEmori, who had fought against the former king of Moav, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon.
27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Cheshbon, let the city of Sichon be built and prepared;
28 For there is a fire gone out of Cheshbon, a flame from the city of Sichon; it hath consumed Ar of Moav, and citizens of the heights of Arnon.
29 Woe to thee, Moav! Thou art undone, O people of Kemosh; he hath given his banim as fugitives, and his banot, captives unto Sichon Melech Emori.
30 Down they have been cast; Chesbon is perished even unto Divon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophach, which reacheth unto Meidva.
31 Thus Yisroel dwelt in Eretz HaEmori.
32 And Moshe sent to spy out Yazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out HaEmori that were there.
33 And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og Melech HaBashan went out against them, he, and all his army, to the battle at Edrei.
34 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, all his army, his land; thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sichon Melech HaEmori, which dwelt at Chesbon.
35 So they struck him down, and his banim, and all his army, until there was none alive left to him: and they possessed his land.
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