King Sihon Defeated

21 Then (A)Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 (B)“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 (C)But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and (D)came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 (E)And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the (F)Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the (G)ballad singers say,

“Come to (H)Heshbon, let it be built;
    let the city of Sihon be established.
28 For (I)fire came out from (J)Heshbon,
    flame from the city of Sihon.
It devoured (K)Ar of Moab,
    and swallowed[a] the heights of the Arnon.
29 (L)Woe to you, O Moab!
    You are undone, O people of (M)Chemosh!
He has made his sons fugitives,
    and his daughters captives,
    to an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 So we overthrew them;
    Heshbon, as far as (N)Dibon, perished;
    and we laid waste as far as Nophah;
    fire spread as far as (O)Medeba.”[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 21:28 Septuagint; Hebrew the lords of
  2. Numbers 21:30 Compare Samaritan and Septuagint; Hebrew and we laid waste as far as Nophah, which is as far as Medeba

Sihon and Og Defeated

21 Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites,[a] 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,[b] because the boundary of the Ammonites[c] was strong. 25 Israel took all these cities, and Israel inhabited all the cities of the Amorites,[d] in Heshbon, and in all its environs.[e] 26 Because Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites,[f] 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[g] 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,[h] Sihon.
30     We destroyed them;
Heshbon has perished up to Dibon;
    we laid waste up to Nophah,
which reaches[i] Medeba.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 21:21 Hebrew “Amorite”
  2. Numbers 21:24 Literally “sons of Ammon”
  3. Numbers 21:24 Literally “sons of Ammon”
  4. Numbers 21:25 Hebrew “Amorite”
  5. Numbers 21:25 Hebrew “her daughters;” other modern versions translate “its villages”
  6. Numbers 21:26 Hebrew “Amorite”
  7. Numbers 21:28 Or “the dominant”
  8. Numbers 21:29 Hebrew “Amorite”
  9. Numbers 21:30 Literally “is up to”