Numbers 21:21-30
New American Standard Bible
Two Victories
21 (A)Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “(B)Let me pass through your land. We will not turn off into field or vineyard; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the king’s road until we have passed through your border.” 23 (C)But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border. Instead, Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to (D)Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 Then (E)Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the (F)border of the sons of Ammon was [a]Jazer. 25 Israel took all these cities, and (G)Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all her [b]villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 For that reason those who use proverbs say,
“Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!
So let the city of Sihon be established.
28 (H)For a fire spread from Heshbon,
A flame from the town of Sihon;
It devoured (I)Ar of Moab,
The [c](J)dominant [d]heights of the Arnon.
29 (K)Woe to you, Moab!
You are destroyed, people of (L)Chemosh!
(M)He has given his sons as fugitives,
(N)And his daughters into captivity,
To an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 But we have shot them down with arrows,
Heshbon is destroyed as far as (O)Dibon,
Then we have laid waste as far as Nophah,
Which reaches to Medeba.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:24 So LXX; MT strong
- Numbers 21:25 Lit daughters
- Numbers 21:28 Lit lords of the
- Numbers 21:28 Or Bamoth
Numbers 21:21-30
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Amorite Kings Defeated
21 Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon(A) king of the Amorites: 22 “Let us travel through your land. We won’t go into the fields or vineyards. We won’t drink any well water. We will travel the King’s Highway until we have traveled through your territory.”(B) 23 But Sihon would not let Israel travel through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz,(C) he fought against Israel. 24 Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok,(D) but only up to the Ammonite border, because it was fortified.[a][b]
25 Israel took all the cities and lived in all these Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its villages. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken control of all his land as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the poets[c] say:
Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt;
let the city of Sihon be restored.[d]
28 For fire came out of Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon.
It consumed Ar of Moab,
the lords of[e] Arnon’s heights.
29 Woe to you, Moab!
You have been destroyed, people of Chemosh!(E)
He gave up his sons as refugees,
and his daughters into captivity
to Sihon the Amorite king.
30 We threw them down;
Heshbon has been destroyed as far as Dibon.[f](F)
We caused desolation as far as Nophah,
which reaches as far as Medeba.[g](G)
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:24 LXX reads was Jazer
- Numbers 21:24 Or was at Az
- Numbers 21:27 Lit ones who speak proverbs
- Numbers 21:27 Or firmly founded
- Numbers 21:28 LXX reads Moab, and swallowed
- Numbers 21:30 LXX reads Their seed will perish from Heshbon; Vg reads Their yoke has perished from Heshbon
- Numbers 21:30 LXX reads Dibon. And their women have further kindled a fire against Moab; Hb uncertain
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