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
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
King Sihon Defeated
21 Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites, saying,(A) 22 “Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into field or vineyard; we will not drink the water of any well; we will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”(B) 23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness; he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.(C) 24 Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the boundary of the Ammonites was strong.(D) 25 Israel took all these towns, and Israel settled in all the towns of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and captured all his land as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the singers say,
“Come to Heshbon; let it be built;
let the city of Sihon be established.
28 For fire came out from Heshbon,
flame from the city of Sihon.
It devoured Ar of Moab
and swallowed up[a] the heights of the Arnon.(E)
29 Woe to you, O Moab!
You are undone, O people of Chemosh!
He has made his sons fugitives
and his daughters captives
to an Amorite king, Sihon.(F)
30 So their posterity perished
from Heshbon[b] to Dibon,
and we laid waste until fire spread to Medeba.”[c](G)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.