Wanderings in the Wilderness

(A)Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way of the [a]Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we circled (B)Mount Seir for many days. And the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north, (C)and command the people, saying, “You are going to pass through the (D)territory of your brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir; and (E)they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; do not [b]provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as much as a [c]footprint, (F)because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You are to buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink. For the Lord your God has blessed you in all [d]that you have done; He has known your [e]wandering through this (G)great wilderness. These (H)forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked anything.”’

“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the (I)Arabah road, away from Elath and (J)Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not attack Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of [f]their land as a possession, because I have given (K)Ar to (L)the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 10 (The (M)Emim lived there previously, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11 Like the Anakim, they too are regarded as (N)Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 (O)The Horites previously lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before [g]them, and settled in their place; (P)just as Israel did to the land of [h]their possession which the Lord gave them.) 13 ‘Now arise and cross over the [i]Wadi Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the [j]Wadi Zered. 14 Now the [k]time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the [l]Wadi Zered was (Q)thirty-eight years, until (R)all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, just as (S)the Lord had sworn to them. 15 (T)Indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:1 Lit Sea of Reeds
  2. Deuteronomy 2:5 Or engage in strife with
  3. Deuteronomy 2:5 Lit treading of a sole of a foot
  4. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit the work of your hand
  5. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit going
  6. Deuteronomy 2:9 Lit his
  7. Deuteronomy 2:12 I.e., the sons of Esau
  8. Deuteronomy 2:12 Lit his
  9. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e., dry stream bed, except in the rainy season
  10. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e., dry stream bed, except in the rainy season
  11. Deuteronomy 2:14 Lit days in which we went
  12. Deuteronomy 2:14 See note v 13

Israel Passes through Edomite Territory

“We turned and set out for the desert on the road to the Reed[a] Sea, just as the Lord had directed me. We traveled around Mount Seir for many days. Then the Lord told me, ‘You’ve walked around this mountain long enough. Turn northward and command this people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau who live around Seir. They will be afraid of you so be very careful. Don’t fight them, because I won’t give you any part of their land, not even the size of a footprint.[b] I have given Mount Seir to Esau as their property. You may buy food to eat and water to drink from them, paying[c] with cash.”’ Indeed, the Lord your God blessed all the works of your hands. He knows about your travels through this vast desert. The Lord your God was with you these past 40 years, so that you didn’t lack anything. So we bypassed our relatives, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir. We turned through the Arabah desert from Elath, and from Ezion-geber we traveled the desert road to Moab.”

Israel Passes through Moabite Territory

“Then the Lord told me, ‘Don’t harass Moab or provoke them to war, because I won’t give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their property. 10 (The Emites, a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakim,[d] lived there before. 11 Like the Anakim,[e] they were thought of as Rephaim,[f] but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 The Horites used to live in Seir before the descendants of Esau dispossessed them, exterminated them, and settled there instead, just as Israel will do in the land of its possession, which the Lord gave them.) 13 Now get going and cross the Wadi[g] Zered.’ And so we crossed the Wadi[h] Zered. 14 Now from the time we left Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Wadi[i] Zered was 38 years. All of that generation, the soldiers in the camp, were destroyed just as the Lord swore they would be. 15 Indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them to root them out from the camp until they were utterly destroyed.”

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:1 So MT; LXX reads Red
  2. Deuteronomy 2:5 Lit. the treading of the calf of your foot
  3. Deuteronomy 2:6 The Heb. lacks paying
  4. Deuteronomy 2:10 I.e. a race of giants that formerly populated Canaan; cf. Num 13:22, 33; Deut 9:2
  5. Deuteronomy 2:11 I.e. a race of giants that formerly populated Canaan; cf. Num 13:22, 33; Deut 9:2
  6. Deuteronomy 2:11 I.e. a race of giants that formerly populated Canaan; cf. Num 13:22, 33
  7. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
  8. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
  9. Deuteronomy 2:14 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times