26 From the Desert of Kedemoth(A) I sent messengers to Sihon(B) king of Heshbon offering peace(C) and saying, 27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left.(D) 28 Sell us food to eat(E) and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot(F) 29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord(G) your God had made his spirit stubborn(H) and his heart obstinate(I) in order to give him into your hands,(J) as he has now done.

31 The Lord said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”(K)

32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle(L) at Jahaz, 33 the Lord our God delivered(M) him over to us and we struck him down,(N) together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed[a](O) them—men, women and children. We left no survivors. 35 But the livestock(P) and the plunder(Q) from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36 From Aroer(R) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead,(S) not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave(T) us all of them. 37 But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God,(U) you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites,(V) neither the land along the course of the Jabbok(W) nor that around the towns in the hills.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 2:34 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

Victory over Sihon of Heshbon

26 Moses continued, “From the wilderness of Kedemoth I sent ambassadors to King Sihon of Heshbon with this proposal of peace:

27 ‘Let us travel through your land. We will stay on the main road and won’t turn off into the fields on either side. 28 Sell us food to eat and water to drink, and we will pay for it. All we want is permission to pass through your land. 29 The descendants of Esau who live in Seir allowed us to go through their country, and so did the Moabites, who live in Ar. Let us pass through until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.’

30 “But King Sihon of Heshbon refused to allow us to pass through, because the Lord your God made Sihon stubborn and defiant so he could help you defeat him, as he has now done.

31 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Look, I have begun to hand King Sihon and his land over to you. Begin now to conquer and occupy his land.’

32 “Then King Sihon declared war on us and mobilized his forces at Jahaz. 33 But the Lord our God handed him over to us, and we crushed him, his sons, and all his people. 34 We conquered all his towns and completely destroyed[a] everyone—men, women, and children. Not a single person was spared. 35 We took all the livestock as plunder for ourselves, along with anything of value from the towns we ransacked.

36 “The Lord our God also helped us conquer Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Gorge, and the town in the gorge, and the whole area as far as Gilead. No town had walls too strong for us. 37 However, we avoided the land of the Ammonites all along the Jabbok River and the towns in the hill country—all the places the Lord our God had commanded us to leave alone.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:34 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.