21:1¹ And when the Canaanite king of Arad² who dwelt in the Negev³ heard that Israel was coming along the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners.

21:2 So Israel made a vow⁴ to the LORD, and said, “If you will indeed deliver⁵ this people into our hand, then we will utterly destroy⁶ their cities.” 21:3 Then the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of the place was called⁷ Hormah.

21:4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea,⁸ to go around the land of Edom; and the people⁹ became impatient along the way. 21:5 And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread, neither is there any water, and we detest this worthless¹⁰ bread.”

21:6 And the LORD sent poisonous¹¹ snakes¹² among the people, and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died. 21:7 Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned , for we have spoken against the LORD, and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away¹³ the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

21:8 And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous snake, and set it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks¹⁴ on it he will live.” 21:9 So Moses made a bronze snake, and put it on a pole, so that if a snake had bitten a man, when he looked to the bronze snake he lived.¹⁵

21:10 And the Israelites journeyed and camped in Oboth. 21:11 Then they journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim,¹⁷ in the wilderness which is before Moab, on the eastern side.¹⁸ 21:12 From there they moved on and camped in the valley of Zered. 21:13 From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the regions¹⁹ of the Amorites, for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 21:14 This is why it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD,

“Waheb and the Suphah,²⁰
and the wadis of Arnon.
21:15 and the slope of the valleys,²¹
that extend to the dwelling of Ar,²²
and falls off at the border of Moab.”

21:16 And from there to Beer,²³ that is the where the LORD spoke to Moses, “Gather the people and I will give them water.” 21:17 Then Israel sang²⁴ this song:

“Spring up, O well, sing to it.”
21:18 The well which the princes²⁵ dug,
which the leaders of the people opened,
with their scepters and their staffs.”

And from the wilderness to Mattanah; 21:19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; 21:20 and from Bamoth in the valley that is in the country of Moab, by the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the wilderness.²⁶

21:21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

21:22 “Let us²⁸ pass through your land; we will not turn aside into the fields, or into the vineyards; neither will we drink water from any well, but we will go along the King’s Way, until we pass your borders.” 21:23 But Sihon did not permit Israel to pass through his border; and Sihon gathered all his forces²⁹ together and went out against Israel into the wilderness. When³⁰ he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel. 21:24 But the Israelites³¹ defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. 21:25 So Israel took all these cities; and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.³² 21:26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites. Now he had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all of his land out of his hand,³³ as far as the Arnon. 21:27 That is why they who speak in proverbs³⁴ say,

“Come to Heshbon, let it be built.
Let the city of Sihon be established!³⁵
21:28 For fire went out from Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon,
it has consumed Ar of Moab,
and the lords³⁶ of the high places of Arnon.
21:29 Woe to you Moab.
You perish, O people of Chemosh!³⁷
He has made his sons fugitives,
and his daughters the prisoners of Sihon the king of the Amorites.
21:30 We have overpowered them,³⁸
Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon,
We have shattered them as far as Nophah,
which reaches to Medeba.

21:31 So the Israelites³⁹ dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 21:32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they captured its villages, and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

21:33 Then they turned and went up by the road to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his forces,⁴⁰ to the battle at Edrei. 21:34 And the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand, and you will do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon. 21:35 So they defeated him, and his sons, and all his people, until there were no survivors,⁴¹ and they possessed his land.