Numbers 21

1The Canaanite king of Arad who dwelt in the Negev heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim, fought against Israel, and took some captives from them.

2Israel vowed a vow to Yahweh and said, "If you indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction."

3Yahweh heard Israel's voice and handed the Canaanites over; they devoted them and their cities to destruction, and named the place Hormah.

4They set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom, and the soul of the people grew impatient on the journey.

5The people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread and no water, and our soul detests this worthless bread."

6Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and many people from Israel died.

7The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we spoke against Yahweh and you. Pray to Yahweh that he remove the serpent from us." Moses prayed for the people.

8Yahweh said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent for yourself and set it on a pole; then everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, will live.”

9Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked toward the bronze serpent, he lived.

10The children of Israel journeyed and encamped in Oboth.

11They journeyed from Oboth and encamped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness before Moab toward the sunrise.

12From there they journeyed and encamped in the valley of Zered.

13From there they journeyed and encamped beyond the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out from the border of the Amorite, for the Arnon is the border of Moab between Moab and the Amorites.

14Therefore it is said in the book of the wars of Yahweh: "Vaheb in Suphah, and the wadis of Arnon."

15And the stream of the brooks that inclines toward the dwelling of Ar and leans against the border of Moab.

16From there to Beer—this is the well Yahweh said to Moses: "Assemble the people, and I will give them water."

17Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, well! Sing to it!"

18The princes dug the well, the nobles of the people dug it with scepter and their staffs. From the wilderness to Mattanah.

19And from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth.

20From Bamoth to the valley in the field of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which overlooks Jeshimon.

21Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the Amorite king, saying,

22Let us pass through your land: we will not veer into field or vineyard, we will not drink the waters of the well; we will go along the king's road until we pass your border.

23Sihon did not permit Israel to cross his border, but gathered all his people, went out to meet Israel in the wilderness, came to Jahaz, and fought Israel.

24Israel struck him with the sword's edge and seized his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, even to the children of Ammon, for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

25Israel captured all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites—in Heshbon and all its villages.

26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who fought against the former king of Moab and captured all his land from his control up to the Arnon.

27Therefore the proverb-speakers say, “Come to Heshbon; let Sihon’s city be built and established.”

28For fire broke out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it burned up Ar of Moab, the lords of the high places of Arnon.

29Woe to you, Moab! You are destroyed, people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives and his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites.

30We shot them; Heshbon lies destroyed as far as Dibon, and we desolated as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.

31Then Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorite.

32Moses sent to scout Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

33They turned and went up the Bashan road, and Og king of Bashan went out to meet them—he and all his people—to battle at Edrei.

34Yahweh said to Moses, "Do not fear him, for I have put him into your hand with all his people and his land, and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon."

35They beat him, his sons, and all his people until no survivor was left to him, and they took possession of his land.