Chapter 2
1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by
the way to the Red Sea, as HaShem spoke unto me; and we compassed mount Seir
many days.
2 And HaShem spoke unto me, saying:
3 'Ye have compassed this mountain long enough; turn you
northward.
4 And command thou the people, saying: Ye are to pass through
the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they
will be afraid of you; take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore;
5 contend not with them; for I will not give you of their
land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have
given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
6 Ye shall purchase food of them for money, that ye may eat;
and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.
7 For HaShem thy G-d hath blessed thee in all the work of thy
hand; He hath known thy walking through this great wilderness; these forty years
HaShem thy G-d hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.'
8 So we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau,
that dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah, from Elath and from Ezion-geber.
And we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.
9 And HaShem said unto me: 'Be not at enmity with Moab,
neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give thee of his land for a
possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.--
10 The Emim dwelt therein aforetime, a people great, and
many, and tall, as the Anakim;
11 these also are accounted Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the
Moabites call them Emim.
12 And in Seir dwelt the Horites aforetime, but the children
of Esau succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in
their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which HaShem gave
unto them.--
13 Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered.' And we
went over the brook Zered.
14 And the days in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we
were come over the brook Zered, were thirty and eight years; until all the
generation, even the men of war, were consumed from the midst of the camp, as
HaShem swore unto them.
15 Moreover the hand of HaShem was against them, to discomfit
them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed.
16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed
and dead from among the people,
17 that HaShem spoke unto me saying:
18 'Thou art this day to pass over the border of Moab, even
Ar;
19 and when thou comest nigh over against the children of
Ammon, harass them not, nor contend with them; for I will not give thee of the
land of the children of Ammon for a possession; because I have given it unto the
children of Lot for a possession.--
20 That also is accounted a land of Rephaim: Rephaim dwelt
therein aforetime; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,
21 a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim; but
HaShem destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their
stead;
22 as He did for the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir,
when He destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and
dwelt in their stead even unto this day;
23 and the Avvim, that dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, the
Caphtorim, that came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their
stead.--
24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of
Arnon; behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon,
and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.
25 This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the
fear of thee upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven, who, when they
hear the report of thee, shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.'
26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth
unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying:
27 'Let me pass through thy land; I will go along by the
highway, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.
28 Thou shalt sell me food for money, that I may eat; and
give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on my feet;
29 as the children of Esau that dwell in Seir, and the
Moabites that dwell in Ar, did unto me; until I shall pass over the Jordan into
the land which HaShem our G-d giveth us.'
30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him;
for HaShem thy G-d hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that He
might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.
31 And HaShem said unto me: 'Behold, I have begun to deliver
up Sihon and his land before thee; begin to possess his land.'
32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people,
unto battle at Jahaz.
33 And HaShem our G-d delivered him up before us; and we
smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly
destroyed every city, the men, and the women, and the little ones; we left none
remaining;
35 only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, with
the spoil of the cities which we had taken.
36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon,
and from the city that is in the valley, even unto Gilead, there was not a city
too high for us: HaShem our G-d delivered up all before us.
37 Only to the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not
near; all the side of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill-country, and
wheresoever HaShem our G-d forbade us.
Sources: Portions copyright © 1997 by Benyamin Pilant, All Rights Reserved
JPS Electronic Edition, based on the 1917 JPS translation, Copyright © 1998 by Larry Nelson, All Rights Reserved
Jewish
Bible |