Canaanites Defeated at Hormah
1 Theking of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and tooksomeof them prisoners.
2 So Israel made a vow to theLord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, thenI will utterly destroy their cities.”
3 And theLordlistened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.
The Bronze Serpent
4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, togo around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.
5 And the peoplespoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? Forthereisno food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”
6 SotheLordsentfiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We havesinned, for we have spoken against theLordand against you;pray to theLordthat He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then theLordsaid to Moses,“Make afieryserpent,and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”
9 SoMoses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
From Mount Hor to Moab
10 Now the children of Israel moved on andcamped in Oboth.
11 And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at Ije Abarim, in the wilderness whichiseast of Moab, toward the sunrise.
12 From there they moved and camped in the Valley of Zered.
13 From there they moved and camped on the other side of the Arnon, whichisin the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites; forthe Arnonisthe border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of theLord:
“Waheb in Suphah,
The brooks of the Arnon,
15 And the slope of the brooks
# That reaches to the dwelling ofAr,
And lies on the border of Moab.”
16 From theretheywentto Beer, whichisthe well where theLordsaid to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:
# “Spring up, O well!
All of you sing to it—
18 The well the leaders sank,
Dug by the nation’s nobles,
# By thelawgiver, with their staves.”
And from the wildernesstheywentto Mattanah,
19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20 and from Bamoth,inthe valley thatisin the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looksdown on the wasteland.
King Sihon Defeated
21 ThenIsrael sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into fields or vineyards; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel in the wilderness,and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.
24 ThenIsrael defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammonwasfortified.
25 So Israel took all these cities, and Israeldwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages.
26 For Heshbonwasthe city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon.
27 Therefore those who speak in proverbs say:
“Come to Heshbon, let it be built;
Let the city of Sihon be repaired.
28 “Forfire went out from Heshbon,
A flame from the city of Sihon;
# It consumedAr of Moab,
# The lords of theheights of the Arnon.
29 Woe to you,Moab!
# You have perished, O people ofChemosh!
# He has given hissons as fugitives,
# And hisdaughters into captivity,
To Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 “But we have shot at them;
# Heshbon has perishedas far as Dibon.
Then we laid waste as far as Nophah,
# WhichreachestoMedeba.”
31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.
32 Then Moses sent to spy outJazer; and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites whowerethere.
King Og Defeated
33 And they turned and went up by the way toBashan. So Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battleat Edrei.
34 Then theLordsaid to Moses,“Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; andyou shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.”
35 So they defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land.