1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as LORD spoke to me. And we encompassed mount Seir many days.
2 And LORD spoke to me, saying,
3 Ye have encompassed this mountain long enough, turn northward.
4 And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brothers the sons of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they will be afraid of you. Take ye good heed to yourselves therefore.
5 Do not contend 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 to Esau for a possession.
6 Ye shall purchase food from them for money, that ye may eat, and ye shall also buy water from them for money, that ye may drink.
7 For LORD thy God has blessed thee in all the work of thy hand. He has known thy walking through this great wilderness. These forty years LORD thy God has been with thee; thou have lacked nothing.
8 So we passed by from our brothers the sons of Esau, who 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 LORD said to me, Do not vex Moab, neither contend with them in battle, for I will not give thee of his land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot for a possession.
10 (The Emim dwelt in it formerly, 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 The Horites also dwelt in Seir formerly, but the sons of Esau succeeded them. And they destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead, as Israel did to the land of his possession, which LORD gave to 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 came over the brook Zered, were thirty-eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the midst of the camp, as LORD swore to them.
15 Moreover the hand of LORD was against them, to destroy 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 LORD spoke to me, saying,
18 Thou are this day to pass over Ar, the border of Moab.
19 And when thou come near opposite the sons of Ammon, do not vex them, nor contend with them, for I will not give thee of the land of the sons of Ammon for a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.
20 (That also is accounted a land of Rephaim. Rephaim dwelt in it formerly, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,
21 a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim. But LORD destroyed them before them, and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead,
22 as he did for the sons of Esau, who dwell in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. And they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even to this day.
23 And the Avvim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who 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 the 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 I will begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.
26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth to 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 turn neither to the right hand nor to the left.
28 Thou shall 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 sons of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did to me, until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which LORD our God gives us.
30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as at this day.
31 And LORD said to me, Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before thee. Begin to possess, that thou may inherit his land.
32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz.
33 And LORD our God 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 inhabited city, with the women and the little ones; we left none remaining.
35 We only took the cattle for a prey to ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken.
36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and [from] the city that is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. LORD our God delivered up all before us.
37 Only to the land of the sons of Ammon thou did not come near, all the side of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill-country, and wherever LORD our God forbad us.