Old Testament · Numbers

Numbers 21

The Defeat of Arad

1And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negev, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took captive of them a captive. 2And Israel vowed a vow to the LORD, and said: If you indeed give this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

3And the LORD heard the voice of Israel, and gave up the Canaanite; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; and he called the name of the place Hormah.

The Bronze Serpent

4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Sea of Reeds, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul^a of the people became short on the way. 5And 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, and there is no water; and our soul loathes this worthless bread.

6And the LORD sent among the people the serpents, the fiery ones, and they bit the people; and many people of Israel died.

7And the people came to Moses, and said: We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD, that he take away from us the serpent. And Moses prayed for the people.

8And the LORD said to Moses: Make for yourself a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall be that everyone that is bitten, when he sees it, shall live. 9And Moses made a serpent of bronze, and set it upon the pole; and it was, if the serpent had bitten any man^b, and he looked to the serpent of bronze, he lived.

The Journey to Moab

10And the sons of Israel journeyed, and camped in Oboth. 11And they journeyed from Oboth, and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the rising of the sun. 12From there they journeyed, and camped in the valley of Zered. 13From there they journeyed, and camped beyond the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14Therefore it is said in the book of the Wars of the LORD: Vaheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,

15and the slope of the valleys that inclines toward the dwelling of Ar, and leans upon the border of Moab.

16And from there to Beer; that is the well of which the LORD said to Moses: Gather the people, and I will give them water. 17Then Israel sang this song: Spring up, O well; sing to it!

18The well which princes dug, which the nobles of the people delved, with the scepter, with their staves. And from the wilderness to Mattanah;
19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;
20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, by the top of Pisgah, which looks down upon the face of the wasteland.

The Defeat of Sihon

(Deuteronomy 2:24–37)

21And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying: 22Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into field or into vineyard; we will not drink water of a well; we will go by the king's way, until we have passed your border.

23And Sihon did not allow Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people, and went out against Israel to the wilderness, and came to Jahaz; and he fought against Israel. 24And Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, to the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon was strong.

25And Israel took all these cities; and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all her daughter-towns. 26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, to the Arnon. 27Therefore those who speak in proverbs say: Come to Heshbon! Let the city of Sihon be built and established!

28For a fire went out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it devoured Ar of Moab, the lords of the high places of the Arnon.
29Woe to you, Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh; he has given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters into captivity, to the king of the Amorites, Sihon.
30And we have shot at them; Heshbon is perished, to Dibon; and we laid waste to Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.

The Defeat of Og

(Deuteronomy 3:1–11)

31And Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured her daughter-towns, and he dispossessed the Amorites that were there.

33And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.

34And the LORD said to Moses: Do not fear him; for into your hand I have given him, and all his people, and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.

35And they struck him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left to him remaining; and they took possession of his land.