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21
1 The Canaanite king of Arad who lived in the Negev learned that the Israelites were approaching on the road to Atharim. He went and attacked Israel and took some of them prisoners. 2 So Israel made a solemn promise to the Lord: “If you hand these people over to us, we pledge to completely destroy their towns.”
3 The Lord responded to their appeal and handed over the Canaanites to them. The Israelites completely destroyed them and their towns, and named the place Hormah.*“Hormah” means “destruction.”
4 The Israelites left Mount Hor by the road leading to the Red Sea so they could avoid traveling through the country of Edom. But the people became bad-tempered on the way 5 and made complaints against God and against Moses, saying, “Why did you lead us out of Egypt to die in the desert? We don't have bread or water, and we hate this awful food!”†“Awful food”: referring to the manna.
6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes to attack them, and many Israelites were bitten and died.
7 The people went to see Moses and told him, “We were wrong to make complaints against the Lord and against you. Please pray to the Lord to get rid of the snakes from us.” Moses prayed to the Lord on their behalf.
8 The Lord told Moses, “Make a model of a snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who has been bitten looks at it, they will live.” 9 Moses made a snake out of bronze and put it on a pole. Those who looked at it did live.
10 The Israelites left and camped at Oboth. 11 Then they moved on from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the desert on the east side of Moab. 12 They left there and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13 Then they moved on from there and camped on the far side of the Arnon River, in the desert near Amorite territory. The Arnon River is the border between the Moab and the Amorites. 14 That's why the Book of the Wars of the Lord refers to “the town of Waheb in Suphah and the canyon of the Arnon, 15 the canyon slopes that reach the village of Ar that lies on the border with Moab.”
16 From there they moved on to Beer, the well where the Lord told Moses, “Have the people gather together so I can give them water.”
17 Then the Israelites sang this song: “Pour out water, well! Everyone of you sing to it! 18 The tribal chiefs dug the well; yes the leaders of the people dug the well with their rods of authority and their walking sticks.”
The Israelites left the desert and carried on to Mattanah. 19 From Mattanah they traveled to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of Moab where the top of Mount Pisgah looks down on the wastelands.
21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, with the following request: 22 “Please allow us to travel through your country. We won't cross any of your fields or vineyards, or drink water from any of your wells. We will stay on the King's Highway until we have passed through your country.”
23 But Sihon refused to allow the Israelites to travel through his territory. Instead, he called out his whole army and went out to meet the Israelites head-on in the desert. When he arrived at Jahaz, he attacked the Israelites. 24 The Israelites defeated them, killing them with their swords. They took over his land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River —but only as far as the border of the Ammonites, because it was well defended.
25 The Israelites conquered all the Amorite towns and took them over, including Heshbon and its surrounding villages. 26 Heshbon was the capital of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the previous king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon River. 27 That's why the old songwriters wrote: “Come to Heshbon and have it be rebuilt; restore the town of Sihon! 28 For a fire blazed out from Heshbon, a flame from the town of Sihon. It burned up Ar in Moab where the rulers live on the high places of Arnon. 29 What a disaster you face, Moab! You are all going to die, people of Chemosh!‡Chemosh was a god to whom human sacrifices were made. You handed over your sons as exiles and your daughters as prisoners to Sihon, king of the Amorites. 30 But now we have defeated the Amorites! Heshbon's rule has been destroyed all the way to Dibon. We wiped them out all the way to Nophah and on to Medeba.”
31 The Israelites occupied the country of the Amorites. 32 Moses sent men to explore Jazer. The Israelites conquered its surrounding villages and expelled the Amorites living there. 33 Then they continued on the road towards Bashan. Og, king of Bashan, led his whole army out to meet them head on, and fought them at Edrei. 34 The Lord told Moses, “You don't need to be afraid of him, because I have handed him over to you, along with all his people and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled from Heshbon.”
35 So they killed Og, his sons, and all his army. Nobody survived, and the Israelites took over his country.

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*21:3 “Hormah” means “destruction.”

†21:5 “Awful food”: referring to the manna.

‡21:29 Chemosh was a god to whom human sacrifices were made.

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher