New Living Translation

New King James Version

Victory over the Canaanites

The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that the Israelites were approaching on the road through Atharim. So he attacked the Israelites and took some of them as prisoners.

1

Canaanites Defeated at Hormah

The king 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 took some of them prisoners.

2

Then the people of Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you will hand these people over to us, we will completely destroya all their towns.”

2

So Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.”

3

The LORD heard the Israelites’ request and gave them victory over the Canaanites. The Israelites completely destroyed them and their towns, and the place has been called Hormahb ever since.

3

And the Lord listened 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 [a]Hormah.

4

The Bronze Snake

Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Seac to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey,

4

The Bronze Serpent

Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very [b]discouraged on the way.

5

and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

5

And 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 food and no water, and our soul [c]loathes this worthless bread.”

6

So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.

6

So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

7

Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

7

Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8

Then the LORD told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”

8

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”

9

So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!

9

So Moses 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.

10

Israel’s Journey to Moab

The Israelites traveled next to Oboth and camped there.

10

From Mount Hor to Moab

Now the children of Israel moved on and camped in Oboth.

11

Then they went on to Iye-abarim, in the wilderness on the eastern border of Moab.

11

And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at [d]Ije Abarim, in the wilderness which is east of Moab, toward the sunrise.

12

From there they traveled to the valley of Zered Brook and set up camp.

12

From there they moved and camped in the Valley of Zered.

13

Then they moved out and camped on the far side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness adjacent to the territory of the Amorites. The Arnon is the boundary line between the Moabites and the Amorites.

13

From there they moved and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

14

For this reason The Book of the Wars of the LORD speaks of “the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the ravines of the Arnon River,

14

Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord:
[e]“Waheb in Suphah,
The brooks of the Arnon,

15

and the ravines that extend as far as the settlement of Ar on the border of Moab.”

15

And the slope of the brooks
That reaches to the dwelling of Ar,
And lies on the border of Moab.”

16

From there the Israelites traveled to Beer,d which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Assemble the people, and I will give them water.”

16

From there they went to Beer, which is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”

17

There the Israelites sang this song:
“Spring up, O well!
Yes, sing its praises!

17

Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well!
All of you sing to it —

18

Sing of this well,
which princes dug,
which great leaders hollowed out
with their scepters and staffs.”
Then the Israelites left the wilderness and proceeded on through Mattanah,

18

The well the leaders sank,
Dug by the nation’s nobles,
By the lawgiver, with their staves.”
And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah,

19

Nahaliel, and Bamoth.

19

from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

20

After that they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah Peak overlooks the wasteland.e

20

and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the [f]country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looks down on the [g]wasteland.

21

Victory over Sihon and Og

The Israelites sent ambassadors to King Sihon of the Amorites with this message:

21

King Sihon Defeated

Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

22

“Let us travel through your land. We will be careful not to go through your fields and vineyards. We won’t even drink water from your wells. We will stay on the king’s road until we have passed through your territory.”

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 King Sihon refused to let them cross his territory. Instead, he mobilized his entire army and attacked Israel in the wilderness, engaging them in battle at Jahaz.

23

But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and [h]went out against Israel in the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.

24

But the Israelites slaughtered them with their swords and occupied their land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They went only as far as the Ammonite border because the boundary of the Ammonites was fortified.f

24

Then Israel 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 Ammon was fortified.

25

So Israel captured all the towns of the Amorites and settled in them, including the city of Heshbon and its surrounding villages.

25

So Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages.

26

Heshbon had been the capital of King Sihon of the Amorites. He had defeated a former Moabite king and seized all his land as far as the Arnon River.

26

For Heshbon was the 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, the ancient poets wrote this about him:
“Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt!
Let the city of Sihon be restored.

27

Therefore those who speak in [i]proverbs say:
“Come to Heshbon, let it be built;
Let the city of Sihon be repaired.

28

A fire flamed forth from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon.
It burned the city of Ar in Moab;
it destroyed the rulers of the Arnon heights.

28

“For fire went out from Heshbon,
A flame from the city of Sihon;
It consumed Ar of Moab,
The lords of the heights of the Arnon.

29

What sorrow awaits you, O people of Moab!
You are finished, O worshipers of Chemosh!
Chemosh has left his sons as refugees,
his daughters as captives of Sihon, the Amorite king.

29

Woe to you, Moab!
You have perished, O people of Chemosh!
He has given his sons as fugitives,
And his daughters into captivity,
To Sihon king of the Amorites.

30

We have utterly destroyed them,
from Heshbon to Dibon.
We have completely wiped them out
as far away as Nophah and Medeba.g”

30

“But we have shot at them;
Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon.
Then we laid waste as far as Nophah,
Which reaches to Medeba.”

31

So the people of Israel occupied the territory of the Amorites.

31

Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.

32

After Moses sent men to explore the Jazer area, they captured all the towns in the region and drove out the Amorites who lived there.

32

Then Moses sent to [j]spy out Jazer; and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.

33

Then they turned and marched up the road to Bashan, but King Og of Bashan and all his people attacked them at Edrei.

33

King Og Defeated

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

34

The LORD said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, along with all his people and his land. Do the same to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.”

34

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have [k]delivered him into your hand, with 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.”

35

And Israel killed King Og, his sons, and all his subjects; not a single survivor remained. Then Israel occupied their land.

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.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

Numbers 21

Numbers 21