1“Then we turned and set out into the wilderness, the way of the Sea of Reeds, as יהוה spoke to me, and we went round Mount Sĕ‛ir, many days.

2“And יהוה spoke to me, saying,

3‘You have gone around this mountain long enough, turn northward.

4‘And command the people, saying, “You are about to pass over into the border of your brothers, the descendants of Ěsaw, who live in Sĕ‛ir, and they are afraid of you. So be on your guard.

5“Do not strive with them, for I do not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Sĕ‛ir to Ěsaw as a possession.

6“What food you buy from them with silver you shall eat. And also, what water you buy from them with silver you shall drink.

7“For יהוה your Elohim has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He has known your wandering through this great wilderness. These forty years יהוה your Elohim has been with you, you have not lacked any matter.” ’

8“And when we passed beyond our brothers, the descendants of Ěsaw who dwell in Sĕ‛ir, away from the way of the desert plain, away from Ěylath and Etsyon Geḇer, we turned and passed over by way of the Wilderness of Mo’aḇ.

9“And יהוה said to me, ‘Do not distress Mo’aḇ, nor stir yourself up against them in battle, for I do not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”

10(The Ěmites had dwelt there formerly, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anaqim.

11They were also reckoned as Repha’ites, like the Anaqim, but the Mo’aḇites call them Ěmites.

12And the Ḥorites formerly dwelt in Sĕ‛ir, but the descendants of Ěsaw dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, as Yisra’ĕl did to the land of their possession which יהוה gave them).

13“ ‘Now rise up, and pass over the wadi Zereḏ.’ So we passed over the wadi Zereḏ.

14“And the time we took to come from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa until we passed over the wadi Zereḏ was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of battle was consumed from the midst of the camp, as יהוה had sworn to them.

15“And also, the hand of יהוה was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.

16“And it came to be, when all the men of battle had finally perished from among the people,

17that יהוה spoke to me, saying,

18‘This day you are to pass over at Ar, the boundary of Mo’aḇ.

19‘And when you come near the children of Ammon, do not distress them nor stir yourself up against them, for I do not give you any of the land of the children of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’

20(That was also reckoned as a land of Repha’ites. Repha’ites formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,

21a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anaqim. But יהוה destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place,

22as He had done for the descendants of Ěsaw, who dwelt in Sĕ‛ir, when He destroyed the Ḥorites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day.

23And the Awwim who dwelt in villages as far as Azzah, the Kaphtorim who came from Kaphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place).

24‘Arise, set out and pass over the wadi Arnon. See, I have given into your hand Siḥon the Amorite, sovereign of Ḥeshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and stir up yourself against him in battle.

25‘This day I begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples under all the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, shall tremble and shake because of you.’

26“Then I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Qeḏĕmoth to Siḥon sovereign of Ḥeshbon, with words of peace, saying,

27‘Let me pass over through your land on the highway. I shall go on the highway and turn neither to the right nor to the left.

28‘What food you sell me for silver I shall eat, and what water you give me for silver I shall drink. Only let me pass over on foot,

29as the descendants of Ěsaw who dwell in Sĕ‛ir and the Mo’aḇites who dwell in Ar did for me – until I pass over the Yardĕn to the land יהוה our Elohim is giving us.’

30“But Siḥon sovereign of Ḥeshbon would not let us pass over, for יהוה your Elohim hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart, to give him into your hand, as it is this day.

31“And יהוה said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Siḥon and his land over to you. Begin to possess – in order to possess his land.’

32“And Siḥon and all his people came out against us to fight at Yahats,

33and יהוה our Elohim gave him over to us, so we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

34“And we took all his cities at that time, and we put the men, women, and little ones of every city under the ban, we left none remaining.

35“Only the livestock we took as plunder for ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we captured.

36“From Aro‛ĕr, which is on the edge of the wadi Arnon, and the city that is by the wadi, as far as Gil‛aḏ, there was not one city too high for us. יהוה our Elohim gave all to us.

37“Only you did not go near the land of the children of Ammon – anywhere along the wadi Yabboq, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever יהוה our Elohim had forbidden us.