Christian Standard Bible

English Standard Version

1"Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had told me, and we traveled around the hill country of Seir for many days.

1“Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the LORD told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir.

2The LORD then said to me,

2Then the LORD said to me,

3'You've been traveling around this hill country long enough; turn north.

3‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward

4Command the people: You are about to travel through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so be very careful.

4and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful.

5Don't provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a foot of it, because I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his possession.

5Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any 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 as a possession.

6You may purchase food from them, so that you may eat, and buy water from them to drink.

6You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.

7For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this immense wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you this past forty years, and you have lacked nothing.'

7For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”’

8"So we bypassed our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah road and from Elath and Ezion-geber. We traveled along the road to the Wilderness of Moab.

8So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber. “And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab.

9The LORD said to me, 'Show no hostility toward Moab, and do not provoke them to battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, since I have given Ar as a possession to the descendants of Lot.'"

9And the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession.’

10The Emim, a great and numerous people as tall as the Anakim, had previously lived there.

10(The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim.

11They were also regarded as Rephaim, like the Anakim, though the Moabites called them Emim.

11Like the Anakim they are also counted as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.

12The Horites had previously lived in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out, destroying them completely and settling in their place, just as Israel did in the land of its possession the LORD gave them.

12The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the people of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the LORD gave to them.)

13"The LORD said, 'Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.' So we crossed the Zered Valley.

13‘Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.’ So we went over the brook Zered.

14The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley was thirty-eight years until the entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.

14And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.

15Indeed, the LORD's hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp until they had all perished.

15For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.

16"When all the fighting men had died among the people,

16“So as soon as all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people,

17the LORD spoke to me,

17the LORD said to me,

18'Today you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar.

18‘Today you are to cross the border of Moab at Ar.

19When you get close to the Ammonites, don't show any hostility to them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the Ammonites' land as a possession; I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.'"

19And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.’

20This too used to be regarded as the land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived there previously, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummim,

20(It is also counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim formerly lived there—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim—

21a great and numerous people, tall as the Anakim. The LORD destroyed the Rephaim at the advance of the Ammonites, so that they drove them out and settled in their place.

21a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they dispossessed them and settled in their place,

22This was just as he had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them; they drove them out and have lived in their place until now.

22as he did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them and they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day.

23The Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed the Avvites, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, and settled in their place.

23As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.)

24"The LORD also said, 'Get up, move out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have handed the Amorites' King Sihon of Heshbon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession of it; engage him in battle.

24‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle.

25Today I will begin to put the fear and dread of you on the peoples everywhere under heaven. They will hear the report about you, tremble, and be in anguish because of you.'

25This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

26"So I sent messengers with an offer of peace to King Sihon of Heshbon from the Wilderness of Kedemoth, saying,

26“So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying,

27'Let us travel through your land; we will keep strictly to the highway. We will not turn to the right or the left.

27‘Let me pass through your land. I will go only by the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left.

28You can sell us food in exchange for silver so we may eat, and give us water for silver so we may drink. Only let us travel through on foot,

28You 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 foot,

29just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir did for us, and the Moabites who live in Ar, until we cross the Jordan into the land the LORD our God is giving us.'

29as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving to us.’

30But King Sihon of Heshbon would not let us travel through his land, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to hand him over to you, as has now taken place.

30But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day.

31"Then the LORD said to me, 'See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land to you. Begin to take possession of it.'

31And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’

32So Sihon and his whole army came out against us for battle at Jahaz.

32Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz.

33The LORD our God handed him over to us, and we defeated him, his sons, and his whole army.

33And the LORD our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people.

34At that time we captured all his cities and completely destroyed the people of every city, including the women and children. We left no survivors.

34And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors.

35We took only the livestock and the spoil from the cities we captured as plunder for ourselves.

35Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured.

36There was no city that was inaccessible to us, from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead. The LORD our God gave everything to us.

36From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The LORD our God gave all into our hands.

37But you did not go near the Ammonites' land, all along the bank of the Jabbok River, the cities of the hill country, or any place that the LORD our God had forbidden.

37Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the LORD our God had forbidden us.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.