Numbers 21

1And Arad the Chananitish king who dwelt by the wilderness, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharin; and he made war on Israel, and carried off some of them captives.

2And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou wilt deliver this people into my power, I will devote it and its cities [to thee].

3And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered the Chananite into his power; and [Israel] devoted him and his cities, and they called the name of that place Anathema.

4And having departed from mount Or by the way [leading] to the Red Sea, they compassed the land of Edom, and the people lost courage by the way.

5And the people spoke against God and against Moses, saying, Why is this? Hast thou brought us ought of Egypt to slay us in the wilderness? for there is not bread nor water; and our soul loathes this light bread.

6And the Lord sent among the people deadly serpents, and they bit the people, and much people of the children of Israel died.

7And the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee: pray therefore to the Lord, and let him take away the serpent from us.

8And Moses prayed to the Lord for the people; and the Lord said to Moses, Make thee a serpent, and put it on a signal-[staff]; and it shall come to pass that whenever a serpent shall bite a man, every one [so] bitten that looks upon it shall live.

9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a signal-[staff]: and it came to pass that whenever a serpent bit a man, and he looked on the brazen serpent, he lived.

10And the children of Israel departed, and encamped in Oboth.

11And having departed from Oboth, they encamped in Achalgai, on the farther side in the wilderness, which is opposite Moab, toward the east.

12And thence they departed, and encamped in the valley of Zared.

13And they departed thence and encamped on the other side of Arnon in the wilderness, [the country] which extends from the coasts of the Amorites; for Arnon is the borders of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

14Therefore it is said in a book, A war of the Lord has set on fire Zoob, and the brooks of Arnon.

15And he has appointed brooks to cause Er to dwell [there]; and it lies near to the coasts of Moab.

16And thence [they came to] the well; this [is] the well of which the Lord said to Moses, Gather the people, and I will give them water to drink.

17Then Israel sang this song at the well, Begin [to sing] of the well;

18the princes digged it, the kings of the nations in their kingdom, in their lordship sank it in the rock: and [they went] from the well to Manthanain,

19and from Manthanain to Naaliel, and from Naaliel to Bamoth, and from Bamoth to Janen, which is in the plain of Moab [as seen] from the top of the quarried [rock] that looks toward the wilderness.

20And Moses sent ambassadors to Seon king of the Amorites, with peaceable words, saying,

21We will pass through thy land, we will go by the road; we will not turn aside to the field or to the vineyard.

22We will not drink water out of thy well; we will go by the king's highway, until we have past thy boundaries.

23And Seon did not allow Israel to pass through his borders, and Seon gathered all his people, and went out to set the battle in array against Israel into the wilderness; and he came to Jassa, and set the battle in array against Israel.

24And Israel smote him with the slaughter of the sword, and they became possessors of his land, from Arnon to Jaboc, as far as the children of Amman, for Jazer is the borders of the children of Amman.

25And Israel took all their cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Esebon, and in all cities belonging to it.

26For Esebon is the city of Seon king of the Amorites; and he before fought against the king of Moab, and they took all his land, from Aroer to Arnon.

27Therefore say they who deal in dark speeches, Come to Esebon, that the city of Seon may be built and prepared.

28For a fire has gone forth from Esebon, a flame from the city of Seon, and has consumed as far as Moab, and devoured the pillars of Arnon.

29Woe to thee, Moab; thou art lost, thou people of Chamos: their sons are sold for preservation, and their daughters are captives to Seon king of the Amorites.

30And their seed shall perish [from] Esebon to Dæbon; and their women have yet farther kindled a fire against Moab.

31And Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites.

32And Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took it, and its villages, and cast out the Amorite that dwelt there.

33And having returned, they went up the road that leads to Basan; and Og the king of Basan went forth to meet them, and all his people to war to Edrain.

34And the Lord said to Moses, Fear him not; for I have delivered him and all his people, and all his land, into thy hands; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst to Seon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Esebon.

35And he smote him and his sons, and all his people, until he left none of his to be taken alive; and they inherited his land.