1 Then we turned and set out into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, as Jehovah had spoken to me, and we circled around Mount Seir many days.
2 And Jehovah spoke to me, saying:
3 You have circled around this mountain long enough; turn northward.
4 And command the people, saying, You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren, the sons of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore be very much on guard.
5 Do not strive with them, for I am not giving you any of their land, no, not even one treading place for the souls of your feet, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
6 You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.
7 For Jehovah your God has blessed you in all the works of your hands. He has known your walking through this great wilderness. These forty years Jehovah your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.
8 And when we passed beyond our brethren, the sons of Esau who dwell in Seir, away from the way of the plain, away from Elath and Ezion Geber, we turned and passed by way of the wilderness of Moab.
9 And Jehovah said to me, Do not show hostility to Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.
10 (The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim.
11 They were also regarded as giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
12 The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel has done to the land of their possession which Jehovah has given them.)
13 Now rise up and cross over the valley of the Zered. So we crossed over the valley of the Zered.
14 And the time that passed from Kadesh Barnea until we had crossed over the valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, for all the generation of the men of war to be finished off from the midst of the camp, as Jehovah had sworn to them.
15 For indeed the hand of Jehovah was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.
16 So it was, when all the men of war had completely perished from among the people,
17 that Jehovah spoke to me, saying:
18 This day you are crossing over at Ar, the border of Moab.
19 And when you come near the children of Ammon, do not show hostility to them nor contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.
20 (That was also regarded as a land of giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,
21 a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But Jehovah destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place,
22 just as He had done for the sons of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day.
23 And the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza; the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)
24 Rise up, set out, and cross over the river Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and engage him in battle.
25 This day I will begin to put the dread and terror of you upon the faces of the peoples under all the heavens, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and writhe because of you.
26 And I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying,
27 Let me pass through your land; I will proceed directly on the way; I will neither turn aside to the right nor to the left.
28 You 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,
29 just as the sons of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land which Jehovah our God is giving to us.
30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through; for Jehovah your God had made his spirit stubborn and hardened his heart, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.
31 And Jehovah said to me, Behold, I have begun to set Sihon and his land before you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.
32 And Sihon and all his people came out against us to do battle at Jahaz.
33 And Jehovah our God delivered him up before us; and we struck him, his sons, and all his people.
34 We took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining.
35 We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoils of the cities which we took.
36 From Aroer, which is beside the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; Jehovah our God delivered up all before us.
37 Only you did not go near the land of the children of Ammon; anywhere along the River Jabbok, nor to the cities of the mountains, nor wherever Jehovah our God had forbidden us.