Deuteronomy Chapter 2
1 Then we turned and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me. And we went around Mount Seir many days.
2 The Lord spoke to me saying,
3 You have gone around this mountain long enough. Turn northward.
4 Command the people saying, You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the children of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you. Therefore be careful.
5 Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot width, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession.
6 You shall buy food from them for silver, so that you may eat. And you shall also buy water from them for silver, so that you may drink.
7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the works of your hand. He knows your walking through this great wilderness. The Lord your God has been with you these 40 years. You have lacked nothing.
8 When we left our brothers the children of Esau who lived in Seir, through the way of the Arabah from Elath, and from Eziongeber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.
9 The Lord said to me, Do not besiege Moab, nor fight with them in battle. For I will not give you any of their land for a possession. Because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.
10 The Emim lived there in times past, a great people, who were many and tall like the Anakim.
11 Like the Anakim, they were regarded as Rephaim. But the Moabites called them Emim.
12 The Horims also lived in Seir in times past. But the children of Esau succeeded them when they had destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place. As Israel did to the land of his possession that the Lord gave to them.
13 Now rise up and cross over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.
14 The days in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we had come over the brook Zered were 38 years. Until the end of all the generation. The men of war were destroyed from the midst of the camp, as the Lord swore to them.
15 The hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from among the camp, until they were consumed.
16 When all the men of war had finished dying from among the people,
17 the Lord spoke to me saying,
18 today you are passing over the border of Moab, even Ar.
19 When you come near, across from the children of Ammon, do not trouble⁺ them nor meddle with them. For I will not give you any possessions from the land of the children of Ammon, because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession.
20 It also was known to be a land of giants. Giants lived there in past times. The Ammonites called them Zamzumim.
21 They were a great people, and many and tall, like the Anakims. But the Lord destroyed them and they succeeded them and lived in their place.
22 He did the same to the children of Esau who lived in Seir when he destroyed the Horim from before them and they expelled them and lived in their place even to this day.
23 The Avvim who lived in villages as far as Azzah, the Caphtorites, who came forth out of Caphtor destroyed them, and lived in their place.
24 Rise up and cross over the river Arnon. I have given to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon and his land. Begin to possess it and fight with him in battle.
25 Today, I will begin to put your dread and your fear upon the nations under the whole heavens. Who shall hear report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.
26 I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth to King Sihon of Heshbon with words of peace saying,
27 Let me pass through your land. I will go along by the highway. I will neither turn to the right nor to the left.
28 You shall sell me food for silver so that I may eat and give me water for silver so that I may drink. Only I will pass through on my feet,
29 As the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did to me, until I cross over Jordan into the land that the Lord our God gives us.
30 But King Sihon of Heshbon would not let us pass by him. For the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart stubborn so that He might deliver him to you as it is this day.
31 The Lord said to me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before you. Begin to possess it so that you may inherit his land.
32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.
33 The Lord our God delivered him before us. And we struck him and his sons and all his people.
34 We took all his cities at that time and completely destroyed the men and the women and the little children of every city. We left none to remain.
35 Only we plundered the cattle for ourselves, and we took the spoil of the cities.
36 From Aroer, by the brink of the river of Arnon, and the city by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us. The Lord our God delivered all to us.
37 Only to the land of the children of Ammon you did not come, to any place of the river Jabbok, nor to the cities in the mountains, nor to whatever the Lord our God denied us.