Numbers 21

1. And King Arad the Canaanite, who lived in the south, heard that Israel came by the Way of the Spies; then he fought against Israel and took prisoners of them.

2. And Israel vowed a vow to the LORD and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will completely destroy their cities.”

3. And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites. And they completely destroyed them and their cities. And he called the name of the place Hormah.

4. And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. And the soul of the people was very discouraged because of the way.

5. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water. And our soul hates this light bread.”

6. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people. And many people of Israel died.

7. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” And Moses prayed for the people.

8. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole. And it shall be when everyone who is bitten looks upon it, he shall live.”

9. And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it upon a pole. And it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked upon the serpent of brass, he lived.

10. And the children of Israel journeyed and pitched in Oboth.

11. And they journeyed from Oboth and pitched at Ije Abarim in the wilderness before Moab, toward the sunrise.

12. From there they set out and pitched in the valley of Zered.

13. From there they set out and pitched on the other side of Arnon in the wilderness that comes out of the borders of the Amorites; for Arnon is at the border of Moab between Moab and the Amorites.

14. Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD, “Waheb in Suphah Ancient unknown place ,and in the brooks of Arnon,

15. And at the stream of the brooks that go down to the dwelling of Ar and lies upon the border of Moab.”

16. And from there they went to Beer. That is the well of which the LORD spoke to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”

17. Then Israel sang this song, “Spring up, O well. Sing to it.

18. The well which the leaders dug, which the nobles of the people dug with their staves by the word of the Lawgiver.” And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah,

19. And from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

20. And from Bamoth in the valley, in the country of Moab, they worked to the top of Pisgah, which looks down upon the desert.

21. And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

22. “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn into the fields or into the vineyards. We will not drink the waters of the well. We will go along by the king’s highway until we are past your borders.”

23. And Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border. But Sihon gathered all his people, and went out against Israel in the wilderness. And he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.

24. And Israel struck him with the edge of the sword and possessed his land from Arnon to Jabbok, even to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong.

25. And Israel took all these cities. And Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites in Heshbon and in all its villages,

26. For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, even to Arnon.

27. Therefore, those who speak in proverbs say, “Come into Heshbon. Let the city of Sihon be built and prepared,

28. For there has gone out a fire from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It has consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the high places of Arnon.

29. Woe to you, Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has given his sons to be as fugitives, and his daughters to go into captivity to Sihon, king of the Amorites.

30. We have cast them down. Heshbon has perished even to Dibon, and we have laid them waste even to Nophah which is to Medeba.”

31. Now Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.

32. And Moses sent men to scout out Jaazer, and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.

33. And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.

34. And the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, and all his people and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”

35. So they struck him and his sons and all his people until there was none left of him alive. And they possessed his land.