1Then we turned , and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea , as Jehovah spake unto me ; and we compassed mount Seir many days . 2And Jehovah spake unto me, saying, 3Ye have compassed this mountain long enough : turn you northward . 4And command thou the people , saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau , that dwell in Seir ; and they will be afraid of you . Take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore ; 5contend not with them ; for I will not give you of their land, no , not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on ; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession . 6Ye shall purchase food of them for money , that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money , that ye may drink . 7For Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand ; he hath known thy walking through this great wilderness : these forty years Jehovah thy God hath been with thee ; thou hast lacked nothing . 8So we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau , that dwell in Seir , from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion-geber . And we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab .
The Wilderness Experience
9And Jehovah said unto me , Vex not Moab , neither contend with them in battle ; for I will not give thee of his land for a possession ; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession . 10( The Emim dwelt therein aforetime , a people great , and many , and tall , as the Anakim : 11these also are accounted Rephaim , as the Anakim ; but the Moabites call them Emim. 12The Horites also dwelt in Seir aforetime , but the children of Esau succeeded them ; and they destroyed them from before them , and dwelt in their stead ; as Israel did unto the land of his possession , which Jehovah gave unto them ). 13Now rise up , and get you over the brook Zered . And we went over the brook Zered . 14And the days in which we came from Kadesh-barnea , until we were come over the brook Zered , were thirty and eight years ; until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the midst of the camp , as Jehovah sware unto them . 15Moreover the hand of Jehovah was against them , to destroy them from the midst of the camp , until they were consumed .
Conquest of the Amorites
16So it came to pass , when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people , 17that Jehovah spake unto me , saying , 18Thou art this day to pass over Ar , the border of Moab : 19and when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon , vex them not , nor contend with them ; for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession ; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession . 20( That also is accounted a land of Rephaim : Rephaim dwelt therein aforetime ; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, 21a people great , and many , and tall , as the Anakim ; but Jehovah destroyed them before them ; and they succeeded them , and dwelt in their stead ; 22as he did for the children of Esau , that dwell in Seir , when he destroyed the Horites from before them ; and they succeeded them , and dwelt in their stead even unto this day . 23And the Avvim , that dwelt in villages as far as Gaza , the Caphtorim , that came forth out of Caphtor , destroyed them , and dwelt in their stead .) 24Rise ye up , take your journey , and pass over the valley of the Arnon: behold , I have given into thy hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon , and his land; begin to possess it , and contend with him in battle . 25This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven , who shall hear the report of thee , and shall tremble , and be in anguish because of thee .
The Land of the Giants
26And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace , saying , 27Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the highway , I will turn neither unto the right hand nor to the left . 28Thou shalt 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 my feet ; 29as the children of Esau that dwell in Seir , and the Moabites that dwell in Ar , did unto me ; until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which Jehovah our God giveth us . 30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him ; for Jehovah thy God hardened his spirit , and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand , as at this day . 31And Jehovah said unto me , Behold , I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before thee : begin to possess , that thou mayest inherit his land . 32Then Sihon came out against us , he and all his people , unto battle at Jahaz . 33And Jehovah our God delivered him up before us ; and we smote him , and his sons , and all his people . 34And we took all his cities at that time , and utterly destroyed every inhabited city , with the women and the little ones ; we left none remaining : 35only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken . 36From Aroer , which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley , even unto Gilead , there was not a city too high for us ; Jehovah our God delivered up all before us : 37only to the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not near ; all the side of the river Jabbok , and the cities of the hill-country, and wheresoever Jehovah our God forbade us .