The Years in the Desert
Deuteronomy 2, verse 1. “So we turned and journeyed on the desert road along the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we encircled Mount Seir for many days. Deuteronomy 2, verse 2. Then the Lord spoke to me, saying, Deuteronomy 2, verse 3. ‘Let your encircling of this mountain be sufficient; therefore, turn northward. Deuteronomy 2, verse 4. Also command the people, saying, “You are about to pass through the boundaries of your brethren, the sons of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you and will be in exceeding dread of you. Deuteronomy 2, verse 5. Do not engage them in war, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I gave Mount Seir to the sons of Esau as an inheritance. Deuteronomy 2, verse 6. You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water by the measure from them with money, that you may drink. Deuteronomy 2, verse 7. For the Lord your God blessed you in all the work of your hands. Consider how you crossed that great and fearful desert. Behold, these forty years the Lord your God was with you, and you lacked nothing.”’ Deuteronomy 2, verse 8. “Then we passed beyond our brethren the sons of Esau, who dwell in Seir, along the road of the Arabah from Elath and Ezion Geber; and we turned and passed along the desert road toward Moab. Deuteronomy 2, verse 9. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not be at enmity with Moab, or wage war with them, for I will not give you any of their land as an inheritance, because I gave Ar to the sons of Lot to inherit.’” Deuteronomy 2, verse 10. (The Emim dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and strong as the Anakim. Deuteronomy 2, verse 11. They were also regarded as Raphain, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. Deuteronomy 2, verse 12. The Horite formerly dwelt in Seir, but the sons of Esau rooted them out and destroyed them from before their face, and dwelt in their place, in the manner Israel did in the land of their inheritance, which the Lord gave them.) Deuteronomy 2, verse 13. “‘Now rise, break camp and cross over the Valley of Zered.’ So we crossed over the Valley of Zered. Deuteronomy 2, verse 14. So the days we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of Zered were thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war died out of the camp, as the Lord swore to them. Deuteronomy 2, verse 15. For the hand of the Lord was on them, to destroy them out of the camp until they were consumed. Deuteronomy 2, verse 16. “So it was, when all the men of war died from the midst of the people, Deuteronomy 2, verse 17. then the Lord spoke to me, saying, Deuteronomy 2, verse 18. ‘Today you shall pass by the borders of Moab at Seir, Deuteronomy 2, verse 19. and you shall draw near the sons of Ammon, but do not be at enmity with them or wage war with them, for I will not give you any land of the sons of Ammon as an inheritance, because I gave it to the sons of Lot as an inheritance.’” Deuteronomy 2, verse 20. (Formerly, it was also regarded as the land of the Raphain, for the Raphain dwelt upon it. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, Deuteronomy 2, verse 21. a people great and numerous and stronger than you, just as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before their face; and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place to this day; Deuteronomy 2, verse 22. just as they did for the sons of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when they destroyed the Horites from before their face. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place to this day. Deuteronomy 2, verse 23. Also the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza—the Cappadocians, who came from Cappadocia, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.) Deuteronomy 2, verse 24. “‘Now therefore, rise, break camp, and travel along the Arnon Valley. Behold, I give into your hands Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Enter your inheritance and engage him in war. Deuteronomy 2, verse 25. On this day, begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the face of all nations under heaven, who when they hear the report of you, they will tremble and be in anguish because of your presence.’
Israel Victorious over King Sihon
Deuteronomy 2, verse 26. “So I sent ambassadors from the Kedemoth Desert to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, Deuteronomy 2, verse 27. ‘Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left. Deuteronomy 2, verse 28. You shall sell me food for money so I may eat, and sell me water for money so I may drink; only let me pass through on foot, Deuteronomy 2, verse 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 the Lord our God is giving us.’ Deuteronomy 2, verse 30. But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the Lord our God hardened his spirit and made his heart stubborn, that He might deliver him into your hands, as on this day. Deuteronomy 2, verse 31. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to inherit his land.’ Deuteronomy 2, verse 32. So Sihon and all his people came out to engage us in war at Jahaz. Deuteronomy 2, verse 33. But the Lord our God delivered him over to us; so we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. Deuteronomy 2, verse 34. We conquered all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed every city, one after the other, and we did not leave their women and children alive. Deuteronomy 2, verse 35. We took only the cattle as plunder for ourselves, along with the spoil of the cities. Deuteronomy 2, verse 36. From Aroer on the bank of the Arnon River, and from the city in the ravine, as far as the mountain of Gilead, there was not one city that escaped us; the Lord our God delivered them all into our hands. Deuteronomy 2, verse 37. Only we did not go into the land of the sons of Ammon—anywhere along the Jabbok River, or to the cities of the mountains, as the Lord our God commanded us.