Numbers 21:4-31
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 21
4Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. 5So the people spoke against God and Moses: 'Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we are disgusted with this miserable food.'
6Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
7So the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and against you; intercede with the Lord, that He will remove the serpents from us.' And Moses interceded for the people.
8Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and put it on a flag pole; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, and looks at it, will live.'
9So Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on the flag pole; and it came about, that if a serpent bit someone, and he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
10Now the sons of Israel moved out and camped in Oboth.
11Then they journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, to the east.
12From there they set out and camped in Wadi Zered.
13From there they journeyed and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14For that reason it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord, 'Waheb in Suphah, And the wadis of the Arnon,
15And the slope of the wadis That extends to the site of Ar, And leans to the border of Moab.'
18The well, which the leaders dug, Which the nobles of the people hollowed out, With the scepter and with their staffs.' And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah,
19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the desert.
21Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying,
22Let me pass through your land. We will not turn off into field or vineyard; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the king’s road until we have passed through your border.'
23But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border. Instead, Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.
24Then Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon was Jazer.
25Israel took all these cities, and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all her villages.
26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon.
27For that reason those who use proverbs say, 'Come to Heshbon! Let it be built! So let the city of Sihon be established.
28For a fire spread from Heshbon, A flame from the town of Sihon; It devoured Ar of Moab, The dominant heights of the Arnon.
29Woe to you, Moab! You are destroyed, people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, And his daughters into captivity, To an Amorite king, Sihon.
King James Version
Chapter 21
4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
10And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.
11And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.
12From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared.
13From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,
15And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.
16And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
17Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:
18The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:
19And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:
20And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.
21And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
22Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders.
23And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
24And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
25And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.
26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon.
27Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 21
4Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey. 5The people spoke against God and Moses: "Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!" 6Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died.
8Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover."
9So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.
10The Israelites set out and camped at Oboth.
11They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness that borders Moab on the east.
12From there they went and camped at Zered Valley.
13They set out from there and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness that extends from the Amorite border, because the Arnon was the Moabite border between Moab and the Amorites.
14Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Lord’s Wars: Waheb in Suphah and the ravines of the Arnon,
15even the slopes of the ravines that extend to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.
18The princes dug the well; the nobles of the people hollowed it out with a scepter and with their staffs. They went from the wilderness to Mattanah,
19from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of Moab near the Pisgah highlands that overlook the wasteland.
21Israel sent messengers to say to King Sihon of the Amorites:
22"Let us travel through your land. We won’t go into the fields or vineyards. We won’t drink any well water. We will travel the King’s Highway until we have traveled through your territory."
23But Sihon would not let Israel travel through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.
24Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only up to the Ammonite border, because it was fortified.
25Israel took all the cities and lived in all these Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its surrounding villages.
26Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken control of all his land as far as the Arnon.
27Therefore the poets say: Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt; let the city of Sihon be restored.
28For fire came out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the citizens of Arnon’s heights.
29Woe to you, Moab! You have been destroyed, people of Chemosh! He gave up his sons as refugees, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon the Amorite king.
30We threw them down; Heshbon has been destroyed as far as Dibon. We caused desolation as far as Nophah, which reaches as far as Medeba.
New Living Translation
Chapter 21
4Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, 5and they began to speak against God and Moses. 'Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?' they complained. 'There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!'
6So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.
7Then the people came to Moses and cried out, 'We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.' So Moses prayed for the people.
8Then the Lord told him, 'Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!'
9So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!
10The Israelites traveled next to Oboth and camped there.
11Then they went on to Iye-abarim, in the wilderness on the eastern border of Moab.
12From there they traveled to the valley of Zered Brook and set up camp.
13Then they moved out and camped on the far side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness adjacent to the territory of the Amorites. The Arnon is the boundary line between the Moabites and the Amorites.
14For this reason The Book of the Wars of the Lord speaks of 'the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the ravines of the Arnon River,
15and the ravines that extend as far as the settlement of Ar on the border of Moab.'
18Sing of this well, which princes dug, which great leaders hollowed out with their scepters and staffs.' Then the Israelites left the wilderness and proceeded on through Mattanah,
19Nahaliel, and Bamoth.
20After that they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah Peak overlooks the wasteland.
23But King Sihon refused to let them cross his territory. Instead, he mobilized his entire army and attacked Israel in the wilderness, engaging them in battle at Jahaz.
24But the Israelites slaughtered them with their swords and occupied their land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They went only as far as the Ammonite border because the boundary of the Ammonites was fortified.
25So Israel captured all the towns of the Amorites and settled in them, including the city of Heshbon and its surrounding villages.
26Heshbon had been the capital of King Sihon of the Amorites. He had defeated a former Moabite king and seized all his land as far as the Arnon River.
27Therefore, the ancient poets wrote this about him: 'Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt! Let the city of Sihon be restored.
28A fire flamed forth from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It burned the city of Ar in Moab; it destroyed the rulers of the Arnon heights.
29What sorrow awaits you, O people of Moab! You are finished, O worshipers of Chemosh! Chemosh has left his sons as refugees, his daughters as captives of Sihon, the Amorite king.
30We have utterly destroyed them, from Heshbon to Dibon. We have completely wiped them out as far away as Nophah and Medeba. '
English Standard Version
Chapter 21
4From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5And 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 food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." 6Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7And 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." So Moses prayed for the people. 8And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." 9So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
10And the people of Israel set out and camped in Oboth.
11And they set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise.
12From there they set out and camped in the Valley of Zered.
13From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord, "Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
15and the slope of the valleys that extends to the seat of Ar, and leans to the border of Moab."
16And from there they continued to Beer; that is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, "Gather the people together, so that I may give them water."
17Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! — Sing to it! —
18the well that the princes made, that the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and with their staffs." And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah,
19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah that looks down on the desert.
21Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
22"Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King 's Highway until we have passed through your territory."
23But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.
24And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong.
25And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.
26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon.
27Therefore the ballad singers say, "Come to Heshbon, let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established.
28For fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab, and swallowed the heights of the Arnon.
29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to an Amorite king, Sihon.
30So we overthrew them; Heshbon, as far as Dibon, perished; and we laid waste as far as Nophah; fire spread as far as Medeba."
31Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
New International Version
Chapter 21
4They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"
6Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
7The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."
9So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
10The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.
11Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab toward the sunrise.
12From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.
13They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14That is why the Book of the Wars of the Lord says: "…Zahab in Suphah and the ravines, the Arnon
15and the slopes of the ravines that lead to the settlement of Ar and lie along the border of Moab."
18about the well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people sank— the nobles with scepters and staffs." Then they went from the wilderness to Mattanah,
19from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.
23But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He mustered his entire army and marched out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel.
24Israel, however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified.
25Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements.
26Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.
27That is why the poets say: "Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt; let Sihon’s city be restored.
28"Fire went out from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the citizens of Arnon’s heights.
29Woe to you, Moab! You are destroyed, people of Chemosh! He has given up his sons as fugitives and his daughters as captives to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30"But we have overthrown them; Heshbon’s dominion has been destroyed all the way to Dibon. We have demolished them as far as Nophah, which extends to Medeba."
New King James Version
Chapter 21
4Then 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 became very discouraged on the way. 5And 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 food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
8Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”
9So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
10Now the children of Israel moved on and camped in Oboth.
11And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at Ije Abarim, in the wilderness which is east of Moab, toward the sunrise.
12From there they moved and camped in the Valley of Zered.
13From there they moved and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: “Waheb in Suphah, The brooks of the Arnon,
15And the slope of the brooks That reaches to the dwelling of Ar, And lies on the border of Moab.”
18The well the leaders sank, Dug by the nation’s nobles, By the lawgiver, with their staves.” And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah,
19from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looks down on the wasteland.
21Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
22“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into fields or vineyards; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
23But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.
24Then Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified.
25So Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages.
26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon.
27Therefore those who speak in proverbs say: “Come to Heshbon, let it be built; Let the city of Sihon be repaired.
28“For fire went out from Heshbon, A flame from the city of Sihon; It consumed Ar of Moab, The lords of the heights of the Arnon.
29Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, O people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, And his daughters into captivity, To Sihon king of the Amorites.
30“But we have shot at them; Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon. Then we laid waste as far as Nophah, Which reaches to Medeba.”
