1 We turned and set out for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had told me. We went around Mount Seir for 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 about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the sons of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough for the sole of a foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall buy food from them for money and eat it. You shall also buy water from them for money and drink it. 7 For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your journey through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” ’ 8 So we passed by our brothers, the sons of Esau who live in Seir, turning away from the Arabah road, from Elath and Ezion-geber. We turned and passed along the way of the wilderness of Moab.

9 The LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 10 (The Emim lived there formerly, a people great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11 They too are counted as Rephaim, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 The Horites formerly lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them, destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place, as Israel did to the land of its possession, which the LORD gave them.) 13 ‘Now rise and cross the Zered Valley.’ So we crossed the Zered Valley. 14 The time we traveled from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley was thirty-eight years, until the whole generation of the men of war had come to an end from the midst of the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. 15 The LORD’s hand was also against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they had come to an end. 16 When all the men of war had died from among the people,

17 the LORD spoke to me, saying, 18 ‘Today you are about to pass through the territory of Moab, Ar. 19 When you approach the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the Ammonites’ land as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20 (It too is counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim lived there formerly, and the Ammonites call them Zamzummim. 21 They were a people great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. The LORD destroyed them from before them, and they dispossessed them and lived in their place, 22 as he did for the sons of Esau who live in Seir, from before whom he destroyed the Horites. They dispossessed them and have lived in their place to this day. 23 As for the Avvim who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim who came from Caphtor destroyed them and lived in their place.) 24 ‘Rise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. Look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and provoke him to war. 25 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples under all heaven. They will hear the report of you, tremble, and be in anguish before you.’ 26 I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27 ‘Let me pass through your land. I will go by the road, only by the road. I will turn neither to the right nor to the left. 28 You shall sell me food for money, so that I may eat, and give me water for money, so that I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot, 29 as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us.’ 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon was unwilling to let us pass through his territory, for the LORD your God had hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, to give him into your hand, as it is this day.

31 The LORD said to me, ‘Look, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to possess it, so that you may possess his land.’ 32 Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, for battle at Jahaz. 33 The LORD our God gave him over to us, and we struck him, his sons, and all his people. 34 We captured all his cities at that time and devoted every city to destruction, with its men, women, and little ones. We left no survivor. 35 Only the livestock we took as plunder for ourselves, and the spoil of the cities we had captured. 36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon Valley, and the city in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was no city beyond our reach. The LORD our God gave them all over to us. 37 Only you did not approach the land of the Ammonites, anywhere along the Jabbok Valley or the cities of the hill country, or anywhere the LORD our God had forbidden.