Numbers 21

New Life Version

Battle with the Canaanites

21 The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim. He fought against Israel, and took some of them against their will. ² So Israel made a promise to the Lord, and said, “If You will give this people into my hand, I will destroy every part of their cities.” ³ The Lord heard the voice of Israel, and gave them the Canaanites. Then Israel destroyed all of them and their cities. So the name of the place was called Hormah.

The Brass Snake

⁴ Then they traveled from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people wanted to give up because of the long way. ⁵ They spoke against God and Moses, saying, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is no food and no water. And we hate this bad food.” ⁶ Then the Lord sent snakes with a bite of poison among the people. They bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. ⁷ So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord, that He will take away the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a special snake and put it up on a long piece of wood. Everyone who is bitten will live when he looks at it.” ⁹ So Moses made a brass snake and put it up on the long piece of wood. If a snake bit any man, he would live when he looked at the brass snake.

From Mount Hor to Moab

¹⁰ The people of Israel traveled on, and set up their tents in Oboth. ¹¹ Then they left Oboth and stopped at Iye-abarim, in the desert beside Moab, to the east. ¹² From there they traveled on to Wadi Zered. ¹³ And from there they traveled on and set up their tents on the other side of the Arnon. It is in the desert that goes out from the land of the Amorites. For the Arnon is the side of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. ¹⁴ So it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: “Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon, ¹⁵ and the hill-side of the valleys that goes to the place of Ar, and rests on the side of Moab.” ¹⁶ From there they went on to Beer. That is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so I may give them water.”

¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song: “Come up, O well! Sing to it! ¹⁸ The well, which the leaders dug, which the rulers of the people dug, with the special stick of power and with their walking sticks.” From the desert they went on to Mattanah. ¹⁹ From Mattanah they went to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth. ²⁰ From Bamoth they went to the valley in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which looks down upon the desert.

Battle with Amorites

²¹ Then Israel sent men to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, ²² “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vines. We will not drink water from wells. We will go on the king’s road until we have passed through your country.” ²³ But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his country. He gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the desert. He came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. ²⁴ Then Israel killed Sihon with the sword. They took his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon. For Jazer was the side of the land of the Ammonites. ²⁵ Israel took all these cities. They lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its towns. ²⁶ For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites. He had fought against the man who was once the king of Moab, and had taken all his land as far as the Arnon. ²⁷ So those who use wise sayings say, “Come to Heshbon! Let it be built! Let the city of Sihon be built. ²⁸ For a fire went out from Heshbon, fire from the city of Sihon. It burned up Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of the Arnon. ²⁹ It is bad for you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! His sons run for their lives. His daughters have been taken against their will by an Amorite king, Sihon. ³⁰ But we have put them down. Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon. We have destroyed even to Nophah, which goes to Medeba.” ³¹ So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. ³² Then Moses sent men to spy out Jazer in secret. And Israel took its towns and took the place of the Amorites who were there.

King Og Killed

³³ Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan. Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people to battle at Edrei. ³⁴ But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him. For I have given him into your hand, with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon.” ³⁵ So the people of Israel killed Og and his sons and all his people, until there was not one left alive. And they took his land.