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Numbers 21
Evangelical Heritage Version
Numbers 21
Evangelical Heritage Version
Arad Destroyed
21 The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. He fought against Israel and captured some of them. 2 Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will indeed give these people into our hands, then we will totally destroy their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s voice and gave the Canaanites into their hands. The Israelites totally destroyed them and their cities. They named the place Hormah.[a]
The Bronze Snake
4 They set out from Mount Hor along the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom, but the people became very impatient along the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? Look, there is no food! There is no water! And we are disgusted by this worthless food!”[b]
6 The Lord sent venomous[c] snakes among the people, and the snakes bit the people. As a result many people from Israel died. 7 The people went to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord to take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed on behalf of the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a venomous snake and put it on a pole. If anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” 9 Moses made a bronze snake and put it on the pole. If a snake had bitten anyone, if that person looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites set out and camped at Oboth. 11 They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 From there they set out and camped at the Zered Canyon. 13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends from the Amorite border. (The Arnon is the border between Moab and the Amorites.) 14 For this reason it says in the Book of the Wars of the Lord:
Waheb[d] in Suphah, the ravines of the Arnon, 15 the sloping ravines that bend toward the settlement of Ar and lie on the border of Moab.
16 From there they continued to Be’er.[e] That is the well which the Lord spoke about to Moses: “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, O well! Sing about it.
18 Sing about the well which the officials dug,
which the nobles of the people hollowed out
with their scepters and their staffs.
From the wilderness they continued to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 from Bamoth to the valley in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah that overlooks the wasteland.[f]
The Defeat of Sihon and Og
21 Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites to say, 22 “Permit us to pass through your land. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard. We will not drink the water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
23 Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Instead Sihon gathered all his people together and went out into the wilderness to confront Israel. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel. 24 Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because the Ammonite border was strong. 25 Israel took all these cities. Israel began living in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages. 26 Because Heshbon had been the city of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon, 27 therefore the poets[g] say,
Come to Heshbon.
Let the city of Sihon be built and established,
28 for a fire has gone out of Heshbon,
a flame from the town of Sihon.
It has consumed Ar of Moab
and engulfed the heights of the Arnon.[h]
29 Woe to you, Moab!
You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!
He has given up his sons as refugees,
and his daughters go into captivity
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 We overthrew them.
Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon.
We have laid waste as far as Nophah.
Fire reaches as far as Medeba.
31 So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 Moses sent spies to Jazer. They took its towns and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33 They turned and went up on the road to Bashan. Og king of Bashan came out with all his people to confront Israel in battle at Edrei.
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hand along with all his people and his land. You will do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”
35 So they struck him down along with his sons and all his people until there were no survivors. Then they took possession of his land.
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction.
- Numbers 21:5 The word twice translated food is the same as the word for bread.
- Numbers 21:6 Literally burning
- Numbers 21:14 Or, following the Greek Old Testament, Zaha. This may be the name of the headwaters of the Arnon. The quotation seems to be a geographic description of the border.
- Numbers 21:16 Be’er means well.
- Numbers 21:20 Or Jeshimon
- Numbers 21:27 Literally the ones who speak in proverbs or verses
- Numbers 21:28 The translation follows the Greek Old Testament. The Hebrew reads it consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the heights of Arnon.
Numbers 21
New International Version
Numbers 21
New International Version
Arad Destroyed
21 When the Canaanite king of Arad,(A) who lived in the Negev,(B) heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2 Then Israel made this vow(C) to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[a](D) their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites(E) over to them. They completely destroyed them(F) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.[b](G)
The Bronze Snake
4 They traveled from Mount Hor(H) along the route to the Red Sea,[c](I) to go around Edom.(J) But the people grew impatient on the way;(K) 5 they spoke against God(L) and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt(M) to die in the wilderness?(N) There is no bread! There is no water!(O) And we detest this miserable food!”(P)
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes(Q) among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.(R) 7 The people came to Moses(S) and said, “We sinned(T) when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord(U) will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed(V) for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole;(W) anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake(X) and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.(Y)
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.(Z) 11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab(AA) toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.(AB) 13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon(AC), which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.(AD) 14 That is why the Book of the Wars(AE) of the Lord says:
“. . . Zahab[d] in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon 15 and[e] the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the settlement of Ar(AF)
and lie along the border of Moab.”
16 From there they continued on to Beer,(AG) the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:(AH)
“Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
18 about 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, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah(AI) overlooks the wasteland.
Defeat of Sihon and Og
21 Israel sent messengers(AJ) to say to Sihon(AK) king of the Amorites:(AL)
22 “Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.(AM)”
23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory.(AN) He mustered his entire army and marched out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz,(AO) he fought with Israel.(AP) 24 Israel, however, put him to the sword(AQ) and took over his land(AR) from the Arnon to the Jabbok,(AS) but only as far as the Ammonites,(AT) because their border was fortified. 25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites(AU) and occupied them,(AV) including Heshbon(AW) and all its surrounding settlements. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon(AX) king of the Amorites,(AY) who had fought against the former king of Moab(AZ) and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.(BA)
27 That 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.(BB)
It consumed(BC) Ar(BD) of Moab,
the citizens of Arnon’s heights.(BE)
29 Woe to you, Moab!(BF)
You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!(BG)
He has given up his sons as fugitives(BH)
and his daughters as captives(BI)
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 “But we have overthrown them;
Heshbon’s dominion has been destroyed all the way to Dibon.(BJ)
We have demolished them as far as Nophah,
which extends to Medeba.(BK)”
31 So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.(BL)
32 After Moses had sent spies(BM) to Jazer,(BN) the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan(BO),(BP) and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.(BQ)
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.(BR)”
35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors.(BS) And they took possession of his land.(BT)
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 3.
- Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction.
- Numbers 21:4 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Numbers 21:14 Septuagint; Hebrew Waheb
- Numbers 21:15 Or “I have been given from Suphah and the ravines / of the Arnon 15 to
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.