Edom’s Refusal. ¹⁴ From Kadesh Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus says your brother Israel:^[a] You know of all the hardships that have befallen us, ¹⁵ how our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors harshly. ¹⁶ When we cried to the Lord,^(A) he heard our cry and sent an angel who led us out of Egypt. Now here we are at Kadesh, a town at the edge of your territory. ¹⁷ Please let us pass through your land. We will not cross any fields or vineyards, nor drink any well water, but we will go straight along the King’s Highway^[b] without turning to the right or to the left, until we have passed through your territory.”

¹⁸ But Edom answered him, “You shall not pass through here; if you do, I will advance against you with the sword.” ¹⁹ The Israelites said to him, “We will go up along the highway. If we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. It is nothing—just let us pass through on foot.” ²⁰ But Edom replied, “You shall not pass through,”^(B) and advanced against them with a large and heavily armed force. ²¹ Therefore, since Edom refused to let Israel pass through their territory, Israel turned away from them.

¹⁵ saying to him, “This is what Jephthah says: ‘Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.^{(A) 16} For when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. ¹⁷ Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom saying, “Let me pass through your land.” But the king of Edom did not give consent.^(B) They also sent to the king of Moab, but he too was unwilling. So Israel remained in Kadesh.^(C)