Numbers 21

MSG — The Message Bible (MSG)

NLT — New Living Translation Bible (NLT)

Verse 1

The Canaanite king of Arad, ruling in the Negev, heard that Israel was advancing up the road to Atharim. He attacked Israel and took prisoners of war.

The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that the Israelites were approaching on the road through Atharim. So he attacked the Israelites and took some of them as prisoners.

Verse 2

Israel vowed a vow to God: “If you will give this people into our power, we’ll destroy their towns and present the ruins to you as a holy destruction.”

Then the people of Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will hand these people over to us, we will completely destroy^[a] all their towns.”

Verse 3

God listened to Israel’s prayer and gave them the Canaanites. They destroyed both them and their towns, a holy destruction. They named the place Hormah (Holy Destruction).

The Snake of Fiery Copper

The Lord heard the Israelites’ request and gave them victory over the Canaanites. The Israelites completely destroyed them and their towns, and the place has been called Hormah^[b] ever since.

The Bronze Snake

Verse 4

They set out from Mount Hor along the Red Sea Road, a detour around the land of Edom. The people became irritable and cross as they traveled. They spoke out against God and Moses: “Why did you drag us out of Egypt to die in this godforsaken country? No decent food; no water—we can’t stomach this stuff any longer.”

Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea^[c] to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey,

Verse 5

— not in MSG

and 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!”

Verse 6

So God sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit them and many in Israel died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke out against God and you. Pray to God; ask him to take these snakes from us.”

Moses prayed for the people.

So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.

Verse 7

— not in MSG

Then 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.

Verse 8

God said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it on a flagpole: Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live.”

Then 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!”

Verse 9

So Moses made a snake of fiery copper and put it on top of a flagpole. Anyone bitten by a snake who then looked at the copper snake lived.

Camping on the Way to Moab

So 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!

Israel’s Journey to Moab

Verse 10

The People of Israel set out and camped at Oboth. They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim in the wilderness that faces Moab on the east. They went from there and pitched camp in the Zered Valley. Their next camp was alongside the Arnon River, which marks the border between Amorite country and Moab. The Book of the Wars of God refers to this place:

Waheb in Suphah,
    the canyons of Arnon;
Along the canyon ravines
    that lead to the village Ar
And lean hard against
    the border of Moab.

The Israelites traveled next to Oboth and camped there.

Verse 11

— not in MSG

Then they went on to Iye-abarim, in the wilderness on the eastern border of Moab.

Verse 12

— not in MSG

From there they traveled to the valley of Zered Brook and set up camp.

Verse 13

— not in MSG

Then 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.

Verse 14

— not in MSG

For 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,

Verse 15

— not in MSG

and the ravines that extend as far as the settlement of Ar on the border of Moab.”

Verse 16

They went on to Beer (The Well), where God said to Moses, “Gather the people; I’ll give them water.” That’s where Israel sang this song:

    Erupt, Well!
Sing the Song of the Well,
    the well sunk by princes,
Dug out by the peoples’ leaders
    digging with their scepters and staffs.

From there the Israelites traveled to Beer,^[d] which is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Assemble the people, and I will give them water.”

Verse 17

— not in MSG

There the Israelites sang this song:

“Spring up, O well!
Yes, sing its praises!

Verse 18

— not in MSG

Sing 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,

Verse 19

From the wilderness their route went from Mattanah to Nahaliel to Bamoth (The Heights) to the valley that opens into the fields of Moab from where Pisgah (The Summit) rises and overlooks Jeshimon (Wasteland).

Nahaliel, and Bamoth.

Verse 20

— not in MSG

After that they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah Peak overlooks the wasteland.^[e]

Victory over Sihon and Og

Verse 21

Israel sent emissaries to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, “Let us cross your land. We won’t trespass into your fields or drink water in your vineyards. We’ll keep to the main road, the King’s Road, until we’re through your land.”

The Israelites sent ambassadors to King Sihon of the Amorites with this message:

Verse 22

— not in MSG

“Let us travel through your land. We will be careful not to go through your fields and vineyards. We won’t even drink water from your wells. We will stay on the king’s road until we have passed through your territory.”

Verse 23

But Sihon wouldn’t let Israel go through. Instead he got his army together and marched into the wilderness to fight Israel. At Jahaz he attacked Israel. But Israel fought hard, beat him soundly, and took possession of his land from the Arnon all the way to the Jabbok right up to the Ammonite border. They stopped there because the Ammonite border was fortified. Israel took and occupied all the Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its surrounding villages. Heshbon was the capital city of Sihon king of the Amorites. He had attacked the former king of Moab and captured all his land as far north as the river Arnon. That is why the folk singers sing,

Come to Heshbon to rebuild the city,
restore Sihon’s town.

But 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.

Verse 24

— not in MSG

But 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.^[f]

Verse 25

— not in MSG

So Israel captured all the towns of the Amorites and settled in them, including the city of Heshbon and its surrounding villages.

Verse 26

— not in MSG

Heshbon 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.

Verse 27

— not in MSG

Therefore, the ancient poets wrote this about him:

“Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt!
Let the city of Sihon be restored.

Verse 28

Fire once poured out of Heshbon,
        flames from the city of Sihon;
    Burning up Ar of Moab,
        the natives of Arnon’s heights.
    Doom, Moab!
        The people of Chemosh, done for!
    Sons turned out as fugitives, daughters abandoned as captives
        to the king of the Amorites, to Sihon.

A 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.

Verse 29

— not in MSG

What 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.

Verse 30

Oh, but we finished them off:
        Nothing left of Heshbon as far as Dibon;
    Devastation as far off as Nophah,
        scorched earth all the way to Medeba.

We have utterly destroyed them,
from Heshbon to Dibon.
We have completely wiped them out
as far away as Nophah and Medeba.^[g]”

Verse 31

Israel moved in and lived in Amorite country. Moses sent men to scout out Jazer. They captured its villages and drove away the Amorites who lived there.

So the people of Israel occupied the territory of the Amorites.

Verse 32

— not in MSG

After Moses sent men to explore the Jazer area, they captured all the towns in the region and drove out the Amorites who lived there.

Verse 33

Then they turned north on the road to Bashan. Og king of Bashan marched out with his entire army to meet Moses in battle at Edrei.

Then they turned and marched up the road to Bashan, but King Og of Bashan and all his people attacked them at Edrei.

Verse 34

God said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’m making a present of him to you, him and all his people and his land. Treat him the same as Sihon king of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, along with all his people and his land. Do the same to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.”

Verse 35

So they attacked him, his sons, and all the people—there was not a single survivor. Israel took the land.

And Israel killed King Og, his sons, and all his subjects; not a single survivor remained. Then Israel occupied their land.