1   And departing thence we came into the wildernesse, that leadeth to the Redde sea, as our Lord had said to me: and we compassed the mountaine Seir a long time.

2   And our Lord said to me:

3   It is sufficient for you to haue compassed this mountaine: goe toward the North.

4   And command thou the people, saying: You shal passe by the borders of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwel in Seir, and they wil be affraid of you.

5   Looke diligently therfore that you sturre not against them. For I wil not geue you of their land so much as the steppe of one foote can treade, because I haue geuen the mountaine Seir to be the possession of Esau.

6   Meates you shal bie of them with money, and shal eate: bought water shal you draw, and drinke.

7   The Lord thy God hath blessed thee in euerie worke of thy handes: he knoweth thy iourney, how thou hast passed this great wildernesse, for fourtie yeares the Lord thy God dwelling with thee, & thou hast wanted nothing.

8   And when we had passed by our brethren the children of Esau, that dwelt in Seir, by the champion way from Elath & from Asiongaber, we came to the way, that leadeth into the desert of Moab.

9   And our Lord said to me: Fight not against the Moabites, neither make battel against them: for I wil not geue thee any of their land, because I haue geuen Ar to the children of Lot in possession.

10   Emim first were the inhabiters therof, a great people, and valiant, and so tall that ^note they were thought,

11   as it were giantes, of the Enacims stocke, & were like the children of the Enacims. Moreouer the Moabites cal them Emim.

12   But in Seir before dwelt the Horrins: who being expelled and destroyed, the children of Esau did inhabite

Against whom Israel must fight. it, as Israel did in the land of his possession, which our Lord gaue him.

13   Rysing vp therfore to passe the Torrent Zared, we came to it.

14   And the time, that we walked from Cadesbarne vnto the passage of the torrent Zared, was thirtie and eight yeares: vntil al the generation of the men that were warriers was consumed out of the campe, as our Lord had sworne:

15   whose hand was against them, that they should perish from among the campe.

16   And after al the warryers were dead,

17   our Lord spake to me, saying:

18   Thou shalt passe this day the borders of Moab, the citie named Ar:

19   and approching vnto the frontiers of the children of Ammon, beware thou fight not against them, neither once moue to battel: for I wil not geue thee of the land of the children of Ammon, because I haue geuen it to the children of Lot in possession.

20   It was reputed the land of giantes: and giantes in old time dwelt in it, whom the Ammonites cal Zomzommim,

21   a great and huge people, and of long stature, as the Enacims whom our Lord destroyed before their face: and he made them to dwel in their steede,

22   as he had done to the children of Esau, that dwelt in Seir, destroying the Horrheites, and deliuering their land to them, which they possesse vntil this present.

23   The Heueites also, that dwelt in Haserim as farre as Gaza, the Capadocians expelled: who issuing out of Capadocia, destroyed them, and dwelt in their steede.

24   Arise ye, and passe the torrent Arnon: behold I haue deliuered in thy hand Sehon king of Hesebon the Amorrheite, and beginne to possesse his land, and ^note make warre against him.

25   This day wil I beginne to send thy terrour and feare vpon the peoples, that dwel vnder the whole heauen: that hearing thy name they may quake, and tremble after the manner of wemen in trauel, and be pinched with sorow.

26   I sent therfore messengers from the wildernes of Cademoth to Sehon the king of Hesebon with peaceable wordes, saying:

27   We wil passe through thy land, we wil goe the common high way: we wil not decline neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

28   Sel vs meates for money, that we may eate: Geue vs water for money, and so we wil drinke. Onlie this that thou wilt graunt vs passage,

29   as ^note the children of Esau haue done, that dwel in Seir, and the Moabites, that abide in Ar: vntil we come to Iordan, and passe to the Land, which the Lord our God wil geue vs.

Repetition of victories.

30   And Sehon the king of Hesebon would not geue vs passage: because the Lord thy God had ^note indurated his spirit, and hardened his hart, that he might be deliuered into thy handes, as now thou seest.

31   And our Lord said to me: Behold I haue begunne to deliuer Sehon vnto thee, and his land, beginne to possesse it.

32   And Sehon came forth to meete vs with al his people to battel in Iasa.

33   And the Lord our God deliuered him to vs: and we smote him with his sonnes and al his people.

34   And al his cities we tooke at that time, killing the inhabiters therof, men and wemen and litle ones. we left nothing among them.

35   Except the cattel, which came to their portion that tooke prayes: and the spoyles of the cities, which we tooke

36   from Aroer, which is vpon the banke of the torrent Arnon, a towne that is situated in a valley, as farre as Galaad. There was not a village or citie, that escaped our handes: the Lord our God deliuered al vnto vs.

37   Except the land of the children of Ammon, to the which we approched not: and al that adioyne to the torrent Ieboc, and the cities on the mountaine, and al the places, from which the Lord our God prohibited vs.

Previous section

Next section