BEMIḎBAR 21 (Numbers 21)

1 And the sovereign of Araḏ, the Kena’anite, who dwelt in the Negeḇ, heard that Yisra’ĕl was coming on the way to Atharim, and he fought against Yisra’ĕl and took some of them captive.

2 Then Yisra’ĕl made a vow to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and said, “If You deliver this people into my hand indeed, then I shall put their cities under the ban.”

3 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 listened to the voice of Yisra’ĕl and gave up the Kena’anites, and they put them and their cities under the ban. So the name of that place was called Ḥormah.

4 And they departed from Mount Hor by the way of the Sea of Reeds, to go around the land of Eḏom. But the being of the people grew impatient because of the way.

5 And the people spoke against Elohim and against Mosheh, “Why have you brought us up out of Mitsrayim to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our being loathes this light bread.”

6 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people. And many of the people of Yisra’ĕl died.

7 Then the people came to Mosheh, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and against you. Pray to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to take away the serpents from us.” So Mosheh prayed on behalf of the people.

8 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Mosheh, “Make a fiery serpent, and put it on a pole. And it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”

9 So Mosheh made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole. And it came to be, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

10 And the children of Yisra’ĕl departed and camped in Oḇoth.

11 And they departed from Oḇoth and camped at lyĕ ha’Aḇiram, in the wilderness which is east of Mo’aḇ, toward sunrise.

12 From there they departed and camped at the wadi Zereḏ.

13 From there they departed and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Mo’aḇ, between Mo’aḇ and the Amorites.

14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Battles of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “Wahĕḇ in Suphah, the wadi Arnon,

15 and the slope of the wadi that turns aside to the dwelling of Ar, and lies on the border of Mo’aḇ.”

16 And from there on to Be’ĕr, which is the well where 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Mosheh, “Gather the people, and let Me give them water.”

17 Yisra’ĕl then sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Sing to it,

18 a well the leaders sank, which the nobles of the people dug by hacking with their staves.” Then from the wilderness on to Mattanah,

19 from Mattanah to Naḥali’ĕl, from Naḥali’ĕl to Bamoth,

20 and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the country of Mo’aḇ, to the top of Pisgah which looks down on the wasteland.

21 And Yisra’ĕl sent messengers to Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, saying,

22 “Let me pass through your land. We shall not turn off into fields or vineyards, we shall not drink water from wells, but go by the sovereign’s highway until we have passed over your border.”

23 But Siḥon would not allow Yisra’ĕl to pass through his border. So Siḥon gathered all his people together and went out against Yisra’ĕl in the wilderness, and he came to Yahats and fought against Yisra’ĕl.

24 And Yisra’ĕl smote him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Yabboq, as far as the children of Ammon, for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

25 And Yisra’ĕl took all these cities, and Yisra’ĕl dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites – in Ḥeshbon and in all its villages,

26 for Ḥeshbon was the city of Siḥon the sovereign of the Amorites, who had fought against the former sovereign of Mo’aḇ, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon.

27 That is why those who speak in proverbs say, “Come to Ḥeshbon, let the city of Siḥon be built and established.

28 “For fire went out from Ḥeshbon, a flame from the city of Siḥon. It consumed Ar of Mo’aḇ, the masters of the heights of the Arnon.

29 “Woe to you, Mo’aḇ! You have perished, O people of Kemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters into captivity, to Siḥon the sovereign of the Amorites.

30 “Then we shot them – Ḥeshbon has perished as far as Diḇon. And we laid waste as far as Nophaḥ, which reaches to Mĕyḏeḇa.”

31 So Yisra’ĕl dwelt in the land of the Amorites.

32 And Mosheh sent to spy out Ya’zĕr. And they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there,

33 and turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Oḡ sovereign of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Eḏre’i.

34 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Mosheh, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, with all his people and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, who dwelt at Ḥeshbon.”

35 And they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until no remnant was left to him. And they took possession of his land.