Numbers Chapter 21
Arad Destroyed
1 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by way of Atharim, he fought Israel and took some captives. 2 Israel vowed to the LORD, “If you’ll deliver them to me, we’ll destroy their towns.” 3 He delivered them, and they “destroyed” them and their towns; the name of the place became Hormah.
Num 21:1-3
The Bronze Snake
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by taking the road to the Red Sea, to go around Edom, and the people got impatient because of the journey. 5 They criticized God and Moses, “Why bring us out of Egypt to die in the desert? There’s no food or water. We hate this miserable food!” 6 The LORD sent poisonous snakes among them. They bit the people and a lot of them died. 7 They came to Moses, “We’ve sinned; we’ve criticized you and the LORD. Intercede with him so he’ll take the snakes away.” Moses did that, 8 and the LORD told him, “Fashion a poisonous snake on a standard so everybody that looks at it will survive.” 9 Moses did that. If a snake bit anyone and they looked at the bronze serpent, they’d survive.
Num 21:4-9
Israel’s Journey to Moab
10The Israelites moved out and camped in Oboth, 11 from there to Iyeabarim in the desert east of Moab, 12 from there to Wadi Zered, 13 and then to the other side of the Arnon in the desert that comes out of the border of the Amorite. The Arnon forms the border between Moab and the Amorites. 14 The Book of the Wars of the LORD says,
“Waheb in Suphah and the wadis of the Arnon,
15 and the slope of the wadis
that extends to Ar
and leads to the border of Moab.”
Num 21:10-15
16 From there they continued to Beer. That’s the “well” where the LORD told Moses, “Gather the people so I can give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well! Sing to it!
18 The well that the leaders sank,
that the nobles dug
with their scepters and staffs.”
From the desert they continued to Mattanah, 19 to Nahaliel, to Bamoth, 20 to the valley in Moab, at the top of Pisgah, which overlooks Jeshimon.
Num 21:16-20
King Sihon Defeated
21 Israel sent ambassadors to Sihon, king of the Amorites,
22 “Let me go through your land. We won’t turn off into fields or vineyards, or drink water from your wells. We’ll go by the King’s Highway till we’ve passed through.”
23 But Sihon wouldn’t let them. He gathered his army and attacked Israel in the Wilderness at Jahaz. 24 Israel struck him with the sword and took his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the Ammonites. Jazer was the border of Ammon. 25 Israel took those towns and lived in them, in Heshbon and its surrounding villages. 26 Heshbon was Sihon’s city, who had fought the former king of Moab and took his land as far as the Arnon. 27 The ones that recite proverbs say,
“Come to Heshbon and build it!
Set up Sihon’s city.
28 A fire went out from Heshbon,
a flame from Sihon’s city.
It consumed Ar in Moab,
the dominating Bamoth of the Arnon.
29 Misfortune awaits you, Moab!
You’re ruined, people of Chemosh!
He made his sons refugees
and turned his daughters over to captivity,
to an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 But we’ve thrown them down;
from Heshbon to Dibon;
we wiped them out
from Nophah to Medeba.”
King Og Defeated
31So Israel lived in the territory of the Amorites. 32 Moses sent men to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and expelled the Amorites there.
33 Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan. Og, king of Bashan, went out with his people to fight at Edrei. 34 But the LORD told Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’ll give him, his people, and his land to you. Do to him what you did to Sihon.” 35 So they killed him, his sons, and his people till there wasn’t a remnant left. They took over his land.
Num 21:21-35