Deuteronomy 2

1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Sea of Suf, as the LORD spoke to me; and we compassed Mount Se`ir many days.
2 The LORD spoke to me, saying,
3 You have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.
4 Command you the people, saying, You are to pass through the border of your brothers the children of Esav, who dwell in Se`ir; and they will be afraid of you: take good heed to yourselves therefore;
5 don't contend with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given Mount Se`ir to Esav for a possession.
6 You shall purchase food of them for money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water of them for money, that you may drink.
7 For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; he has known your walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.
8 So we passed by from our brothers the children of Esav, who dwell in Se`ir, from the way of the `Aravah from Elat and from `Etzyon-Gever. We turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Mo'av.
9 The LORD said to me, Don't bother Mo'av, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you of his land for a possession; because I have given `Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.
10 (The Emim lived therein before, a people great, and many, and tall, as the `Anakim:
11 these also are accounted Refa'im, as the `Anakim; but the Mo`avim call them Emim.
12 The Hori also lived in Se`ir before, but the children of Esav succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place; as Yisra'el did to the land of his possession, which the LORD gave to them.)
13 Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered. We went over the brook Zered.
14 The days in which we came from Kadesh-Barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, were thirty-eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the midst of the camp, as the LORD swore to them.
15 Moreover the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed.
16 So it happened, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,
17 that the LORD spoke to me, saying,
18 You are this day to pass over `Ar, the border of Mo'av:
19 and when you come near over against the children of `Ammon, don't bother them, nor contend with them; for I will not give you of the land of the children of `Ammon for a possession; because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession.
20 (That also is accounted a land of Refa'im: Refa'im lived therein before; but the `Ammonim call them Zamzummim,
21 a people great, and many, and tall, as the `Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place;
22 as he did for the children of Esav, who dwell in Se`ir, when he destroyed the Hori from before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place even to this day:
23 and the `Avvim, who lived in villages as far as `Aza, the Kaftorim, who came forth out of Kaftor, destroyed them, and lived in their place.)
24 Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon: behold, I have given into your hand Sichon the Amori, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.
25 This day will I begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole sky, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you.
26 I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemot to Sichon king of Heshbon with words of shalom, saying,
27 Let me pass through your land: I will go along by the highway, I will turn neither to the right hand nor to the left.
28 You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only let me pass through on my feet,
29 as the children of Esav who dwell in Se`ir, and the Mo`avim who dwell in `Ar, did to me; until I shall pass over the Yarden into the land which the LORD our God gives us.
30 But Sichon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for the LORD your God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as at this day.
31 The LORD said to me, Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sichon and his land before you: begin to possess, that you may inherit his land.
32 Then Sichon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Yahatz.
33 The LORD our God delivered him up before us; and we struck him, and his sons, and all his people.
34 We took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones; we left none remaining:
35 only the cattle we took for a prey to ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken.
36 From `Aro`er, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and [from] the city that is in the valley, even to Gil`ad, there was not a city too high for us; the LORD our God delivered up all before us:
37 only to the land of the children of `Ammon you didn't come near; all the side of the river Yabbok, and the cities of the hill-country, and wherever the LORD our God forbade us.

Deuteronomy 2 Commentaries

The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.