5
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!”
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So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.
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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.
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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!”
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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!
10
The Israelites traveled next to Oboth and camped there.
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Then they went on to Iye-abarim, in the wilderness on the eastern border of Moab.
12
From there they traveled to the valley of Zered Brook and set up camp.
13
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.
14
For this reason speaks of “the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the ravines of the Arnon River,
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and the ravines that extend as far as the settlement of Ar on the border of Moab.”
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From there the Israelites traveled to Beer, which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Assemble the people, and I will give them water.”
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There the Israelites sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Yes, sing its praises!
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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,
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After that they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah Peak overlooks the wasteland.
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The Israelites sent ambassadors to King Sihon of the Amorites with this message:
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“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.”
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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.
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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.
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So Israel captured all the towns of the Amorites and settled in them, including the city of Heshbon and its surrounding villages.