5
The people spoke against God and against Moshe: "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt? To die in the desert? There's no real food, there's no water, and we're sick of this miserable stuff we're eating!"
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In response, ADONAI sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit the people, and many of Isra'el's people died.
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The people came to Moshe and said, "We sinned by speaking against ADONAI and against you. Pray to ADONAI that he rid us of these snakes." Moshe prayed for the people,
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and ADONAI answered Moshe: "Make a poisonous snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who has been bitten sees it, he will live."
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Moshe made a bronze snake and put it on the pole; if a snake had bitten someone, then, when he looked toward the bronze snake, he stayed alive.
10
The people of Isra'el traveled on and camped at Ovot.
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From Ovot they traveled and camped at 'Iyei-Ha'avarim, in the desert fronting Mo'av on the east.
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From there they traveled and camped in Vadi Zered.
13
From there they traveled and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the desert; this river comes out of the territory of the Emori; for the Arnon is the boundary between Mo'av and the Emori.
14
This is why it says, in the Book of the Wars of ADONAI, ". . . Vahev at Sufah, the vadis of Arnon,
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and the slope of the vadis extending as far as the site of 'Ar, which lie next to the territory of Mo'av."
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From there they went on to Be'er [well]; that is the well about which ADONAI said to Moshe, "Assemble the people, and I will give them water."
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Then Isra'el sang this song: "Spring up, oh well! Sing to the well
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sunk by the princes, dug by the people's leaders with the scepter, with their staffs!" From the desert they went to Mattanah,
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from Mattanah to Nachali'el, from Nachali'el to Bamot,
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and from Bamot to the valley by the plain of Mo'av at the start of the Pisgah range, where it overlooks the desert.
21
Isra'el sent messengers to Sichon, king of the Emori, with this message:
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"Let me pass through your land. We won't turn aside into fields or vineyards, and we won't drink any water from the wells. We will go along the King's Highway until we have left your territory."
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But Sichon would not allow Isra'el to pass through his territory. Instead, Sichon mustered all his people and went out into the desert to fight Isra'el. On reaching Yachatz, he fought Isra'el.
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Isra'el defeated him by force of arms and took control of his land from the Arnon to the Yabok River, but only as far as the people of 'Amon, because the territory of the people of 'Amon was well defended.
25
Isra'el took all these cities - Isra'el lived in all the cities of the Emori, in Heshbon and all its surrounding towns.