Numbers 21

The Bronze Serpent

Israel Defeats Arad

1When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2Israel vowed a vow to the LORD and said, “If you surely give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.” 3The LORD listened to the voice of Israel and gave the Canaanites into their hand. They devoted them and their cities to destruction, and the name of the place was called Hormah.

4And they set out from Mount Hor by the way to the Sea of Reeds, to go around the land of Edom, and the soul of the people grew short on the way. 5And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”

6Then the LORD sent among the people the fiery serpents, and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died. 7And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8And the LORD said to Moses, “Make for yourself a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9So Moses made a serpent of bronze and set it on the pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, and he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

The Journey toward Moab

10The sons of Israel set out and camped at Oboth. 11They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-Abarim, in the wilderness that is before Moab toward the sunrise. 12From there they set out and camped in the Wadi Zered. 13From there they set out and camped beyond the Arnon, which is in the wilderness extending from the territory of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD:

“Waheb in Suphah,
and the wadis of the Arnon, 15and the slope of the wadis
that extends toward the dwelling of Ar
and leans upon the border of Moab.”

16From there they went to Beer. This is the well of which the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people, and I will give them water.” 17Then Israel sang this song:

“Spring up, O well! Sing to it— 18the well that the rulers dug,
that the nobles of the people excavated,
with the scepter, with their staffs.”

And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah, 19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which overlooks Jeshimon.

Israel Defeats Sihon

21Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink water from a well. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23But Sihon did not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel into the wilderness. He came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24Israel struck him with the edge of the sword and possessed his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the children of Ammon, for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. 25Israel took all these cities, and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its towns. 26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon.

27Therefore those who speak in proverbs say:

“Come to Heshbon;
let the city of Sihon be built and established. 28For fire went out from Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon;
it consumed Ar of Moab,
the lords of the heights of the Arnon. 29Woe to you, Moab!
You are undone, people of Chemosh!
He has given his sons as fugitives
and his daughters into captivity
to Sihon king of the Amorites. 30We shot them down;
Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon;
we laid waste as far as Nophah,
which reaches to Medeba.”

31So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its towns and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

Israel Defeats Og

33Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan. Og king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, for battle at Edrei. 34The LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35So they struck him and his sons and all his people until no survivor remained to him, and they possessed his land.