1The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev desert, heard that Israel was coming by the road that leads to Atharim. He attacked Israel and took some of them captive.
2Then Israel made a promise to Yahweh, saying, “If you will hand these people over to me, I will completely destroy their cities.”
3Yahweh listened to Israel’s request and handed over the Canaanites. Israel completely destroyed them and their cities. So the place was named Hormah.
4They traveled from Mount Hor along the road toward the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people became very impatient on the journey.
5The people complained against God and against Moses, saying, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? There is no bread and no water here, and we hate this horrible food.”
6So Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit the people. Many people of Israel died.
7The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh to take these snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8Yahweh said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it on a pole. Everyone who is bitten, when they look at it, will live.”
9So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. If a snake bit anyone, and they looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
10The people of Israel traveled and set up camp in Oboth.
11They traveled from Oboth and set up camp in Iyeabarim, in the wilderness east of Moab.
12From there they traveled and set up camp in the Zered Valley.
13From there they traveled and set up camp on the other side of the Arnon River, which is in the wilderness. This river comes from the land of the Amorites, because the Arnon is the border between Moab and the Amorites.
14That is why the Book of the Wars of Yahweh says: “Vaheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
15and the slope of the valleys that extends to the town of Ar, bordering Moab.”
16From there they traveled to Beer, which is the well Yahweh had told Moses about when he said, “Gather the people, and I will give them water.”
17Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, well! Sing about it!
18This is the well the leaders dug, the nobles of the people dug, with their scepters and their staffs.” From the wilderness, they traveled to Mattanah;
19from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;
20and from Bamoth to the valley in the land of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the desert.
21Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying,
22“Let us pass through your land. We will not go into any field or vineyard, and we will not drink water from any wells. We will stay on the king’s highway until we have passed through your territory.”
23But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his land. Instead, Sihon gathered all his people, went out into the wilderness to fight against Israel, and came to Jahaz.
24Israel attacked him with swords and took control of his land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, as far as the Ammonites, because the Ammonite border was well protected.
25Israel captured all these cities. They lived in all the cities of the Amorites, including Heshbon and all its surrounding villages.
26Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites. He had fought against the previous king of Moab and taken all his land, all the way to the Arnon River.
27That’s why those who tell proverbs say, “Come to Heshbon. Let the city of Sihon be rebuilt and made strong.
28For a fire has come out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It has destroyed Ar of Moab and the rulers of the high places along the Arnon River.”
29How terrible for you, Moab! You are ruined, people who worship Chemosh! He has let his sons escape and his daughters be taken captive by Sihon, king of the Amorites.
30We shot at them. Heshbon is destroyed all the way to Dibon. We have laid waste everything up to Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.”
31So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
32Moses sent people to explore Jazer. They captured its villages and drove out the Amorites who lived there.
33Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan. Og, the king of Bashan, came out with all his people to fight them at Edrei.
34Yahweh said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him, because I have handed him, all his people, and his land over to you. You will do to him what you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”
35So they struck down Og, his sons, and all his people until no one was left alive; then they took possession of his land.