Canaanites Defeated at Hormah

21 The aking of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. 2 bSo Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then cI will utterly destroy their cities.” 3 And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called 1Hormah.

The Bronze Serpent

4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to dgo around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very 2discouraged on the way. 5 And the people espoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul 3loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So fthe Lord sent gfiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

7 hTherefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have isinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; jpray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, k“Make a lfiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So mMoses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

From Mount Hor to Moab

10 Now the children of Israel moved on and ncamped in Oboth. 11 And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at 4Ije Abarim, in the wilderness which is east of Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 oFrom there they moved and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they moved and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites; for pthe Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord:

5“Waheb in Suphah,

The brooks of the Arnon,

15 And the slope of the brooks

That reaches to the dwelling of qAr,

And lies on the border of Moab.”

16 From there they went rto Beer, which is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” 17 sThen Israel sang this song:

“Spring up, O well!

All of you sing to it—

18 The well the leaders sank,

Dug by the nation’s nobles,

By the tlawgiver, with their staves.”

And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the 6country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looks udown on the 7wasteland.

King Sihon Defeated

21 Then vIsrael sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 w“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into fields or vineyards; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 xBut Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and 8went out against Israel in the wilderness, yand he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 Then zIsrael defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified. 25 So Israel took all these cities, and Israel adwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages. 26 For 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. 27 Therefore those who speak in 9proverbs say:

“Come to Heshbon, let it be built;

Let the city of Sihon be repaired.

28 “For bfire went out from Heshbon,

A flame from the city of Sihon;

It consumed cAr of Moab,

The lords of the dheights of the Arnon.

29 Woe to you, eMoab!

You have perished, O people of fChemosh!

He has given his gsons as fugitives,

And his hdaughters into captivity,

To Sihon king of the Amorites.

30 “But we have shot at them;

Heshbon has perished ias far as Dibon.

Then we laid waste as far as Nophah,

Which reaches to jMedeba.”

31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32 Then Moses sent to 1spy out kJazer; and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.

King Og Defeated

33 lAnd they turned and went up by the way to mBashan. So Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle nat Edrei. 34 Then the Lord said to Moses, o“Do not fear him, for I have 2delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and pyou shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.” 35 qSo they defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land.

Balak Sends for Balaam

22 Then athe children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho.

2 Now bBalak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And cMoab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said to dthe elders of Midian, “Now this company will 1lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then ehe sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at fPethor, which is near 2the River in the land of 3the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6 gTherefore please come at once, hcurse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with ithe diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, j“Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

9 kThen God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”

10 So Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’ ”

12 And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for lthey are blessed.”

13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you.”

14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”

15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more 4honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will certainly mhonor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. nTherefore please come, curse this people for me.’ ”

18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, o“Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, pI could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also qstay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”

20 rAnd God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but sonly the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel

22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, tand the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now uthe donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

28 Then the Lord vopened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have 5abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, wfor now I would kill you!”

30 xSo the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever 6disposed to do this to you?”

And he said, “No.”

31 Then the Lord yopened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out 7to stand against you, because your way is zperverse 8before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”

34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, a“I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way …