Numbers 21 · Parashat Chukat

And when the Kena῾anite, the king of ῾Arad, who dwelt in the Negev, heard tell that Yisra᾽el came by the way of Atarim; then he fought against Yisra᾽el, and took some of them prisoners.

And Yisra᾽el vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.

And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Yisra᾽el, and delivered up the Kena῾ani; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Ḥorma.

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Sea of Suf, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

And the people spoke against God, and against Moshe, Why have you brought us up out of Miżrayim to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, nor is there any water; and our soul loathes this miserable bread.

And the Lord sent venomous serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many people of Yisra᾽el died.

Therefore the people came to Moshe and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moshe prayed for the people.

And the Lord said to Moshe, Make thee a venomous serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live.

And Moshe made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

And the children of Yisra᾽el set forward, and pitched in Ovot.

And they journeyed from Ovot, and pitched at ῾Iyye-῾avarim, in the wilderness which is before Mo᾽av, toward the sunrising.

From thence they removed, and pitched in the wadi of Zered.

From thence they removed, and pitched on the side of Arnon which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Emori: for Arnon is the border of Mo᾽av, between Mo᾽av and the Emori.

Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord, Vahev in Sufa and the wadis of Arnon.

And the stream of the wadis that goes down to the dwelling of ῾Ar, and lies upon the border of Mo᾽av.

And from thence they went to Be᾽er: that is the well of which the Lord spoke to Moshe, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

Then Yisra᾽el sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing to it:

the well that the princes dug out, that the nobles of the people delved, with the sceptre, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattana:

and from Mattana to Naĥali᾽el: and from Naĥali᾽el to Bamot:

and from Bamot to the valley, that is in the country of Mo᾽av, to the top of Pisga, which looks out towards the desert.

And Yisra᾽el sent messengers to Siĥon king of the Emori, saying,

Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn aside into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king’s highway, until we have past thy borders.

And Siĥon would not allow Yisra᾽el to pass through his border: but Siĥon gathered all his people together, and went out against Yisra᾽el into the wilderness: and he came to Yahaż, and fought against Yisra᾽el.

And Yisra᾽el smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon to Yabboq, as far as the children of ῾Ammon: for the border of the children of ῾Ammon was strong.

And Yisra᾽el took all these cities: and Yisra᾽el dwelt in all the cities of the Emori, in Ḥeshbon, and in all its hamlets.

For Ḥeshbon was the city of Siĥon the king of the Emori, who had fought against the former king of Mo᾽av, and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as Arnon.

Wherefore they who speak in similes say, Come to Ḥeshbon, let the city of Siĥon be built and established:

for there is a fire gone out of Ḥeshbon, a flame from the city of Siĥon: it has consumed ῾Ar of Mo᾽av, and the lords of the high places of Arnon.

Woe to thee, Mo᾽av! thou art undone, O people of Kemosh: he has given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters, as captives to Siĥon king of the Emori.

We have shot at them; Ḥeshbon is perished even to Divon, and we have laid them waste to Nofaĥ, which reaches to Medeva.

Thus Yisra᾽el dwelt in the land of the Emori.

And Moshe sent to spy out Ya῾zer, and they took its hamlets, and drove out the Emori who were there.

And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and ῾Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edre῾i.

And the Lord said to Moshe, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst to Siĥon king of the Emori, who dwelt at Ḥeshbon.

So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.