Numbers 21:1–35

¹ When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some prisoners. ² So Israel made a vow to the LORD: “If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will devote their cities to destruction.” ³ And the LORD heard Israel’s plea and delivered up the Canaanites. Israel devoted them and their cities to destruction; so they named the place Hormah. ⁴ Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey ⁵ and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!” ⁶ So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died. ⁷ Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so He will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses interceded for the people. ⁸ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live. ¹⁰ Then the Israelites set out and camped at Oboth. ¹¹ They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness opposite Moab to the east. ¹² From there they set out and camped in the Valley of Zered. ¹³ From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends into the Amorite territory. Now the Arnon is the border between the Moabites and the Amorites. ¹⁴ Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Wars of the LORD: “Waheb in Suphah and the wadis of the Arnon, ¹⁵ even the slopes of the wadis that extend to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.” ¹⁶ From there they went on to Beer, the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people so that I may give them water.” ¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well, all of you sing to it! ¹⁸ The princes dug the well; the nobles of the people hollowed it out with their scepters and with their staffs.” From the wilderness the Israelites went on to Mattanah, ¹⁹ and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, ²⁰ and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland. ²¹ Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, ²² “Let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Hi…