Deuteronomy

Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.

1Then we turned around. We walked into the desert toward the Red Sea, just as the LORD told me. We wandered around Mount Seir for a long time.

2And the LORD spake unto me, saying,

2Then the LORD spoke to me. He said:

3Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.

3"You have walked around this hill country long enough. Now turn and go north.

4And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

4Tell the people this: You will pass through the land of your relatives, the family of Esau. They live in Seir. They will be afraid of you. So be very careful.

5Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

5Do not fight them. I will not give you any of their land. Not even one footstep of it. I gave Mount Seir to Esau to keep as his own.

Note"Meddle not with them" sounds mild today. It means "do not attack them."

6Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.

6You must pay them money for the food you eat. Pay them money for the water you drink too."

NoteIn old English, "meat" meant any kind of food, not just meat from animals.

7For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

7The LORD your God has blessed everything you have done. He has watched over you on this long desert trip. For forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have never needed anything.

8And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

8So we went past our relatives, Esau's family, who live in Seir. We turned away from the flat road that comes from Elath and Ezion-geber. Then we traveled along the road through the desert of Moab.

9And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

9The LORD said to me, "Do not bother the people of Moab. Do not start a war with them. I will not give you any of their land. I gave the town of Ar to Lot's family to keep as their own."

10The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;

10Long ago, a people called the Emims lived in that land. They were many, and they were strong, and they were very tall, like the Anakims.

11Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.

11People counted them as giants, just like the Anakims. But the Moabites called them Emims.

Note"Giants" here is a name for a group of very tall people. The Bible calls them Rephaim.

12The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto them.

12Long ago the Horims lived in Seir. Then Esau's family drove them out. They destroyed them and lived there instead. Israel did the same thing in the land the LORD gave them.

13Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.

13"Now get up and cross the little river called Zered," I said. So we crossed the brook Zered.

14And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.

14It took us thirty-eight years to go from Kadesh-barnea to that brook. By then all the fighting men of that time had died, just as the LORD had said.

15For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.

15The LORD's hand was against them. He took them out of the camp until they were all gone.

16So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,

16So all the fighting men among the people died.

17That the LORD spake unto me, saying,

17Then the LORD spoke to me. He said:

18Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:

18"Today you will cross the edge of Moab at the town of Ar.

19And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.

19When you come near the people of Ammon, do not bother them. Do not fight them. I will not give you any of their land. I gave it to Lot's family to keep as their own."

20(That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

20That land was also known as a land of giants. Giants lived there long ago. The Ammonites called them Zamzummims.

21A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:

21They were many, and they were strong, and they were very tall, like the Anakims. But the LORD destroyed them. The Ammonites took their place and lived there.

22As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day:

22The LORD did the same for Esau's family, who live in Seir. He destroyed the Horims for them. Esau's family took their place and still live there today.

23And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)

23The Avims lived in villages all the way to Azzah. The Caphtorims came from Caphtor, destroyed them, and lived there instead.

24Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

24"Get up. Start walking. Cross the Arnon River. Look, I have handed King Sihon the Amorite over to you. He rules Heshbon. His land is yours too. Start taking it. Go and fight him.

25This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.

25Starting today, I will make all the nations afraid of you. They will hear about you. They will shake and feel sick with fear."

26And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,

26From the desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon, king of Heshbon. They carried a friendly message. It said:

27Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.

27"Please let us walk through your land. We will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or the left.

28Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;

28Sell us food to eat and water to drink. We will pay you money. Just let us walk through.

29(As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me;) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the LORD our God giveth us.

29Esau's family in Seir let us do this. So did the Moabites in Ar. We only want to reach the Jordan River. The LORD our God is giving us the land on the other side."

30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

30But King Sihon would not let us pass through. The LORD your God made his spirit stubborn. He made his heart hard. This was so God could hand him over to you, as happened.

31And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.

31The LORD said to me, "Look, I have started to hand Sihon and his land over to you. Begin taking it. The land will be yours."

32Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

32Then Sihon came out to fight us. He brought all his people with him. They met us at Jahaz.

33And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

33The LORD our God handed him over to us. We beat him, his sons, and all his people.

34And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:

34We captured all his cities then. We destroyed everyone in every city: the men, the women, and the children. We left no one alive.

35Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

35We kept only the animals for ourselves. We also kept the goods we took from the cities.

36From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:

36We started at Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon valley. We went all the way to Gilead. No city was too strong for us. The LORD our God gave them all to us.

37Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the LORD our God forbad us.

37But you did not go near the land of the Ammonites. You stayed away from the Jabbok River and the cities in the hills. You stayed away from every place the LORD our God told you to avoid.