Numbers 21 - Introduction

1 Israel with some losse destroy the Canaanites at Hormah.

4 The people murmuring are plagued with fiery serpents.

7 They repenting are healed by a brasen serpent.

10 Sundry iourneyes of the Israelites.

21 Sihon is ouercome,

33 and Og.

1 And when [Note: Numbers 33:40.] king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies, then hee fought against Israel, and tooke some of them prisoners.

2 And Israel vowed a vow vnto

[Fierie serpents.]

the Lord, and said, If thou wilt in deed deliuer this people into my hand, then I wil vtterly destroy their cities.

3 And the Lord hearkened to the voyce of Israel, and deliuered vp the Canaanites: and they vtterly destroyed them, and their cities, and hee called the name of the place [Note: That is, vtter destruction.] Hormah.

4 And they iourneyed from mount Hor, by the way of the red sea, to compasse the land of Edom: and the soule of the people was much [Note: Or, grieued. Hebrew: shortened.] discouraged because of the way.

5 And the people spake against God and against Moses, Wherefore haue ye brought vs vp out of Egypt, to die in the wildernesse? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our soule [Note: Numbers 11:6.] loatheth this light bread.

6 And [Note: Genesis 16:1 Genesis 16:5; 1 Corinthians 10:9.] the Lord sent fierie serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died.

7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We haue sinned: for wee haue spoken against the Lord, and against thee: pray vnto the Lord that hee take away the serpents from vs: and Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Make thee a fierie serpent, and set it vpon a pole: and it shall come to passe, that euery one that is bitten, when hee looketh vpon it, shall liue.

9 And [Note: 2 Kings 18:4 John 3:14.] Moses made a serpent of brasse, and put it vpon a pole, and it came to passe, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when hee beheld the serpent of brasse, he liued.

10 And the children of Israel set forward, and [Note: Numbers 33:43.] pitched in Oboth.

11 And they iourneyed from Oboth, and pitched at [Note: Or, heapes of Abarim.] Iie-Abarim, in the wildernes which is before Moab, toward the Sunne rising.

12 From thence they remooued, and pitched in the valley of Zared.

13 From thence they remooued, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wildernesse that commeth out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, betweene Moab and the Amorites.

14 Wherefore it is said in the booke of the warres of the Lord, [Note: Or, Vaheb in Suphah.] what he did in the Red sea, and in the brookes of Arnon,

15 And at the streame of the brookes that goeth downe to the dwelling of

[Sihon smitten.]

Ar, & [Note: Hebrew: leaneth.] lieth vpon the border of Moab.

16 And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord spake vnto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will giue them water.

17 Then Israel sang this song, [Note: Hebrew: ascend.] Spring vp O well, [Note: Or, answere.] Sing ye vnto it:

18 The Princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the Law-giuer, with their staues. And from the wildernesse they went to Mattanah:

19 And from Mattanah, to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:

20 And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the [Note: Hebrew: field.] countrey of Moab, to the toppe of [Note: Or, hill.] Pisgah, which looketh toward [Note: Or, the wildernesse.] Ieshimon.

21 And Israel sent messengers vnto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

22 [Note: Deuteronomy 2:27; Judges 11:19.] Let me passe thorow thy land, we will not turne into the fields, or into the vineyards, we will not drinke of the waters of the well: but we will goe along by the kings high way, vntill wee be past thy borders.

23 [Note: Deuteronomy 29:7.] And Sihon would not suffer Israel to passe thorow his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wildernes: and he came to Iahaz, and fought against Israel.

24 And [Note: Joshua 12:2 Psalms 135:11; Amos 2:9.] Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon vnto Iabok, euen vnto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

25 And Israel tooke all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the [Note: Hebrew: daughters.] villages thereof.

26 For Heshbon was the citie of Sihon the King of the Amorites, who had fought against the former King of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, euen vnto Arnon.

27 Wherefore they that speake in prouerbes, say, Come into Heshbon: let the citie of Sihon bee built and prepared.

28 For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the citie of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lordes of the high places of Arnon.

29 Woe to thee, Moab, thou art vndone, O people of [Note: 1 Kings 11:7; 1 Kings 11:33.] Chemosh: he hath

[Og slaine. Balak sendeth for Balaam.]

giuen his sonnes that escaped, and his daughters, into captiuitie vnto Sihon King of the Amorites.

30 We haue shot at them; Heshbon is perished euen vnto Dibon, and we haue layde them waste euen vnto Nophah, which reacheth vnto Medeba.

31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.

32 And Moses sent to spy out Iaazer, and they tooke the villages thereof, and droue out the Amorites that were there.

33 [Note: Deuteronomy 3:1; Deuteronomy 29:7.] And they turned and went vp by the way of Bashan: and Og the King of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battell at Edrei.

34 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Feare him not: for I haue deliuered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land, and [Note: Psalms 135:11.] thou shalt doe to him as thou didst vnto Sihon King of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.

35 So they smote him & his sonnes, and all his people, vntill there was none left him aliue, and they possessed his land.