Arad Destroyed
1When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy21:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 3. their cities.” 3The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.21:3 Hormah means destruction.
The Bronze Snake
4They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,21:4 Or the Sea of Reeds to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
6Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
The Journey to Moab
10The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth. 11Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab toward the sunrise. 12From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley. 13They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14That is why the Book of the Wars of the Lord says:
“…Zahab21:14 Septuagint; Hebrew Waheb in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon 15and21:14,15 Or “I have been given from Suphah and the ravines / of the Arnon 15 to the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the settlement of Ar
and lie along the border of Moab.”
16From there they continued on to Beer, the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”
17Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
18about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank—
the nobles with scepters and staffs.”
Then they went from the wilderness to Mattanah, 19from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.
Defeat of Sihon and Og
21Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites:
22“Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
23But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He mustered his entire army and marched out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel. 24Israel, however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified. 25Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements. 26Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.
27That is why the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt;
let Sihon’s city be restored.
28“Fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon.
It consumed Ar of Moab,
the citizens of Arnon’s heights.
29Woe to you, Moab!
You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!
He has given up his sons as fugitives
and his daughters as captives
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30“But we have overthrown them;
Heshbon’s dominion has been destroyed all the way to Dibon.
We have demolished them as far as Nophah,
which extends to Medeba.”
31So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.
32After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.
34The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”
35So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.
Kuwonongedwa kwa Aradi
1Mfumu ya Akanaani ya ku Aradi, imene inkakhala ku Negevi, itamva kuti Aisraeli akubwera kudzera msewu wopita ku Atarimu, inachita nkhondo ndi Aisraeli nigwira ena mwa iwo. 2Ndipo Israeli anachita lonjezo ili kwa Yehova: “Mukapereka anthu awa mʼdzanja lathu ife tidzawonongeratu mizinda yawo.” 3Yehova anamva pempho la Aisraeli ndipo anapereka Akanaaniwo kwa iwo. Anawawononga pamodzi ndi mizinda yawo. Kotero malowo anatchedwa Horima.
Njoka Yamkuwa
4Aisraeli anayenda kuchokera ku phiri la Hori kudzera njira ya ku Nyanja Yofiira kuzungulira dziko la Edomu. Koma anthu anataya mtima mʼnjiramo 5ndipo anayankhula motsutsana ndi Mulungu ndi Mose, nati, “Chifukwa chiyani munatitulutsa kuchoka mʼdziko la Igupto kuti tidzafere mʼchipululu muno? Kuno kulibe chakudya, kulibe madzi ndipo chakudya cha chabechabechi tatopa nacho.”
6Choncho Yehova anatumiza njoka zaululu pakati pawo. Zinaluma anthu ndipo Aisraeli ambiri anafa. 7Anthuwo anabwera kwa Mose ndi kunena kuti, “Tachimwa chifukwa tayankhula motsutsana ndi Yehova komanso inu. Pempherani kwa Yehova kuti atichotsere njokazi.” Tsono Mose anapempherera anthuwo.
8Yehova anati kwa Mose, “Upange njoka yaululu ndipo uyipachike pa mtengo. Aliyense amene walumidwa akangoyangʼana njokayo adzakhala ndi moyo.” 9Pamenepo Mose anapanga njoka yamkuwa ndi kuyipachika pa mtengo. Ndipo aliyense wolumidwa akayangʼana njoka yamkuwayo ankakhala ndi moyo.
Ulendo wa ku Mowabu
10Aisraeli anayendabe nakamanga misasa yawo ku Oboti. 11Kenaka anasamuka ku Oboti nakamanga misasa yawo ku Iye-Abarimu, mʼchipululu chimene chili kummawa kwa Mowabu, kotulukira dzuwa. 12Kuchoka kumeneko anayendabe nakamanga misasa yawo mʼchigwa cha Zeredi. 13Anasamukanso kumeneko nakamanga moyandikana ndi Arinoni mʼdera limene lili mʼchipululu chimene chimafika mʼdziko la Aamori. Arinoni ndiwo malire a Mowabu ndi Aamori. 14Nʼchifukwa chake Buku la Nkhondo za Yehova limati,
“Mzinda wa Wahebu uli mu Sufa,
mu zigwa za Arinoni, 15ku matsitso a zigwa
amene afika mpaka ku Ari
nakhudza malire a dziko la Mowabu.”
16Kuchokera kumeneko anapitirira mpaka ku Beeri, pa chitsime chomwe Yehova anawuza Mose kuti, “Sonkhanitsa anthu pamodzi ndipo ndidzawapatsa madzi.”
17Pamenepo Aisraeli anayimba nyimbo iyi:
“Tulutsa madzi, chitsime iwe!
Chiyimbireni nyimbo,
18chitsime chomwe anakumba mafumu,
chomwe anakumba anthu omveka,
ndi ndodo zawo zaufumu ndi ndodo zawo zoyendera.”
Kenaka anachoka ku chipululu ndi kupita ku Matana. 19Kuchoka ku Matana anapita ku Nahalieli, kuchoka ku Nahalieli anapita ku Bamoti, 20ndipo atachoka ku Bamoti anapita ku chigwa cha dziko la Mowabu kudzera njira ya pamwamba pa phiri la Pisiga, moyangʼanana ndi Yesimoni.
Kugonjetsedwa kwa Sihoni ndi Ogi
21Aisraeli anatumiza amithenga kwa Sihoni mfumu ya Aamori, kuti,
22“Tiloleni kuti tidutse mʼdziko mwanu. Sitidzapatukira mʼminda mwanu kapena mu mpesa wanu kapena kumwa madzi mʼchitsime chili chonse. Tidzayenda mu msewu waukulu wa mfumu mpaka titadutsa malire a dziko lanu.”
23Koma Sihoni sanalole kuti Aisraeli adutse mʼdziko mwake. Iye anasonkhanitsa pamodzi ankhondo ake onse kuti akamenyane ndi Aisraeli mʼchipululu. Atafika pa Yahazi anamenyana ndi Aisraeli. 24Koma Aisraeli anamupha ndi kulanda dziko lake kuchokera ku Arinoni mpaka ku Yaboki, kulekezera mʼmalire a dziko la Aamoni, chifukwa malire a dziko la Aamoni anali otetezedwa. 25Ndipo Aisraeli analanda mizinda yonse ya Aamori, nakhalamo kuphatikizapo Hesiboni ndi midzi yake yozungulira. 26Hesiboni unali mzinda wa Sihoni mfumu ya Aamori, yemwe anamenyana ndi mfumu yakale ya dziko la Mowabu. Lonselo linakhala dziko lake mpaka ku Arinoni.
27Nʼchifukwa chake alakatuli amati:
“Bwerani ku Hesiboni, mzindawo umangidwenso;
mzinda wa Sihoni ukhazikike.
28“Moto unabuka ku Hesiboni,
malawi a moto kuchokera mu mzinda wa Sihoni.
Unanyeketsa Ari mzinda wa ku Mowabu,
nzika za ku malo okwera a Arinoni.
29Tsoka kwa iwe Mowabu!
Mwawonongedwa inu anthu a ku Kemosi!
Ana ake aamuna wawasandutsa ngati anthu othawathawa
ndipo ana ake aakazi ngati akapolo,
akapolo a Sihoni, mfumu ya Aamori.
30“Koma ife tawagonjetsa;
Hesiboni wawonongedwa mʼnjira monse mpaka kufika ku Diboni.
Tawaphwasula mpaka ku mzinda wa Nofa,
mzinda womwe umafika ku Medeba.
31“Choncho Aisraeli anakhala mʼdziko la Aamori.”
32Mose atatumiza azondi ku Yazeri, Aisraeliwo analanda midzi yozungulira ndi kuthamangitsa Aamori omwe ankakhala kumeneko. 33Kenaka anabwerera, nadzera njira ya ku Basani. Choncho Ogi mfumu ya ku Basani ndi gulu lake lonse lankhondo anatuluka kukakumana nawo ndipo anamenyana nawo ku Ederi.
34Yehova anati kwa Mose, “Usachite naye mantha pakuti ndamupereka mʼmanja mwako pamodzi ndi gulu lake lonse lankhondo ndi dziko lake lomwe. Ndipo uchite kwa iye zimene unachita Sihoni mfumu ya Aamori, amene ankalamulira ku Hesiboni.”
35Choncho Aisraeli anapha Ogi pamodzi ndi ana ake aamuna ndi gulu lake lonse la nkhondo. Palibe ndi mmodzi yemwe amene anatsala wamoyo, ndipo analanda dziko lakelo.
