Ang Paglalakbay sa Ilang
1“At nagsibalik tayo at pumunta sa ilang papunta sa Dagat na Pula, ayon sa iniutos ng Panginoon sa akin. At sa matagal na panahon, nagpaikot-ikot tayo sa kaburulan ng Seir. 2Pagkatapos, sinabi sa akin ng Panginoon, 3‘Matagal na kayong nagpapaikot-ikot sa kaburulang ito. Ngayon, dumiretso kayo sa hilaga. 4Sabihin mo sa mga tao: Dadaan kayo sa teritoryo ng inyong kamag-anak na mga lahi ni Esau, na naninirahan sa Seir. Matatakot sila sa inyo, pero mag-ingat kayo sa kanila. 5Huwag nʼyo silang pakikialaman, dahil ibinigay ko na sa kanila ang mga kaburulan ng Seir bilang kanilang lupain, at ni kapiraso man ng lupain nila ay hindi ko ibibigay sa inyo. 6Babayaran ninyo ng pilak ang pagkain at inuming manggagaling sa kanila.’ 7Alalahanin ninyo kung paano ko kayo pinagpala sa lahat ng ginawa ninyo. Ako ang Panginoon na inyong Dios ay nagbabantay sa inyo sa paglalakbay sa malawak na ilang na ito. Sa loob ng 40 taon, sinamahan ko kayo, at hindi kayo kinulang ng mga bagay na kailangan ninyo.
8“Kaya dumaan tayo sa mga kadugo na lahi ni Esau, na naninirahan sa Seir. Hindi tayo dumaan sa daan ng Araba,2:8 Araba: Jordan. na nanggagaling sa mga bayan ng Elat at Ezion Geber. Nang naglalakbay na tayo sa daan sa ilang ng Moab, 9sinabi sa akin ng Panginoon, ‘Huwag ninyong guguluhin o lulusubin ang mga Moabita na lahi ni Lot, dahil ibinigay ko sa kanila ang Ar bilang lupain nila, at ni kapiraso man ng lupain nila ay hindi ko ibibigay sa inyo.’ ”
10(Noong una, naninirahan sa Ar ang marami at malalakas na tao na tinatawag na Emita. Silaʼy matatangkad katulad ng mga angkan ni Anak. 11Tinatawag din silang Refaimeo, katulad ng mga angkan ni Anak, pero tinatawag silang Emita ng mga Moabita. 12Sa Seir dati nakatira ang mga Horeo, pero pinalayas sila ng mga lahi ni Esau, at sila na ang nanirahan doon, katulad ng ginawa ng mga Israelita sa mga Cananeo sa lupain na ibinigay ng Panginoon sa kanila.)
13Sinabi pa ni Moises, “Pagkatapos, inutos ng Panginoon na tumawid tayo sa Lambak ng Zered, kaya tumawid tayo. 14Itoʼy pagkalipas ng 38 taon mula noong umalis tayo sa Kadesh Barnea. Nang mga panahong iyon, nangamatay ang mga sundalong Israelita sa henerasyong iyon, ayon sa isinumpa ng Panginoon sa kanila. 15Pinarusahan sila ng Panginoon hanggang sa mamatay silang lahat sa kampo.
16“Nang patay na ang lahat ng sundalo, 17sinabi sa akin ng Panginoon, 18‘Sa araw na ito, tumawid kayo sa hangganan ng Moab sa Ar. 19Kapag nakarating na kayo sa mga Ammonita, na mga lahi ni Lot, huwag ninyo silang guguluhin o lulusubin dahil ibinigay ko sa kanila ang lupaing iyon, at hindi ko kayo bibigyan kahit na maliit na bahagi nito.’
20“Ang lupaing iyon ay kilala rin noong una na lupain ng mga Refaimeo, pero tinawag silang Zamzumeo ng mga Ammonita. 21Napakarami nila at napakalalakas, at matatangkad katulad ng mga angkan ni Anak. 22Ito rin ang ginawa ng Panginoon sa mga lahi ni Esau na nakatira sa Seir; pinagpapatay niya ang mga Horeo para makapanirahan ang mga lahi ni Esau sa kanilang lupain. Hanggang ngayon, naninirahan pa rin sila sa lupaing iyon. 23Ito rin ang nangyari nang sinalakay ng taga-Caftor2:23 taga-Caftor: o, Crete. ang mga taga-Avim na naninirahan sa mga baryo ng Gaza. Nilipol nila ang mga taga-Avim at tinirhan ang lupain ng mga ito.
24“Pagkatapos, sinabi ng Panginoon, ‘Ngayon, tumawid na kayo sa Lambak ng Arnon. Ibinibigay ko sa inyo ang Amoreong si Haring Sihon ng Heshbon, at ang kanyang lupain. Salakayin ninyo siya at angkinin ang kanyang lupain. 25Mula ngayon, loloobin kong matakot sa inyo ang lahat ng bansa sa buong mundo. Manginginig sa takot ang makakarinig ng tungkol sa inyo.’
Natalo ang Hari ng Heshbon na si Sihon
(Bil. 21:21-30)
26“Kaya noong naroon tayo sa ilang ng Kedemot, nagsugo ako ng mga mensahero kay Haring Sihon ng Heshbon upang sabihin sa kanya ang mensahe para sa ikabubuti ng aming relasyon. Sinabi ko, 27‘Kung maaari, payagan nʼyo kaming dumaan sa inyong lupain. Sa pangunahing daan lang kami dadaan, hindi kami lilihis ng daan. 28Babayaran namin ang aming makakain at maiinom. Ang pakiusap lang namin sa inyo, payagan nʼyo kaming dumaan sa inyong lupain 29katulad ng ginawa ng mga lahi ni Esau na naninirahan sa Seir at ng mga Moabita na naninirahan sa Ar. Payagan nʼyo kaming dumaan hanggang sa makatawid kami sa Ilog ng Jordan papunta sa lupaing ibinibigay sa amin ng Panginoon naming Dios.’ 30Pero hindi pumayag si Haring Sihon ng Heshbon na padaanin tayo dahil pinatigas ng Panginoon na inyong Dios ang kanyang puso para ibigay niya siya sa ating mga kamay, kagaya ng ginawa niya ngayon.
31“Pagkatapos, sinabi ng Panginoon sa akin, ‘Sinimulan ko nang ibigay sa inyo si Sihon at ang kanyang lupain; kaya simulan na ninyo ang pagsalakay at pagsakop sa kanyang lupain.’
32“Nang nakikipaglaban si Sihon at ang kanyang mga sundalo2:32 mga sundalo: o, mga tao. Ganito rin sa talatang 33. sa atin doon sa Jahaz, 33ibinigay siya ng Panginoon na ating Dios sa atin at pinatay natin siya, pati ang mga anak niya at ang lahat ng sundalo niya. 34Nang panahong iyon, sinakop natin ang lahat ng kanyang bayan at nilipol sila ng lubusan2:34 nilipol sila ng lubusan: o, nilipol sila ng lubusan bilang handog sa Panginoon. – mga lalaki, babae at mga bata. Wala tayong itinirang buhay. 35Dinala natin ang kanilang mga hayop at mga ari-arian na ating nasamsam mula sa kanilang mga bayan.
36“Tinulungan tayo ng Panginoon na ating Dios sa pag-agaw ng Aroer ang lugar sa tabi ng Lambak ng Arnon at sa mga bayan sa paligid ng lambak na ito, at ng mga lugar hanggang sa Gilead. Walang bayan na matibay ang mga pader na hindi natin kayang pasukin. 37Pero ayon sa iniutos sa atin ng Panginoon na ating Dios, hindi tayo lumapit sa kahit aling lupain ng mga Ammonita, kahit sa Lambak ng Jabok o sa mga bayan sa palibot ng mga kaburulan.”
Israel Wanders in the Desert
1We turned back and started out toward the desert. We went along the road that leads to the Red Sea. That’s how the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.
2Then the Lord spoke to me. He said, 3“You have made your way around this hill country long enough. So now turn north. 4Here are the orders I want you to give the people. Tell them, ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives. They are from the family line of Esau. They live in Seir. They will be afraid of you. But be very careful. 5Do not make them angry. If you do, they will go to war against you. I will not give you any of their land. You will not have even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau’s people the hill country of Seir as their own. 6Pay them with silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’ ”
7The Lord your God has blessed you in everything your hands have done. He watched over you when you traveled through that huge desert. For these 40 years the Lord your God has been with you. So you have had everything you need.
8We went on past our relatives. They are from the family line of Esau. They live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah Valley road. It comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber. We traveled along the desert road of Moab.
9Then the Lord said to me, “Do not attack the Moabites. Do not even make them angry. If you do, they will go to war against you. I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Moab to the people in the family line of Lot. I have given it to them as their own.”
10The Emites used to live there. They were strong people. There were large numbers of them. They were as tall as the Anakites. 11Like the Anakites, they too were thought of as Rephaites. But the Moabites called them Emites. 12The Horites used to live in Seir. But the people of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites to make room for themselves. Then they settled in their territory. They did just as Israel has done in the land the Lord gave them as their own.
13The Lord said, “Now get up. Go across the Zered Valley.” So we went across it.
14Between the time we left Kadesh Barnea and the time we went across the Zered Valley, 38 years had passed. By then, all the fighting men who had been in our camp from the beginning had died. The Lord had warned them that it would happen. 15He used his power against them until he had gotten rid of all of them. Not one was left in the camp.
16Finally, the last of the fighting men among the people died. 17Then the Lord said to me, 18“Today you must pass near the border of Moab. Moab is also called Ar. 19When you come to the Ammonites, do not attack them. Do not make them angry. If you do, they will go to war against you. I will not give you any of their land as your own. I have given it to the people in the family line of Lot. I have given it to them as their own.”
20That land was also thought of as a land of the Rephaites. They used to live there. But the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21The Rephaites were strong people. There were large numbers of them. They were as tall as the Anakites. The Lord destroyed the Rephaites to make room for the Ammonites. So the Ammonites drove them out. Then they settled in the territory of the Rephaites. 22The Lord had done the same thing for the people of Esau. They lived in Seir. The Lord destroyed the Horites to make room for Esau’s people. They drove the Horites out. So the people of Esau have lived in Seir in the territory of the Horites to this very day. 23The Avvites lived in villages as far away as Gaza. But people came from Crete and destroyed the Avvites. Then the people of Crete made their home in the territory of the Avvites.
Israel Wins the Battle Over Sihon
24The Lord said, “Start out and go across the valley of the Arnon River. I have handed Sihon over to you. He is the Amorite king of Heshbon. I have also given you his country. Begin to take it as your own. Go to war against him. 25This very day I will bring fear and terror on all the nations because of you. They will hear about you. They will tremble with fear. Pain and suffering will grip them because of you.”
26I sent messengers from the Desert of Kedemoth. I told them to go to Sihon, the king of Heshbon. They offered him peace. They said, 27“Let us pass through your country. We’ll stay on the main road. We won’t turn off it to one side or the other. 28We’ll pay you the right amount of silver for food to eat and water to drink. Just let us walk through your country. 29The people of Esau, who live in Seir, allowed us to do that. The people of Moab, who live in Ar, also allowed us to do it. So let us walk through until we go across the Jordan River. Then we’ll be able to go into the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 30But Sihon, the king of Heshbon, refused to let us walk through. The Lord your God had made him stubborn in his heart and spirit. The Lord wanted to hand him over to you. And that’s exactly what he has done.
31The Lord said to me, “I have begun to hand Sihon and his country over to you. So begin the battle to take his land as your own.”
32Sihon and his whole army came out to fight against us at Jahaz. 33But the Lord our God handed him over to us. We struck him down together with his sons and his whole army. 34At that time we took all his towns. We completely destroyed them. We killed all the men, women and children. We didn’t leave any of them alive. 35But we took for ourselves the livestock and everything else from the towns we had captured. 36Not a single town was too strong for us. That includes all the towns from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon River valley all the way to Gilead. It also includes the town in the valley. The Lord our God gave us all of them. 37And you obeyed the Lord’s command. You didn’t go near any part of the land of the Ammonites. That includes the land along the Jabbok River. It also includes the land around the towns in the hills.
