Deuteronomy 2
All 37 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.
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- 1Then we turned around and headed into the wilderness along the road toward the Red Sea, just as the LORD had told me. We spent a long time traveling around Mount Seir.
- 2Then the LORD said to me,
- 3"You've been circling this mountain long enough. Turn north.
- 4Give the people these instructions: 'You're about to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They'll be afraid of you, so be very careful.
- 5Don't provoke them. I won't give you even a footstep of their land, because I've given Mount Seir to Esau as his own possession.
- 6Pay them with silver for any food you eat, and pay them with silver for any water you drink.'"
- 7The LORD your God has blessed everything you've done. He has watched over you through this vast wilderness. For 40 years the LORD your God has been with you, and you haven't lacked a thing.
- 8So we passed through the territory of our relatives, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir. We left the Arabah road that comes from Elath and Ezion Geber, and turned to travel along the wilderness road of Moab.
- 9The LORD told me, "Don't harass the Moabites or pick a fight with them. I won't give you any of their land, because I've given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession."
- 10(A people called the Emim used to live there — a large and powerful nation, as tall as the Anakim.
- 11Like the Anakim, they were considered giants, but the Moabites called them Emim.
- 12The Horites also lived in Seir in the past, but after the children of Esau destroyed them from before them, they succeeded them and lived in their place, just as Israel did to the land of his possession, which the LORD gave them.
- 13Now rise up, I said, and cross the brook Zered. So we crossed the brook Zered.
- 14The time from when we left Kadeshbarnea until we crossed the brook Zered was 38 years. By that time, all the men of war from that generation had perished from among the host, as the LORD had sworn to them.
- 15For the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the camp, until they were consumed.
- 16Once all those fighting men had died out from among the people,
- 17the LORD said to me,
- 18"Today you are to cross through Ar, the border region of Moab.
- 19When you get close to the Ammonites, don't harass them or provoke them. I won't give you any of the Ammonites' land, because I've given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession."
- 20(That region was also considered a land of giants: giants lived there in ancient times; and the Ammonites called them Zamzummims;
- 21They were a large and powerful people, as tall as the Anakim. But the LORD wiped them out so the Ammonites could take over their land and settle there.
- 22He did the same thing for the descendants of Esau in Seir — he destroyed the Horites so Esau's people could take their place, and they live there to this day.
- 23The same thing happened with the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza. The Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.)
- 24"Get moving! Cross the Arnon Valley. I'm handing over Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, along with his land. Start taking possession of it and engage him in battle.
- 25Starting today, I will make every nation under heaven dread you and fear you. When they hear about you, they will tremble and be gripped with terror."
- 26From the wilderness of Kedemoth, I sent messengers to King Sihon of Heshbon with an offer of peace. The message said,
- 27"Let me pass through your land. I'll stay on the main road and won't turn to the right or the left.
- 28Sell me food for silver so I can eat, and sell me water for silver so I can drink. Just let me walk through on foot —
- 29the same way the descendants of Esau in Seir and the Moabites in Ar let me pass through — until I cross the Jordan into the land the LORD our God is giving us."
- 30But King Sihon of Heshbon refused to let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, so that he might hand him over to you, as is evident today.
- 31The LORD told me, "Look, I've already begun handing Sihon and his land over to you. Start taking possession of his territory."
- 32Sihon marched out with his entire army to fight us at Jahaz.
- 33But the LORD our God handed him over to us, and we struck down Sihon, his sons, and his entire army.
- 34We captured all his cities and completely destroyed every one of them — men, women, and children. We left no survivors.
- 35The only things we kept for ourselves were the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.
- 36From Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the city in the valley itself, all the way to Gilead — not a single city was too strong for us. The LORD our God handed them all over to us.
- 37But we stayed away from the land of the Ammonites — the entire area along the Jabbok River, the hill country cities, and everywhere else the LORD our God had told us not to go.