New American Bible, Revised Edition

Numbers 21:8-24 New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE)

8. and the Lord said to Moses: Make a seraph and mount it on a pole, and everyone who has been bitten will look at it and recover.

9. Accordingly Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever the serpent bit someone, the person looked at the bronze serpent and recovered.

10. The Israelites moved on and encamped in Oboth.

11. Then they moved on from Oboth and encamped in Iye-abarim in the wilderness facing Moab on the east.

12. Moving on from there, they encamped in the Wadi Zered.

13. Moving on from there, they encamped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends from the territory of the Amorites; for the Arnon forms Moab’s boundary, between Moab and the Amorites.

14. Hence it is said in the “Book of the Wars of the Lord”:“Waheb in Suphah and the wadies,

15. Arnon and the wadi gorgesThat reach back toward the site of Arand lean against the border of Moab.”

16. From there they went to Beer, which is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, Gather the people together so that I may give them water.

17. Then Israel sang this song:Spring up, O well!—so sing to it—

18. The well that the princes sank,that the nobles of the people dug,With their scepters and their staffs—from the wilderness, a gift.

19. From Beer to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

20. from Bamoth to the valley in the country of Moab at the headland of Pisgah that overlooks Jeshimon.

21. Now Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, with the message,

22. “Let us pass through your land. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, nor will we drink any well water, but we will go straight along the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”

23. Sihon, however, would not permit Israel to pass through his territory, but mustered all his forces and advanced against Israel into the wilderness. When he reached Jahaz, he engaged Israel in battle.

24. But Israel put him to the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and as far as Jazer of the Ammonites, for Jazer is the boundary of the Ammonites.