The Tanakh · JPS 1917 Translation

Numbers 21

Jewish Publication Society 1917 · Torah

Numbers chapter 21 — part of the Torah in the Jewish Bible. In the classic JPS 1917 translation it opens: “And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against…” — the complete text of all 35 verses is below, free to read online.

1And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.

2And Israel vowed a vow unto HaShem, and said: 'If Thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.'

3And HaShem hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; and the name of the place was called Hormah.

4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became impatient because of the way.

5And the people spoke against G-d, and against Moses: 'Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.'

6And HaShem sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7And the people came to Moses, and said: 'We have sinned, because we have spoken against HaShem, and against thee; pray unto HaShem, that He take away the serpents from us.' And Moses prayed for the people.

8And HaShem said unto Moses: 'Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live.'

9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the pole; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.

10And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in Oboth.

11And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is in front of Moab, toward the sun-rising.

12From thence they journeyed, and pitched in the valley of Zered.

13From thence they journeyed, and pitched on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness, that cometh out of the border of the Amorites. --For Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites;

14wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of HaShem: Vaheb in Suphah, and the valleys of Arnon,

15And the slope of the valleys that inclineth toward the seat of Ar, and leaneth upon the border of Moab.--

16And from thence to Beer; that is the well whereof HaShem said unto Moses: 'Gather the people together, and I will give them water.'

17Then sang Israel this song: Spring up, O well--sing ye unto it--

18The well, which the princes digged, which the nobles of the people delved, with the sceptre, and with their staves. And from the wilderness to Mattanah;

19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;

20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, by the top of Pisgah, which looketh down upon the desert.

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

22'Let me pass through thy land; we will not turn aside into field, or into vineyard; we will not drink of the water of the wells; we will go by the king's highway, until we have passed thy border.'

23And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz; and he fought against Israel.

24And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

25And Israel took all these cities; and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the towns thereof.

26For Heshbon was the city 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, even unto the Arnon.

27Wherefore they that speak in parables say: Come ye to Heshbon! let the city of Sihon be built and established!

28For a fire is gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it hath devoured Ar of Moab, the lords of the high places of Arnon.

29Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh; he hath given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters into captivity, unto Sihon king of the Amorites.

30We have shot at them--Heshbon is perished--even unto Dibon, and we have laid waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba.

31Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.

32And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they took the towns thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.

33And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.

34And HaShem said unto Moses: 'Fear him not; for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.'

35So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him remaining; and they possessed his land.

35 verses · JPS 1917 (public domain)

‹ Numbers 20 Numbers 22 ›

Read, search & bookmark — free

This text opens instantly in the FourFaiths reader, with full-text search across every book, bookmarks saved in your browser, reading plans and a verse of the day. No account, no tracking — everything runs locally in your browser.

Open in the Tanakh reader →