waters of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

9. And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, which 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. And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the LORD 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.

10. And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, 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

And the

water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray, unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. And Moses made al serpent of brass, and set it upon the standard and t came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when? he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.ontal tanisgo

11. And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in Oboth. And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moaby toward the sunrising. From thence they journeyed, and pitched in the valley of Zered. From thence they jour neyed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness, that cometh out of the border of the Amorites.1 And from thence they journeyed to 1 For Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. Wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of the LORD,

Vaheb in Suphah,

And the valleys of Aron zoldon sdt dɔidW

And the slope of the valleyse did:

That inclineth toward the dwelling of Ar,

And leaneth upon the border of Moab.sw moddasi to

Beer. And from the wilderness they journeyed to Mattanah and from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth: and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh down upon the desert.

12. And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 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 high way, until we have passed thy border. And 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. And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon,2 and in all the towns thereof.

1 That is the well whereof the LORD said unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. Then sang Israel this song:

Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

The well, which the princes digged,
Which the nobles of the people delved,

With the sceptre, and with their staves.

2 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had

Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they took the towns thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there. And 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. And the LORD 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, which dwelt at Heshbon. So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him remaining: and they possessed his land. And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho.

fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon. Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say:

Let the city of Sihon be built and established:

For 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.

Woe 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.

We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon,

And we have laid waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth

unto Medeba.

xiii

The Witness of Balaam

And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes