Numbers 21
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New English Translation

Numbers 21:4-20

4Then they traveled from Mount Hor by the road to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, but the people became impatient along the way.

5And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we detest this worthless food.”

6So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit the people; many people of Israel died.

7Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he would take away the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8The Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous snake and set it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.”

9So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole, so that if a snake had bitten someone, when he looked at the bronze snake he lived.

10The Israelites traveled on and camped in Oboth.

11Then they traveled on from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that is before Moab, on the eastern side.

12From there they moved on and camped in the valley of Zered.

13From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends from the regions of the Amorites, for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

14This is why it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord, “Waheb in Suphah and the wadis, the Arnon

15and the slope of the valleys that extends to the dwelling of Ar, and falls off at the border of Moab.”

16And from there they traveled to Beer; that is the well where the Lord spoke to Moses, “Gather the people and I will give them water.”

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

18The well which the princes dug, which the leaders of the people opened with their scepters and their staffs.” And from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah;

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

20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the country of Moab, near the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the wilderness.

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Commentaries on Numbers 21

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