< Numbers 21 >

1 The king of Arad [city] lived in the area where the Canaan people-group lived, in the desert in the southern part of the land. He heard a report that the Israelis were approaching on the road to Atharim [village]. So his army attacked the Israelis and captured some of them.
And whanne Chananei, the kyng of Arad, that dwellide at the south, hadde herd this, that is, that Israel cam bi the weye of aspieris, he fauyt ayens hem; and Chananei was ouercomere and ledde pray of Israel.
2 Then the Israelis solemnly vowed: “Yahweh, if you will help us to defeat these people, we will completely destroy all their towns.”
And Israel bounde hym sylf bi avow to the Lord, and seide, If thou schalt bitake this puple in myn hond, Y schal do awei `the citees therof.
3 Yahweh heard what they requested, and he enabled them to defeat the army of the Canaan people-group. The Israeli soldiers killed all the people and destroyed their towns. [Ever since that time], that place has been called Hormah [which means ‘destruction’].
And the Lord herde the preieris of Israel, and bitook the Chananey; and Israel killid hym, and distruyede hise citees; and clepide the name of that place Horma, that is, cursyng, `ethir hangyng up.
4 Then the Israelis left Hor Mountain and traveled on the road towards the Red Sea, in order to go around [the land of] Edom. But the people became impatient along the way,
`Forsothe thei yeden forth also fro the hil of Hor, bi the weie that ledith to the reed see, that thei schulden cumpasse the lond of Edom; and it bigan to anoye the puple, of the weie and trauel.
5 and they began to grumble/complain against God and against Moses/me. They said, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in this desert [RHQ]? There is nothing to eat here, and nothing to drink. And we detest this lousy [manna] food!”
And the puple spak ayens the Lord and Moises, and seide, Whi leddist thou vs out of Egipt, that we schulden die in wildirnesse? breed failith, watris ben not; oure soule wlatith now on this `meete moost liyt.
6 So Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among them. Many of the people were bitten by the snakes and died.
Wherfor the Lord sente `firid serpentis in to the puple; at the woundis of whiche serpentis, and the dethis of ful many men,
7 Then the people came to Moses/me and cried out, saying, “We [now know that we] have sinned against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh, asking that he will take away the snakes!” So Moses/I prayed for the people.
thei camen to Moyses, and seiden, We synneden, for we spaken ayens the Lord and thee; preie thou, that he take awey fro vs the serpentis.
8 Then Yahweh told him/me, “Make a model/image of a poisonous snake, and attach it to the top of a pole. If those who are bitten by the snakes look at that model, they will (recover/get well).”
And Moises preiede for the puple; and the Lord seide to hym, Make thou a serpent of bras, and sette thou it for a signe; he that is smytun and biholdith it, schal lyue.
9 So Moses/I made a snake from bronze and attached it to the top of a pole. Then, when those who had been bitten by a snake looked at the bronze snake, they recovered!
Therfor Moyses made a serpent of bras, and settide for a signe; and men smytun and biholdynge it, weren heelid.
10 Then the Israelis traveled to Oboth and (camped/set up their tents) there.
And the sones of Israel yeden forth,
11 Then they left there, and went to Iye-Abarim, in the desert on the eastern border of Moab.
and settiden tentis in Oboth; fro whennus thei yeden forth, and settiden tentis in Neabarym, in the wildirnesse, that biholdith Moab, ayens the eest coost.
12 From there they traveled to the valley where the Zered riverbed is, and camped there.
And thei moueden fro thennus, and camen to the stronde of Zareth;
13 Then they traveled to the north side of the Arnon [River]. That area is in the desert next to the land where the Amor people-group lived. The Arnon [River] is the boundary between Moab and where the Amor people-group lived.
which thei leften, and settiden tentis ayens Arnon, which is in the deseert, and apperith in the coostis of Amorrei. Forsothe Arnon is the terme of Moab, and departith Moabitis and Ammoreis.
14 That is why in the book called ‘The Book of the Wars of Yahweh’ it tells about “Waheb [town] in the Suphah area, and the ravines there; and the Arnon [River]
Wherfor it is seid in the book of batels of the Lord, As he dide in the reed see, so he schal do in the strondis of Arnon;
15 and the ravines there, which extend as far as Ar [village] on the border of Moab.”
the harde rochis of the strondis weren bowid, that tho schulen reste in Arnon, and schulden ligge in the coostis of Moabitis.
16 From there, the Israelis traveled to Beer. There was a well there, where Yahweh previously had said to Moses/me, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”
Fro that place the pit apperide, of which the Lord spak to Moyses, Gadere thou the puple, and Y schal yyue watir to it.
17 There the Israelis sang this song: “O well, give us water! Sing about this well!
Thanne Israel soong this song, The pit stie;
18 Sing about this well which our leaders dug; they dug out [the dirt] with their royal scepters and their walking sticks.” Then the Israelis left that desert and went through Mattanah,
thei sungen togidere, The pit which the princes diggiden, and the duykis of the multitude maden redi, in the yyuere of the lawe, and in her stauys. And thei yeden forth fro the wildirnesse to Mathana,
19 Nahaliel, and Bamoth [villages].
fro Mathana to Naaliel, fro Naaliel in to Bamoth;
20 Then they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah [Mountain] rises above the desert.
Bamoth is a valey in the cuntrey of Moab, in the cop of Phasga, that biholdith ayens the deseert.
21 Then the Israelis sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group. This was the message [that they/we gave him]:
Forsothe Israel sente messangeris to Seon, kyng of Ammorreis, and seide,
22 “Allow us to travel through your country. We will stay on the king’s highway, [the main road that goes from the south to the north], until we have finished traveling through your land. We will not walk through any field or vineyard, or drink water from your wells.”
Y biseche that it be leueful to me to passe thorou thi loond; we schulen not bowe in to the feeldis and vyneris; we schulen not drynke watris of pittis; we schulen go in the kyngis weie, til we passen thi termes.
23 But King Sihon refused. He would not allow them to walk through his land. Instead, he sent his whole army to attack the Israelis in the desert. They attacked the Israelis at Jahaz [village].
Which nolde graunte that Israel schulde passe thury hise coostis, but rather, whanne the oost was gaderid, he yede out ayens Israel, in to deseert. And he cam in to Yasa, and fauyt ayens Israel;
24 But the Israelis completely defeated them and occupied their land, from the Arnon [River in the south] to the Jabbok [River in the north]. They stopped at the border of the land where the Ammon people-group lived, because [the Ammon army was defending] the border strongly.
of whom he was smytun in the scharpnesse of swerd, and his lond was weldid fro Arnon `til to Jeboth and `the sones of Amon; for the termes of Amonytis weren holdun bi strong help.
25 So the Israelis occupied all the cities and towns where the Amor people-group lived, and some of the Israelis began to live in them. They occupied Heshbon [city] and the nearby villages.
Therfor Israel took alle `the citees of hym, and dwelliden in the citees of Amorrei, that is, in Esebon, and hise townes.
26 Heshbon was the capital of the country. It was the city where King Sihon ruled. His army had previously defeated the army of the king of Moab, and then his people had begun to live in all of the land of Moab as far as the Arnon [River in the south].
The citee of Esebon was Seons, kyng of Ammorei, which Seon fauyt ayens the kyng of Moab, and took al the lond that was of his lordschip, `til to Arnon.
27 For that reason, one of the poets wrote long ago, “Come to Heshbon, the city where King Sihon [ruled]. We want the city to be restored/rebuilt.
Therfor it is seid in prouerbe, Come ye in to Esebon, be it bildid, and maad the citee of Seon;
28 A fire blazed from Heshbon; it burned down Ar [city] in Moab, it destroyed [everything on] the hills along the Arnon [River].
fier yede out of Esebon, flawme yede out of the citee `ethir greet castel of Seon, and deuouryde Ar of Moabitis, and the dwelleris of the `hiye places of Arnon.
29 You people of Moab, terrible things have happened to you! You people who [worship your god] Chemosh have been (annihilated/wiped out)! The men who [worshiped] [MET] Chemosh have run away and are now refugees, and the women [who worshiped him] have been captured by [the army of] Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group.
Moab, wo to thee! thou, puple of Chamos, perischidist; it yaf the sones therof in to fliyt, and the douytris in to caitifte to Seon, kyng of Ammoreis;
30 But we have defeated [Sihon and] those descendants of Amor, all the way from Heshbon [in the north] to Dibon [city in the south]. We have completely obliterated/destroyed them as far as Nophah and Medeba [towns].”
the yok of hem perischide, fro Esebon `til to Dibon; the wery men camen in to Jophe, and `til to Medaba.
31 So the Israeli people began to live in the land where the Amor people-group lived.
And so Israel dwellide in the lond of Ammorrey.
32 After Moses/I sent some men to explore the area near Jazer [city], Israeli people began to live in all the towns in that region and expelled the Amor people-group who lived there.
And Moises sente men that schulden aspie Jaser, whos `townes thei token, and weldiden the dwelleris.
33 Then they turned [north] toward the Bashan region, but King Og of Bashan and all his army attacked them at Edrei [town].
And thei turniden hem silf, and stieden bi the weie of Basan. And Og, the kyng of Basan, with al his puple cam ayens hem, to fiyte in Edray.
34 Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Do not be afraid of Og, because I am going to enable your men to defeat him and his army, and to take possession of all his land. You will do to him what you did to Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group, who ruled in Heshbon.”
And the Lord seide to Moises, Drede thou not hym, for Y haue bitake hym, and al his loond, and puple, in thin hoond; and thou schalt do to hym as thou didist to Seon, kyng of Ammorreis, the dwellere of Esebon.
35 And that is what happened. We Israelis defeated Og’s army, and killed King Og and his sons and all his people. Not a person survived! And then we Israelis began to live in their land.
Therfor thei smytiden `bothe hym with hise sones and al his puple, `til to deeth; and thei weldiden `the lond of hym.

< Numbers 21 >