« | Numbers 21 | » |
1 The Canaanite king of Arad lived aby will belong to you. If the fIsraelites were coming on the road to Atharim, so the king went out and attacked the Israelites. Arad captured some of the people and made them prisoners.
2 Then the Israelites made a special promise to the Lord: "Please help us defeat these people. If you do this, we will give their cities to you. We will totally destroy them."
3 The Lord listened to the Israelites and helped them defeat the Canaanites. They completely destroyed the Canaanites and their cities. So that place was named Hormah.
4 The Israelites left Mount Hor and traveled on the road that goes to the Red Sea. They did this to go around the country of Edom. But the people became impatient.
5 They began complaining against God and Moses. The people said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? We will die here in the desert! There is no bread and no water! And we hate this terrible food!"
6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people. The snakes bit the people, and many of the Israelites died.
7 The people came to Moses and said, "We know that we sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord. Ask him to take away these snakes." So Moses prayed for them.
8 The Lord said to Moses, "Make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. If anyone is bitten by a snake, that person should look at the bronze snake on the pole. Then that person will not die."
9 So Moses obeyed the Lord. He made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Then when a snake bit anyone, that person looked at the bronze snake on the pole and lived.
10 The Israelites left that place and camped at Oboth.
11 Then they left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim in the desert east of Moab.
12 They left that place and camped in Zered Valley.
13 Then they moved and camped across from the Arnon River in the desert. This river started at the Ammonite border. The valley was the border between Moab and the Amorites.
14 That is why these words are written in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: "— and Waheb in Suphah, and the Valleys of the Arnon,
15 and the hills by the valleys that lead to the town of Ar. These places are at the border of Moab."
16 The Israelites left that place and traveled to Beer. This was the place with the well where the Lord said to Moses, "Bring the people together here, and I will give them water."
17 Then the Israelites sang this song: "Well, flow with water! Sing about it!
18 Great men dug this well. Important leaders dug this well. They dug this well with their staffs and walking sticks. It is a gift in the desert."
19 The people traveled from Mattanah to Nahaliel. Then they traveled from Nahaliel to Bamoth.
20 They traveled from Bamoth to the Valley of Moab. In this place the top of the Pisgah Mountain looks over the desert.
21 The Israelites sent some men to King Sihon of the Amorites. The men said to the king,
22 "Allow us to travel through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard. We will not drink water from any of your wells. We will travel only along King's Road. We will stay on that road until we have traveled through your country."
23 But King Sihon would not allow the Israelites to travel through his country. He gathered together his army and marched out to the desert to fight against the Israelites. The king's army fought against the Israelites at Jahaz.
24 But the Israelites defeated the king and took his land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. The Israelites took the land as far as the Ammonite border. They stopped at that border because it was strongly defended by the Ammonites.
25 Israel took all the Amorite cities and began living in them. They even defeated the city of Heshbon and all the small towns around it.
26 Heshbon was the city where Sihon, the Amorite king, lived. In the past Sihon had fought with the king of Moab. Sihon had taken the land as far as the Arnon River.
27 That is why the singers sing this song: "Go in and rebuild Heshbon! Make Sihon's city strong.
28 A fire began in Heshbon. That fire began in Sihon's city. The fire destroyed Ar in Moab. It burned the hills above Arnon River.
29 It is bad for you, Moab. You lost Chemosh's people. His sons ran away. His daughters were taken prisoners by Sihon, king of the Amorites.
30 But we defeated those Amorites. We destroyed their towns from Heshbon to Dibon, from Nashim to Nophah, near Medeba."
31 So the Israelites made their camp in the land of the Amorites.
32 Moses sent some men to look at the town of Jazer. Then the Israelites captured that town and the small towns that were around it. They forced the Amorites who were living there to leave.
33 Then the Israelites traveled on the road toward Bashan. King Og of Bashan got his army and marched out to meet the Israelites. He fought against them at Edrei.
34 But the Lord said to Moses, "Don't be afraid of that king. I will allow you to defeat him. You will take his whole army and all his land. Do the same to him as you did to Sihon, the Amorite king who lived in Heshbon."
35 So the Israelites defeated Og and his army. They killed him, his sons, and all his army. Then the Israelites took all his land.
The Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)
The Easy-To-Read Version (ERV) is a Bible translation specifically designed to be accessible and comprehensible for people with limited reading skills or those for whom English is a second language. Originally published in 1987 by the World Bible Translation Center, the ERV was initially developed to serve the deaf community, using a simplified vocabulary and straightforward sentence structures. The goal of the ERV is to make the scriptures understandable to a wide range of readers, ensuring that everyone can grasp the essential messages of the Bible without being hindered by complex language or archaic terms.
One of the defining characteristics of the ERV is its commitment to clarity and simplicity. The translators employed a thought-for-thought translation philosophy, focusing on conveying the meaning of the original texts in plain, everyday English. This approach ensures that readers can easily comprehend the Bible’s teachings and narratives, making it a valuable resource for children, new Christians, and those with limited literacy skills. The ERV avoids technical theological terms and instead uses language that is commonly spoken, making it accessible for personal study and public reading alike.
The ERV also pays careful attention to the cultural and contextual nuances of the original manuscripts. The translators sought to present the Bible’s messages in a way that is relevant and meaningful to contemporary readers while maintaining faithfulness to the original texts. This cultural sensitivity helps bridge the gap between ancient scriptures and modern readers, allowing them to connect more deeply with the biblical stories and teachings. Additionally, the ERV includes helpful footnotes and cross-references that provide further explanation and context, enhancing the reader’s understanding of the text.
Despite its strengths, the ERV has faced some criticism from those who prefer more traditional or literal translations. Critics argue that the simplified language and thought-for-thought approach can sometimes result in a loss of depth and richness found in the original texts. Some theologians believe that the ERV’s emphasis on accessibility may lead to oversimplification of complex theological concepts. Nonetheless, the Easy-To-Read Version remains a highly valuable translation for its target audience, offering a clear and approachable rendition of the Bible that helps people of all backgrounds engage with and understand the scriptures.