Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXΠαρελευσόμεθα διὰ τῆς γῆς σου· οὐ διελευσόμεθα διʼ ἀγρῶν, οὐδὲ διʼ ἀμπελώνων, οὐδὲ πιόμεθα ὕδωρ ἐκ λάκκου σου· ὁδῷ βασιλικῇ πορευσόμεθα· οὐκ ἐκκλινοῦμεν δεξιὰ οὐδὲ εὐώνυμα, ἕως ἂν παρέλθωμεν τὰ ὅριά σου. (Pareleusometha dia taʸs gaʸs sou; ou dieleusometha diʼ agrōn, oude diʼ ampelōnōn, oude piometha hudōr ek lakkou sou; hodōi basilikaʸ poreusometha; ouk ekklinoumen dexia oude euōnuma, heōs an parelthōmen ta horia sou. )
BrTrWe will pass through thy land: we will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards, nor will we drink water out of thy cistern: we will go by the king's highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
ULTPlease let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, and will we not drink the water of a well. We will go on the road of the king. We will not turn right or left until we have passed through your border.”
USTPlease allow us to travel through your country. We will be careful to not walk through your fields and your vineyards. We will not even drink water from your wells. As we travel, we will stay on the king’s highway, the main road that goes from the south to the north, and we will not leave that road until we have crossed the border of your country in the north.”
BSBPlease let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”
WEBBE“Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink from the water of the wells. We will go along the king’s highway. We will not turn away to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed your border.”
NETPlease let us pass through your country. We will not pass through the fields or through the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well. We will go by the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or the left until we have passed through your region.’ ”
LSVPlease let us pass over through your land; we do not pass over through a field or through a vineyard, nor do we drink waters of a well; we go the way of the king, we do not turn aside [to] the right or left until we pass over your border.”
FBVPlease allow us to travel through your country. We won't cross any of your fields or vineyards, or drink water from any of your wells. We will stay on the King's Highway; we won't turn off either to the right or to the left until we have passed through your country.”
T4TPlease allow us to travel through your country. We will be careful to not walk through your fields and your vineyards. We will not even drink water from your wells. As we travel, we will stay on the king’s highway, the main road that goes from the south to the north, and we will not leave that road until we have crossed the border of your country in the north.”
LEBPlease let us go through your land. We will not go through a field or vineyard, and we will not drink water from a well. We will go along the road of the king; we will not turn aside right or left until we have gone through your territory.’ ”
BBELet us now go through your land: we will not go into field or vine-garden, or take the water of the springs; we will go by the highway, not turning to the right or to the left, till we have gone past the limits of your land.
JPSLet us pass, I pray thee, through thy land; we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; we will go along the king's highway, we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border.'
ASVLet us pass, I pray thee, through thy land: we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; we will go along the king’s highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border.
DRAAnd we beseech thee that we may have leave to pass through thy country. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards, we will not drink the waters of thy wells, but we will go by the common highway, neither turning aside to the right hand, nor to the left, till we are past thy borders.
YLTLet us pass over, we pray thee, through thy land; we pass not over through a field, or through a vineyard, nor do we drink waters of a well; the way of the king we go, we turn not aside — right or left — till that we pass over thy border.'
DrbyLet us pass, I pray thee, through thy country; we will not pass through fields, or through vineyards, neither will we drink water out of the wells: we will go by the king's road; we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border.
RVlet us pass, I pray thee, through thy land: we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go along the king’s high way, we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border.
WbstrLet us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high -way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
KJB-1769Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. (Let us pass, I pray thee/you, through thy/your country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy/your borders. )
KJB-1611Let vs passe, I pray thee, thorow thy countrey: we will not passe thorow the fields, or thorow the Uineyards, neither will we drinke of the water of the wells: wee will goe by the Kings high-way, we wil not turne to the right hand nor to the left, vntill wee haue passed thy borders. (Let us pass, I pray thee/you, through thy/your country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the Vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the Kings high-way, we willnotturnto the righthandnorto the left,until we havepassedthy/yourborders.)
BshpsLet vs passe I pray thee through thy countrey: but we wyll not go through the fieldes or vineyardes, neither wyll we drynke of the water of the fountaynes: we wyll go by the kynges hye way, and neither turne vnto the ryght hande nor to the left, vntyll we be past thy borders. (Let us pass I pray thee/you through thy/your country: but we will not go through the fields or vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the fountaynes: we will go by the kings high way, and neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left, until we be past thy/your borders.)
GnvaI pray thee that we may passe through thy countrey: we will not goe through the fieldes nor the vineyardes, neither will we drinke of the water of the welles: we will goe by the kings way, and neither turne vnto the right hand nor to the left, vntill we be past thy borders. (I pray thee/you that we may pass through thy/your country: we will not go through the fields nor the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the kings way, and neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left, until we be past thy/your borders. )
CvdlO let vs go thorow thy londe, we wyl not go thorow ye feldes ner vynyardes, ner drynke the water out of the foutaynes. We wyl go the hye strete, and turne nether to ye right hande ner to ye lefte, tyll we be come past ye borders of thy countre. (O let us go through thy/your land, we will not go through ye/you_all fields nor vineyards, nor drink the water out of the foutaynes. We will go the high street, and turn neither to ye/you_all right hand nor to ye/you_all left, till we be come past ye/you_all borders of thy/your country.)
Wycland we bisechen that it be leueful to vs to passe thorou thi lond; we schulen not go bi feeldis, nether bi vyneris, nether we schulen drynke watris of thi pittis; but we schulen go in the comyn weie, and we schulen not bowe to the riyt side, nether to the left side, til we passen thi termes. (and we bisechen that it be lawful to us to pass through thy/your land; we should not go by fields, neither by vineyardis, neither we should drink waters of thy/your pittis; but we should go in the common way, and we should not bow to the right side, neither to the left side, till we passen thy/your termes.)
LuthLaß uns durch dein Land ziehen. Wir wollen nicht durch Äcker noch Weinberge gehen, auch nicht Wasser aus den Brunnen trinken; die Landstraße wollen wir ziehen, weder zur Rechten noch zur Linken weichen, bis wir durch deine Grenze kommen. (Let us/to_us/ourselves through your Land ziehen. We wollen not through Äcker still Weinberge go, also not water out_of the Brunnen drink; the Landstraße wollen we/us ziehen, weder to lawen still to Linken weichen, until we/us through your Grenze come.)
ClVgobsecramus ut nobis transire liceat per terram tuam. Non ibimus per agros, nec per vineas; non bibemus aquas de puteis tuis: sed gradiemur via publica, nec ad dexteram nec ad sinistram declinantes, donec transeamus terminos tuos. (obsecramus as us transire liceat through the_earth/land tuam. Non ibimus through agros, but_not through vineas; not/no bibemus waters about puteis tuis: but gradiemur road publica, but_not to dexteram but_not to sinistram declinantes, until transeamus terminos tuos. )
20:17We won’t even drink water from your wells: Edom is very dry; food and water were too scarce to provide for this substantial number of Hebrew immigrants. • We will stay on the king’s road: The “King’s Highway” (also 21:22) is well known in the Old Testament, though its exact route is not certain. As its name indicates, this route was maintained for official purposes, including the movement of troops and trade. Along this trail, travelers could find settlements, food, and water between the Red Sea and Damascus. The route remained important into Roman and even modern times. This royal road contrasted with a much less hospitable route farther to the east called the Desert Highway.
(Occurrence 0) We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left
(Some words not found in UHB: pass please in/on/at/with,land,your not pass in/on/at/with,field and,in/on/at/with,vineyard and=not drink water well road/way_of the=king go_along not turn right and,left until when passed_through territory,your )
Here “turn aside” represents leaving the road. Alternate translation: “We will not leave the road in any direction”
(Occurrence 0) the king’s highway
(Some words not found in UHB: pass please in/on/at/with,land,your not pass in/on/at/with,field and,in/on/at/with,vineyard and=not drink water well road/way_of the=king go_along not turn right and,left until when passed_through territory,your )
This is the main road that connects Damascus in the north to the Gulf of Aqabah in the south.
After the Israelites received the law on Mount Sinai, which may have been located at Khashm et-Tarif (see also “The Route of the Exodus”), they traveled to Kadesh-barnea, a distance that took eleven days “by the way of Mount Seir” (Deuteronomy 1:2). The phrase “by the way of Mount Seir” suggests that more than one route existed between Mount Sinai and Kadesh, as shown here, but the road the Israelites took probably ran alongside the mountainous region of Seir. This route would have offered greater access to water from wells, natural springs, and seasonal streams flowing from the hills of Seir–a critical necessity for a large group traveling through this very arid region. Nearly every location identified on this map was essentially a small community centered around one of these life-enabling sources of water. After reaching Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, the Israelites prepared to enter Canaan by sending spies to scout out the land. But when ten of the twelve spies brought back news about the strength of the Canaanites, the people became afraid to enter the land, so the Lord punished them by condemning them to travel in the wilderness for forty years until that generation died off. Some Israelites repented and tried to enter the land, but they were beaten back to Hormah by the Amalekites and Canaanites. So for forty years the Israelites traveled from place to place, probably in the general area of Kadesh-barnea, though very few locations mentioned are able to be established with much certainty. As the forty years of traveling drew to a close, the Israelites prepared again to travel to Canaan by requesting permission from the king of Edom to pass through his land. When the king refused, the Israelites “turned away” from the Edomites and set out from Kadesh to travel to Mount Hor. The Jewish historian Josephus located Mount Hor at Jebel Nebi Harun, a very tall mountain in eastern Edom, but this has been rejected by many scholars in favor of other sites such as Jebel Madeira to the northeast of Kadesh. This author is convinced, however, that any candidate for Mount Hor must be sought to the south of Kadesh-barnea. Numbers 33:30 and Deuteronomy 10:6 mention that, during their wilderness travels, the Israelites camped at Moseroth/Moserah, which was apparently located at Mount Hor, since both Moseroth/Moserah and Mount Hor are cited as the place where Aaron died (Numbers 21:29-29; 33:37-39; Deuteronomy 10:6-9). It is difficult to envision the Israelites traveling back to the edge of Canaan after suffering defeat there the last time they attempted to enter the land. These same passages also note that after their stay at Moseroth/Moserah the Israelites traveled to Hor-haggidgad/Gudgodah (probably located along the Wadi Khadakhid) and then to Jotbathah, with no mention of passing through Kadesh, which they would have had to do if Mount Hor was north of Kadesh (since they were avoiding the land of Edom). Also, in Deuteronomy 2:1 Moses says that after the Israelites left Kadesh, “we journeyed back into the wilderness, in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord had told me and skirted Mount Seir for many days,” and Aaron’s death on Mount Hor fits best during this time. Similarly, Numbers 21:4 says “from Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom,” but there would have been no way to the Red Sea around the land of Edom if Mount Hor were located northeast of Kadesh. One element of the wilderness narratives that appears to favor a northeast location for Mount Hor, however, is the story of the king of Arad, which the book of Numbers (chapters 21 and 33) places immediately after the death of Aaron on Mount Hor. At first glance, the narrative seems to imply that the king attacked the Israelites at Mount Hor, which fits better with a northern location. Yet, it is also possible that the story is simply noting that it was after the Israelites’ arrival at Mount Hor that the king of Arad first learned of the Israelites’ renewed intentions to enter Canaan, perhaps as a result of their request to pass through Edom. But it may have been later that the king of Arad actually engaged them in battle, perhaps as they were passing north of Zalmonah and appeared to be ready to enter Canaan by way of Arad (see Numbers 33:41-42 and the map “The Journey to Abel-shittim”). For these reasons, this author believes that Har Karkom is the best candidate for the location of Mount Hor. The site is appropriately located at the edge of Seir and along the way to the Red Sea. This site’s role as an ancient cultic center is also well established. Perhaps Aaron’s priestly duties and authority in Israel had grown out of a similar role he had previously held at Mount Hor (see also Numbers 12:1-2; Deuteronomy 33:2; Judges 5:4-5), where he was eventually buried.
Kadesh-Barnea and Its Surroundings
Though located in the arid desert region south of Israel, the town of Kadesh-barnea was relatively well supplied with water, making it one of the most important oases in the entire region. Multiple springs can be found within 6 miles (10 km) of Kadesh, including Ain Qedeis (possibly Hazar-addar), Ain el-Qudeirat (Kadesh-barnea), el-Qoseimeh (possibly Karka), and el-Muweilah (possibly Azmon), all of which drain into the Wadi al-Arish, likely the biblical Brook of Egypt, about 14 miles (23 km) to the west. Kadesh and its springs are sandwiched between the biblical locations of the Wilderness of Zin and the Wilderness of Paran, which explains why Kadesh is sometimes associated in Scripture with Zin (Numbers 20:1; 33:36; Deuteronomy 32:51) and other times with Paran (Numbers 13:26). The site is first mentioned in Scripture as one of the places through which Chedorlaomer’s army passed on its way to reconquer the cities of the plain (Genesis 14), and apparently at that time it was called Enmishpat, meaning “spring of judgment” (see “The Battle at the Valley of Siddim” map). Later Kadesh became a central location for the Israelites after they left Mount Sinai (and possibly before this as they traveled to Mount Sinai; see “The Route of the Exodus” map) and prepared to enter Canaan. From there they sent spies to scout out the land, but when the spies returned with an intimidating report about the inhabitants of Canaan, the people became afraid and longed to return to Egypt (Numbers 13-14; Deuteronomy 1:19-45). As punishment, the Lord condemned that generation to wander in the wilderness, apparently in the general area of Kadesh, until the people died off. Moses’ sister Miriam later died at Kadesh and was buried there (Numbers 20:1). Then, when the springs of Kadesh must have been producing little water, the people became angry with Moses again, so he struck a rock, causing water to flow from it (Numbers 20:2-13). After this, Moses called the place Meribah, meaning “quarreling” (Numbers 13; see also Numbers 20:24; 27:14; Deuteronomy 33:8; Psalm 81:7; 95:8; 106:32). It was also from Kadesh that Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom, asking permission to pass through his land as the Israelites made their way to Canaan. When the king of Edom refused, they turned back and traveled to Mount Hor instead (Numbers 20:14-22; Deuteronomy 1:46-2:1; Judges 11:16-17; see “The Journey to Abel-Shittim” map). After the Israelites entered Canaan, Kadesh marked the extreme southern boundary of Israel’s land (Numbers 33:4; Joshua 10:41; 15:3). Kadesh is never explicitly mentioned in Scripture after this except in reference to earlier events that happened there.
