10 (The Emites had lived their previously—there were many of them, and they were tall and strong like the Anakites. 11 People also call both the Emites and the Anakites, Refa’ites but the people of Moav call them Emites. 12 The Horites had previously lived in Seir, but Esau’s descendants had killed them and taken over their land, just like the Israelis did later in the land that Yahweh had given them to possess.)

13 “Then we crossed the Zered brook as Yahweh had told us to do. 14 It had been thirty-eight years since we first left Kadesh-Barnea until we cross the Zered brook, once that generation of warriors had died off, just as Yahweh had told them.[ref] 15 What’s more, Yahweh had opposed them, so he’d caused them to die.

16 “After all the enlistment-aged men had died, 17 Yahweh told me, 18 ‘Today you must travel through the Moav region, near Ar, 19 and when you approach the Ammonite region, don’t irritate or fight them because I won’t give you any of their land because I’ve given it to Lot’s descendants as a possession.’ ”[ref]

20 (Also, it’s regarded as the land of the Refa’ites, who the Ammonites call the Zamzummites, who lived there in the past. 21 They were as numerous, and as tall and strong as the Anakites, but Yahweh destroyed them in advance of the Anakites who then dispossessed them and lived in their place. 22 He had done the same thing for Esau’s descendants who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites ahead of them, and they took over their land and still live there to this day. 23 Also the Avvites who lived in villages as far south as Azzah (Gaza) were destroyed by the Kaftorites who came from Crete, and then lived in their place.)

24 “Yahweh had told us, ‘Get ready now and go through the Arnon river valley. I’ll help you defeat the Amorite King Sihon from Heshbon. Attack him and begin to take over his land. 25 Beginning today, I’ll make everyone, everywhere afraid of you. Everyone who hears about you will be terrified and keep their distance from you.’