"Next we headed for the land of Bashan, where King Og and his army attacked us at Edrei.
But the LORD told me, `Do not be afraid of him, for I have given you victory over Og and his army, giving you his entire land. Treat him just as you treated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.'
So the LORD our God handed King Og and all his people over to us, and we killed them all.
We conquered all sixty of his towns, the entire Argob region in his kingdom of Bashan.
These were all fortified cities with high walls and barred gates. We also took many unwalled villages at the same time.
We completely destroyed the kingdom of Bashan, just as we had destroyed King Sihon of Heshbon. We destroyed all the people in every town we conquered--men, women, and children alike.
But we kept all the livestock for ourselves and took plunder from all the towns.
"We now possessed all the land of the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River--from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon.
(Mount Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.)
We had now conquered all the cities on the plateau, and all Gilead and Bashan as far as the towns of Salecah and Edrei, which were part of Og's kingdom in Bashan.
(Incidentally, King Og of Bashan was the last of the giant Rephaites. His iron bed was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)
"When we took possession of this land, I gave the territory beyond Aroer along the Arnon Gorge, plus half of the hill country of Gilead with its towns, to the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
Then I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan--Og's former kingdom--to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The Argob region of Bashan used to be known as the land of the Rephaites.
Jair, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh, acquired the whole Argob region in Bashan all the way to the borders of the Geshurites and Maacathites. Jair renamed this region after himself, calling it the Towns of Jair, as it is still known today.)
I gave Gilead to the clan of Makir.
And to the tribes of Reuben and Gad I gave the area extending from Gilead to the middle of the Arnon Gorge, all the way to the Jabbok River on the Ammonite frontier.
They also received the Jordan Valley, including the Jordan River and its eastern banks, all the way from the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea, with the slopes of Pisgah on the east.
"At that time I gave this command to the tribes that will live east of the Jordan: `Although the LORD your God has given you this land as your property, all your fighting men must cross the Jordan, armed and ready to protect your Israelite relatives.
Your wives, children, and numerous livestock, however, may stay behind in the towns I have given you.
When the LORD has given security to the rest of the Israelites, as he has to you, and when they occupy the land the LORD your God is giving them across the Jordan River, then you may return here to the land I have given you.'
"At that time I said to Joshua, `You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. He will do the same to all the kingdoms on the west side of the Jordan.
Do not be afraid of the nations there, for the LORD your God will fight for you.'
"At that time I pleaded with the LORD and said,
`O Sovereign LORD, I am your servant. You have only begun to show me your greatness and power. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great deeds as yours?
Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.'
"But the LORD was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. `That's enough!' he ordered. `Speak of it no more.
You can go to Pisgah Peak and view the land in every direction, but you may not cross the Jordan River.
But commission Joshua and encourage him, for he will lead the people across the Jordan. He will give them the land you now see before you.'