2. When Moses saw that the Amorite king was disposed to enter upon
hostilities with them, he thought he ought not to bear that insult; and,
determining to wean the Hebrews from their indolent temper, and prevent
the disorders which arose thence, which had been the occasion of their
former sedition, [nor indeed were they now thoroughly easy in their
minds,] he inquired of God, whether he would give him leave to fight?
which when he had done, and God also promised him the victory, he was
himself very courageous, and ready to proceed to fighting. Accordingly
he encouraged the soldiers; and he desired of them that they would take
the pleasure of fighting, now God gave them leave so to do. They then,
upon the receipt of this permission, which they so much longed for, put
on their whole armor, and set about the work without delay. But the
Amorite king was not now like to himself when the Hebrews were ready to
attack him; but both he himself was affrighted at the Hebrews, and his
army, which before had showed themselves to be of good courage, were
then found to be timorous: so they could not sustain the first onset,
nor bear up against the Hebrews, but fled away, as thinking this would
afford them a more likely way for their escape than fighting, for they
depended upon their cities, which were strong, from which yet they
reaped no advantage when they were forced to fly to them; for as soon as
the Hebrews saw them giving ground, they immediately pursued them close;
and when they had broken their ranks, they greatly terrified them, and
some of them broke off from the rest, and ran away to the cities. Now
the Hebrews pursued them briskly, and obstinately persevered in the
labors they had already undergone; and being very skillful in slinging,
and very dexterous in throwing of darts, or any thing else of that kind,
and also having nothing but light armor, which made them quick in the
pursuit, they overtook their enemies; and for those that were most
remote, and could not be overtaken, they reached them by their slings
and their bows, so that many were slain; and those that escaped the
slaughter were sorely wounded, and these were more distressed with
thirst than with any of those that fought against them, for it was the
summer season; and when the greatest number of them were brought down to
the river out of a desire to drink, as also when others fled away by
troops, the Hebrews came round them, and shot at them; so that, what
with darts and what with arrows, they made a slaughter of them all.
Sihon their king was also slain. So the Hebrews spoiled the dead bodies,
and took their prey. The land also which they took was full of abundance
of fruits, and the army went all over it without fear, and fed their
cattle upon it; and they took the enemies prisoners, for they could no
way put a stop to them, since all the fighting men were destroyed. Such
was the destruction which overtook the Amorites, who were neither
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