pon the Israelites. He brought an army with him, and
in haste to the assistance of his friend Sihon: but though he found him
already slain, yet did he resolve still to come and fight the Hebrews,
supposing he should be too hard for them, and being desirous to try
their valor; but failing of his hope, he was both himself slain in the
battle, and all his army was destroyed. So Moses passed over the river
Jabbok, and overran the kingdom of Og. He overthrew their cities, and
slew all their inhabitants, who yet exceeded in riches all the men in
that part of the continent, on account of the goodness of the soil, and
the great quantity of their wealth. Now Og had very few equals, either
in the largeness of his body, or handsomeness of his appearance. He
was also a man of great activity in the use of his hands, so that his
actions were not unequal to the vast largeness and handsome appearance
of his body. And men could easily guess at his strength and magnitude
when they took his bed at Rabbath, the royal city of the Ammonites; its
structure was of iron, its breadth four cubits, and its length a cubit
more than double thereto. However, his fall did not only improve the
circumstances of the Hebrews for the present, but by his death he was
the occasion of further good success to them; for they presently took
those sixty cities, which were encompassed with excellent walls, and
had been subject to him, and all got both in general and in particular a
great prey.

CHAPTER 6. Concerning Balaam The Prophet And What Kind Of Man He Was.

1. Now Moses, when he had brought his army to Jordan; pitched his camp
in the great plain over against Jericho. This city is a very happy
situation, and very fit for producing palm-trees and balsam. And now the
Israelites began to be very proud of themselves, and were very eager for
fighting. Moses then, after he had offered for a few days sacrifices of
thanksgiving to God, and feasted the people, sent a party of armed men
to lay waste the country of the Midianites, and to take their cities.
Now the occasion which he took for making war upon them was this that
follows:--

2. When Balak, the king of the Moabites, who had from his ancestors a
friendship and league with the Midianites, saw how great the Israelites
were grown, he was much affrighted on account of his own and his
kingdom's danger; for he was not acquainted with this, that the Hebrews
would not meddle with any other country, but were