1 'And we turn, and go up the way to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan cometh out to meet us, he and all his people, to battle, [to] Edrei.
2 'And Jehovah saith unto me, Fear him not, for into thy hand I have given him, and all his people, and his land, and thou hast done to him as thou hast done to Sihon king of the Amorite who is dwelling in Heshbon.
3 'And Jehovah our God giveth into our hands also Og king of Bashan, and all his people, and we smite him till there hath not been left to him a remnant ;
4 and we capture all his cities at that time, there hath not been a city which we have not taken from them, sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
5 All these [are] cities fenced with high walls, two-leaved doors and bar, apart from cities of villages very many ;
6 and we devote them, as we have done to Sihon king of Heshbon, devoting every city, men, the women, and the infants ;
7 and all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we have spoiled for ourselves.
8 'And we take, at that time, the land out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorite, which is beyond the Jordan, from the brook Arnon unto mount Hermon ;
9 (Sidonians call Hermon, Sirion ; and the Amorites call it Senir,)
10 all the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salchah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan,
11 for only Og king of Bashan had been left of the remnant of the Rephaim ; lo, his bedstead [is] a bedstead of iron ; is it not in Rabbath of the sons of Ammon ? nine cubits its length, and four cubits its breadth, by the cubit of a man.
Note · Deutéronome 3.1–11
Un adversaire redoutable dans un récit de destruction
Les villes fortifiées et le souvenir d’Og soulignent la puissance rencontrée. Le langage de l’interdit atteint là encore toute une population. La grandeur du danger ne permet pas de transformer la mort des non-combattants en détail insignifiant ni d’en déduire une règle pour nos propres conflits.
12 'And this land we have possessed, at that time ; from Aroer, which [is] by the brook Arnon, and the half of mount Gilead, and its cities, I have given to the Reubenite, and to the Gadite ;
13 and the rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I have given to the half tribe of Manasseh ; all the region of Argob, to all that Bashan, called the land of Rephaim.
14 'Jair son of Manasseh hath taken all the region of Argob, unto the border of Geshuri, and Maachathi, and calleth them by his own name, Bashan-Havoth-Jair, unto this day.
15 And to Machir I have given Gilead.
16 'And to the Reubenite and to the Gadite I have given from Gilead even unto the brook Arnon, the middle of the valley and the border, even unto Jabbok the brook, the border of the sons of Ammon,
17 and the plain, and the Jordan, and the border, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, the salt sea, under the springs of Pisgah, at the [sun] -rising.
18 'And I command you, at that time, saying, Jehovah your God hath given to you this land to possess it ; armed ye pass over before your brethren the sons of Israel, all the sons of might.
19 Only, your wives, and your infants, and your cattle — I have known that ye have much cattle — do dwell in your cities which I have given to you,
20 till that Jehovah give rest to your brethren like yourselves, and they also have possessed the land which Jehovah your God is giving to them beyond the Jordan, then ye have turned back each to his possession, which I have given to you.
21 'And Jehoshua I have commanded at that time, saying, Thine eyes are seeing all that which Jehovah your God hath done to these two kings — so doth Jehovah to all the kingdoms whither thou are passing over ;
22 fear them not, for Jehovah your God, He is fighting for you.
Note · Deutéronome 3.12–22
Recevoir une part sans quitter la responsabilité commune
Les tribus de l’est doivent accompagner les autres jusqu’à leur installation. La décision territoriale n’autorise pas une retraite égoïste. Josué reçoit aussi un encouragement fondé sur la mémoire : sa tâche nouvelle s’inscrit dans une histoire qu’il n’a pas à porter comme si rien ne l’avait précédée.
23 'And I entreat for grace unto Jehovah, at that time, saying,
24 Lord Jehovah, Thou — Thou hast begun to shew Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand ; for who [is] a God in the heavens or in earth who doth according to Thy works, and according to Thy might ?
25 Let me pass over, I pray Thee, and see the good land which [is] beyond the Jordan, this good hill-country, and Lebanon.
26 'And Jehovah sheweth himself wroth with me, for your sake, and hath not hearkened unto me, and Jehovah saith unto me, Enough for thee ; add not to speak unto Me any more about this thing :
27 go up [to] the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and see with thine eyes — for thou dost not pass over this Jordan ;
28 and charge Jehoshua, and strengthen him, and harden him, for he doth pass over before this people, and he doth cause them to inherit the land which thou seest.
29 'And we dwell in a valley over-against Beth-Peor.
Note · Deutéronome 3.23–29
Le refus reçu n’empêche pas de servir la relève
Moïse expose son désir et reçoit une limite. La parole lui demande de fortifier Josué plutôt que de poursuivre la même requête. La fidélité peut ainsi prendre la forme douloureuse d’une préparation de l’avenir d’autrui, sans promesse de tout voir ou de tout accomplir soi-même.