||I sent emissaries from the Kedemoth Desert to Sichon king of Cheshbon with a peaceful message, saying,
Va'eshlach mal'achim mimidbar Kdemot el-Sichon melech Cheshbon divrey shalom lemor.
||'We wish to pass through your land. We will travel along the main highway, not turning to the right or the left.
Ebra ve'artsecha baderech baderech elech lo asur yamin usmol.
||We will buy the food we eat for cash, and will pay for the drinking water you give us. We only wish to pass through on foot,
Ochel bakesef tashbireni ve'achalti umayim bakesef titen-li veshatiti rak ebrah veraglay.
Kedemoth was an eastern city given to Reuben (Joshua 13:18) and designated as a Levitical city (Joshua 21:37, 1 Chronicles 6:64). Since kedem means 'east,' some call it the 'eastern desert' (Chizzkuni), while others identify it with Matanah in Numbers 21:18 (Ibn Ezra). It is thought to be the present Ez Zafaran, some 16 miles east of the Dead Sea and 13 miles north of the Arnon, near Matanah and Almon Divlathaymah. Hence, the Israelites were then to the east of Sichon's territory.
Literally, 'I.' See Numbers 21:22.
Literally, 'the road the road.' 'King's Highway' in Numbers 21:22.