We destroyed them just like we destroyed the cities of Sihon king of Heshbon. We completely destroyed every city and all the people in them, even the women and the babies.
Then the people of Israel made a special promise to the Lord: “Lord, please help us defeat these people. If you do this, then we will give their cities to you. We will totally destroy them.”
This was after the Lord defeated Sihon and Og. (Sihon was the king of the Amorite people. Sihon lived in Heshbon. Og was the king of Bashan. Og lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.)
“The Lord told me, ‘Get ready to go across Arnon Valley. I will let you defeat Sihon the Amorite, the king of Heshbon. I will let you take his country. So fight against him and take his land.
We captured all the cities that belonged to King Sihon at that time. We completely destroyed the people in every city—the men, women, and children. We did not leave anyone alive!
You did not have any food with you. You did not have any wine or anything else to drink. {But the Lord took care of you.} He did this so that you would understand that he is the Lord your God.
The Lord said to me, ‘Don’t be afraid of Og. I have decided to give him to you. I will give you all his men and his land. You will defeat him just like you defeated Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon.’
The people of Israel kept for themselves all the things they found in the cities. They kept all the animals that they found in the city. But they killed all the people there. They did not allow any people to be left alive.