1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the
half tribe of Manasseh,
2 And
said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded
you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
3 Ye
have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the
charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.
4 And
now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them:
therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto
the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on
the other side Jordan.
5 But
take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant
of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his
ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him
with all your heart and with all your soul.
6 So
Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.
7 Now
to the one half
of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half
thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when
Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them,
8 And
he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with
very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron,
and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your
brethren.
9 And
the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh
returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the
land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their
possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by
the hand of Moses.
10 And
when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in
the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half
tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
11 And
the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the
children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against
the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of
Israel.
12 And
when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of
the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war
against them.
13 And
the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of
Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the
son of Eleazar the priest,
14 And
with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of
Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers
among the thousands of Israel.
15 And
they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the
half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them,
saying,
16 Thus
saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this
that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from
following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel
this day against the LORD?
17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for
us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague
in the congregation of the LORD,
18 But
that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye
rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole
congregation of Israel.
19 Notwithstanding,
if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass
ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD'S
tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the
LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the
LORD our God.
20 Did
not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath
fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his
iniquity.
21 Then
the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh
answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,
22 The
LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know;
if it be in
rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)
23 That
we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer
thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings
thereon, let the LORD himself require it;
24 And
if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing,
saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying,
What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?
25 For
the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben
and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make
our children cease from fearing the LORD.
26 Therefore
we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor
for sacrifice:
27 But that it may be a
witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the
service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our
sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our
children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.
28 Therefore
said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in
time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the
altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for
sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.
29 God
forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following
the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for
sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before
his tabernacle.
30 And
when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the
thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the
children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake,
it pleased them.
31 And
Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to
the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that
the LORD is among
us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have
delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.
32 And
Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the
children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead,
unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word
again.
33 And
the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed
God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land
wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
34 And
the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.
