1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2 and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 You have not abandoned your brothers these many days, to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4 Now the LORD your God has given your brothers rest, as he told them. Now turn and go to your tents, to the land of your possession that Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you beyond the Jordan. 5 Only take great care to carry out the commandment and the law that Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded you: to love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, keep his commandments, hold fast to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.” 6 Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

7 To one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given an inheritance in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua had given an inheritance with their brothers beyond the Jordan to the west. When Joshua sent them away to their tents, he also blessed them 8 and said to them, “Return to your tents with great wealth, with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many garments. Divide the plunder of your enemies with your brothers.”

9 The descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh turned and departed from the people of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, the land of their possession, which they had acquired according to the LORD’s command through Moses. 10 When they came to the regions of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large, impressive altar. 11 The people of Israel heard, “Look, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar facing the land of Canaan, in the regions of the Jordan, on the side of the people of Israel.” 12 When the people of Israel heard this, the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go up to war against them.

13 The people of Israel sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, 14 with ten leaders, one leader from each ancestral house of all the tribes of Israel. Each was the head of his ancestral house among the thousands of Israel. 15 They came to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them: 16 “This is what the whole congregation of the LORD says: What is this unfaithfulness you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away today from following the LORD by building yourselves an altar to rebel today against the LORD? 17 Was the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, though a plague came upon the congregation of the LORD? 18 And will you turn away today from following the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19 But if the land of your possession is unclean, cross over to the land of the LORD’s possession, where the LORD’s tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us. Do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building yourselves an altar apart from the altar of the LORD our God. 20 Did not Achan son of Zerah act unfaithfully concerning what was devoted to destruction? Wrath came upon the whole congregation of Israel, and he was not the only one who perished for his iniquity.”

21 The descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the thousands of Israel: 22 “God of gods, the LORD! God of gods, the LORD! He knows, and Israel will know! If it was in rebellion or unfaithfulness against the LORD, do not save us this day. 23 If we built ourselves an altar to turn away from following the LORD, or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice peace offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account. 24 Rather, we did this out of concern that in days to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 The LORD has set the Jordan as a border between us and you, descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad. You have no share in the LORD.’ So your children would make our children cease to fear the LORD. 26 So we said, ‘Let us now build ourselves the altar, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifice, 27 but as a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices, and our peace offerings, so that in days to come your children will not say to our children: You have no share in the LORD.’ 28 We also said, ‘If they say this to us or to our generations in days to come, we will say: Look at the replica of the altar of the LORD that our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifice, but as a witness between us and you.’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away today from following the LORD by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifice apart from the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.”

30 When Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the congregation, and the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him heard the words spoken by the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the descendants of Manasseh, it was good in their eyes. 31 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the descendants of Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this unfaithfulness against the LORD. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the LORD.” 32 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the descendants of Reuben and the descendants of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the people of Israel in the land of Canaan, and brought them word. 33 The matter was good in the eyes of the people of Israel, and the people of Israel blessed God. They spoke no more of going up to war against them to destroy the land where the descendants of Reuben and the descendants of Gad lived. 34 The descendants of Reuben and the descendants of Gad named the altar, saying, “It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”