1 ANum 32:20-22Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Loʀᴅ commanded you, AJosh 1:12-18and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. 3  “You have not forsaken your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Loʀᴅ your God. 4  “And now ANum 32:18; Deut 3:20the Loʀᴅ your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Loʀᴅ gave you beyond the Jordan. 5  “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Loʀᴅ commanded you, to ADeut 5:10love the Loʀᴅ your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him BDeut 4:29with all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 So Joshua AGen 47:7; Josh 14:13; 2 Sam 6:18; Luke 24:50blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

7 Now ANum 32:33to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but BJosh 17:1-13to the other half Joshua gave a possession among their brothers westward beyond the Jordan. So when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8 and said to 1Lit them, saying, “Returnthem, “Return to your tents with great riches and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; ANum 31:27; 1 Sam 30:16divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.” 9 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed from the sons of Israel at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the ANum 32:1, 26, 29land of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they had possessed, according to the 1Lit mouthcommand of the Loʀᴅ 2Lit by the hand ofthrough Moses.

10 When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance. 11 And the sons of Israel heard it 1Lit sayingsaid, “Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have ADeut 12:5; Josh 22:19built an altar at the 2Lit frontfrontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.” 12 When the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at AJosh 18:1Shiloh to go up against them in war.

13 Then the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, ANum 25:7, 11; 31:6Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, 14 and with him ten chiefs, one chief for each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and ANum 1:4each one of them was the head of his father’s household among the 1Or familiesthousands of Israel. 15 They came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying, 16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the Loʀᴅ, ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the Loʀᴅ this day, by AJosh 22:11building yourselves an altar, to rebel against the Loʀᴅ this day? 17  ‘Is not ANum 25:1-9the iniquity of Peor 1Lit little for usenough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the Loʀᴅ, 18 that you must turn away this day from following the Loʀᴅ? If you rebel against the Loʀᴅ today, ANum 16:22He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow. 19  ‘If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then 1Lit cross for yourselvescross into the land of the possession of the Loʀᴅ, where the Loʀᴅ’s tabernacle 2Lit abidesstands, and take possession among us. Only do not rebel against the Loʀᴅ, or rebel against us by AJosh 22:11building an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the Loʀᴅ our God. 20  ‘Did not AJosh 7:1-26Achan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’ ”

21 Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the 1Lit thousandsfamilies of Israel. 22 “The ADeut 10:17Mighty One, God, the Loʀᴅ, the Mighty One, God, the Loʀᴅ! B1 Kin 8:39; Job 10:7; Ps 44:21He knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the Loʀᴅ do not save us this day! 23  “If we have built us an altar to turn away from following the Loʀᴅ, or if to ADeut 12:11offer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the Loʀᴅ Himself require it. 24  “But truly we have done this out of concern, 1Lit fromfor a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our 2Lit sons, sayingsons, “What have you to do with the Loʀᴅ, the God of Israel? 25  “For the Loʀᴅ has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in the Loʀᴅ.” So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the Loʀᴅ.’

26 “Therefore we said, ‘Let us 1Lit prepare to build for ourselvesbuild an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; 27 rather it shall be AGen 31:48; Josh 24:27a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to BDeut 12:6, 11, 26fperform the service of the Loʀᴅ before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in the Loʀᴅ.” ’ 28  “Therefore we said, ‘It shall also come about if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of the Loʀᴅ which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it is a witness between us and you.” ’ 29  “Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Loʀᴅ and turn away from following the Loʀᴅ this day, by ADeut 12:13fbuilding an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the Loʀᴅ our God which is before His 1Lit dwelling placetabernacle.”

30 So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, even the heads of the 1Lit thousandsfamilies of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the AEx 25:8; Lev 26:11f; 2 Chr 15:2Loʀᴅ is in our midst, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the Loʀᴅ; now you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of the Loʀᴅ.”

32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 The word pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel A1 Chr 29:20; Dan 2:19; Luke 2:28blessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. 34 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad AGen 31:47-49called the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Loʀᴅ is God.”