Joshua 22

¹ Then Joshua calls for the Reubenite, and for the Gadite, and for the half of the tribe of Manasseh, ² and said unto them, "You - you have kept the whole of that which Moses, servant of Yahweh, commanded you, and you hearken to my voice, to all that I have commanded you; ³ you have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, and have kept the charge - the command of Yahweh your Elohim. ⁴ And, now, Yahweh your Elohim has given rest to your brethren, as He spoke to them; and now, turn you, and go for yourselves to your tents, unto the land of your possession, which Moses, servant of Yahweh, has given to you beyond the Jordan. ⁵ Only, be very watchful to do the command and the law which Moses, servant of Yahweh, commanded you, to love Yahweh your Elohim, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him, with all your heart, and with all your soul." ⁶ And Joshua blesses them, and sends them away, and they go unto their tents. ⁷ And to the half of the tribe of Manasseh has Moses given, in Bashan, and to its [other] half has Joshua given with their brethren beyond the Jordan westward; and also when Joshua has sent them away unto their tents, then he does bless them, ⁸ and speak unto them, saying, "With great riches turn you back 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 sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, turn back and go from the sons of Israel out of Shiloh, which [is] in the land of Canaan, to go unto the land of Gilead, unto the land of their possession, in which they have possession, according to the command of Yahweh, by the hand of Moses; ¹⁰ and they come in unto the districts of the Jordan, which [are] in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, build there an altar by the Jordan - a great altar for appearance. ¹¹ And the sons of Israel hear, saying, "Lo, the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, have built the altar over-against the land of Canaan, on the districts of the Jordan, at the passage of the sons of Israel." ¹² And the sons of Israel hear, and all the company of the sons of Israel is assembled at Shiloh, to go up against them to war; ¹³ and the sons of Israel send unto the sons of Reuben, and unto the sons of Gad, and unto the half of the tribe of Manasseh - unto the land of Gilead-Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, ¹⁴ and ten princes with him, one prince, one prince, for a house of a father, for all the tribes of Israel, and each of them a head of a house of their fathers, for the thousands of Israel. ¹⁵ And they come in unto the sons of Reuben, and unto the sons of Gad, and unto the half of the tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and speak with them, saying, ¹⁶ "Thus said all the company of Yahweh, What [is] this trespass which you have trespassed against the Elohim of Israel, to turn back to-day from after Yahweh, by your building for you an altar, for your rebelling to-day against Yahweh? ¹⁷ Is the iniquity of Peor little to us, from which we have not been cleansed till this day - and the plague is in the company of Yahweh, ¹⁸ that you turn back to-day from after Yahweh? and it has been - you rebel to-day against Yahweh - and to-morrow against all the company of Israel He is wroth. ¹⁹ And surely, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over for you unto the land of the possession of Yahweh, where the tabernacle of Yahweh has tabernacled, and have possession in our midst; and against Yahweh rebel not, and against us rebel not, by your building for you an altar, besides the altar of Yahweh our Elohim. ²⁰ Did not Achan son of Zerah commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and on all the company of Israel there was wrath? and he alone expired not in his iniquity." ²¹ And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, answer and speak with the heads of the thousands of Israel. ²² "The El of elohims - Yahweh, the El of elohims - Yahweh, He is knowing, and Israel, he does know, if in rebellion, and if in trespass against Yahweh (You do not save us this day!) ²³ [we are] building for ourselves an altar to turn back from after Yahweh, and if to cause to go up on it burnt-offering and present, and if to make on it peace-offerings - Yahweh Himself does require [it]. ²⁴ And if not, from fear of [this] thing we have done it, saying, Hereafter your sons do speak to ours sons, saying, What to you and to Yahweh Elohim of Israel? ²⁵ for a border has Yahweh put between us and you, O sons of Reuben, and sons of Gad - Jordan; you have no portion in Yahweh - and your sons have caused our sons to cease, not to fear Yahweh. ²⁶ And we say, Pray let us prepare for ourselves to build the altar - not for burnt-offering nor for sacrifice - ²⁷ but a witness it [is] between us and you, and between our generations after us, to do the service of Yahweh before Him with our burnt-offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offerings, and your sons do not say hereafter to our sons, You have no portion in Yahweh. ²⁸ And we say, And it has been, when they say [so] unto us, and unto our generations hereafter, that we have said, See the pattern of the altar of Yahweh, which our fathers made - not for burnt-offering nor for sacrifice - but a witness it [is] between us and you. ²⁹ Far be it from us to rebel against Yahweh, and to turn back to-day from after Yahweh, to build an altar for burnt-offering, for present, and for sacrifice, apart from the altar of Yahweh our Elohim, which [is] before His tabernacle." ³⁰ And Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the company, and the heads of the thousands of Israel, who [are] with him, hear the words which the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh have spoken, and it is good in their eyes. ³¹ And Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said unto the sons of Reuben, and unto the sons of Gad, and unto the sons of Manasseh, "To-day we have known that Yahweh [is] in our midst, because you have not committed against Yahweh this trespass - then you have delivered the sons of Israel out of the hand of Yahweh." ³² And Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, turn back from the sons of Reuben, and from the sons of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, unto the sons of Israel, and bring them back word; ³³ and the thing is good in the eyes of the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel bless Elohim, and have not said to go up against them to war, to destroy the land which the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, are dwelling in. ³⁴ And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad proclaim concerning the altar, that "it [is] a witness between us that Yahweh [is] Elohim."