The Tribes Settling East of the Jordan
1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land ofJazer and the land ofGilead, that indeed the regionwasa place for livestock,
2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,
3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer,Nimrah,Heshbon, Elealeh,Shebam, Nebo, andBeon,
4 the countrywhich theLorddefeated before the congregation of Israel,isa land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”
5 Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”
6 And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?
7 Now why will youdiscourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which theLordhas given them?
8 Thus your fathers didwhen I sent them away from Kadesh Barneato see the land.
9 Forwhen they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which theLordhad given them.
10 So theLord’s anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying,
11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt,from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, becausethey have not wholly followed Me,
12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun,for they have wholly followed theLord.’
13 So theLord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made themwander in the wilderness forty years, untilall the generation that had done evil in the sight of theLordwas gone.
14 And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more thefierce anger of theLordagainst Israel.
15 For if youturn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”
16 Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,
17 butwe ourselves will be armed, readytogobefore the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
18 We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance.
19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond,because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”
20 ThenMoses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before theLordfor the war,
21 and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before theLorduntil He has driven out His enemies from before Him,
22 andthe land is subdued before theLord, then afterwardyou may return and be blameless before theLordand before Israel; andthis land shall be your possession before theLord.
23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against theLord; and be sureyour sin will find you out.
24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.”
25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: “Your servants will do as my lord commands.
26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead;
27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before theLordto battle, just as my lord says.”
28 So Moses gave commandconcerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.
29 And Moses said to them: “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before theLord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession.
30 But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”
31 Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: “As theLordhas said to your servants, so we will do.
32 We will cross over armed before theLordinto the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritanceshallremainwith us on this side of the Jordan.”
33 SoMoses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph,the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country.
34 And the children of Gad builtDibon and Ataroth andAroer,
35 Atroth and Shophan andJazer and Jogbehah,
36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran,fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
37 And the children of Reuben builtHeshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim,
38 Nebo andBaal Meon(theirnames being changed) and Shibmah; and they gaveothernames to the cities which they built.
39 And the children ofMachir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites whowerein it.
40 So Mosesgave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it.
41 AlsoJair the son of Manasseh went and took its small towns, and called themHavoth Jair.
42 Then Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.