Eastern Tribes Return to Their Lands
1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh,
2 and said to them: “You have keptall that Moses the servant of theLordcommanded you,and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you.
3 You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of theLordyour God.
4 And now theLordyour God has givenrest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tentsandto the land of your possession,which Moses the servant of theLordgave you on the other side of the Jordan.
5 Buttake careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of theLordcommanded you,to love theLordyour God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
6 So Joshuablessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.
7 Now to half the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan,but to theotherhalf of it Joshua gaveapossessionamong their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. And indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them,
8 and spoke to them, saying, “Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing.Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”
9 So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, whichisin the land of Canaan, to go tothe country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the word of theLordby the hand of Moses.
An Altar by the Jordan
10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan whichisin the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar.
11 Now the children of Israelheardsomeonesay, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of Israel’s side.”
12 And when the children of Israel heardofit,the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.
13 Then the children of IsraelsentPhinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead,
14 and with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel; andeach onewasthe head of the house of his father among the divisions of Israel.
15 Then they came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying,
16 “Thus says the whole congregation of theLord: ‘Whattreacheryisthis that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following theLord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar,that you might rebel this day against theLord?
17 Isthe iniquityof Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of theLord,
18 but that you must turn away this day from following theLord? And it shall be, if you rebel today against theLord, that tomorrowHe will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.
19 Nevertheless, if the land of your possessionisunclean,thencross over to the land of the possession of theLord,where theLord’s tabernacle stands, and take possession among us; but do not rebel against theLord, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of theLordour 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 did not perish alone in his iniquity.’ ”
21 Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel:
22 “TheLordGod of gods, theLordGod of gods, Heknows, and let Israel itself know—ifitisin rebellion, or if in treachery against theLord, do not save us this day.
23 If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following theLord, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let theLordHimselfrequireanaccount.
24 But in fact we have done it for fear, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, “What have you to do with theLordGod of Israel?
25 For theLordhas made the Jordan a border between you and us,youchildren of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no part in theLord.” So your descendants would make our descendants cease fearing theLord.’
26 Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice,
27 butthatitmaybea witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we mayperform the service of theLordbefore Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, “You have no part in theLord.” ’
28 Therefore we said that it will be, when they saythisto us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, ‘Here is the replica of the altar of theLordwhich our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but itisa witness between you and us.’
29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against theLord, and turn from following theLordthis day,to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of theLordour God whichisbefore His tabernacle.”
30 Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the divisions of Israel whowerewith him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them.
31 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that theLordisamong us, because you have not committed this treachery against theLord. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of theLord.”
32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them.
33 So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israelblessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar,Witness,“Foritisa witness between us that theLordisGod.”