Joshua 22

1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

2 and said to them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, and have hearkened to my voice in all that I commanded you.

3 Ye have not left your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of Jehovah your God.

4 And now Jehovah your God has given rest to your brothers, as he spoke to them. Therefore now turn ye, and get you to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan.

5 Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cling to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

7 Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua gave among their brothers beyond the Jordan westward. Moreover when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them,

8 and spoke to them, saying, Return with much wealth to 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 brothers.

9 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the sons of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, of which they were possessed, according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses.

10 And when they came to the region about the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon.

11 And the sons of Israel heard say, Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that pertains to the sons of Israel.

12 And when the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up against them to war.

13 And the sons of Israel sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead,

14 and with him ten rulers, one ruler of a fathers' house for each of the tribes of Israel. And they were each man of them head of their fathers' houses among the thousands of Israel.

15 And 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 Jehovah, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following Jehovah, in that ye have built for you an altar, to rebel this day against Jehovah?

17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there came a plague upon the congregation of Jehovah,

18 that ye must turn away this day from following Jehovah? And it will be, seeing ye rebel today against Jehovah, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

19 However, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass ye over to the land of the possession of Jehovah, in which Jehovah's tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us, but do not rebel against Jehovah, nor rebel against us, in building for you an altar besides the altar of Jehovah our God.

20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in what was set apart, and wrath fell upon 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 thousands of Israel,

22 The Mighty One, God, Jehovah, the Mighty One, God, Jehovah, he knows, and Israel he shall know, if it is in rebellion, or if in trespass against Jehovah (do not save us this day),

23 that we have built us an altar to turn away from following Jehovah, or if to offer burnt offering or meal offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, let Jehovah himself require it,

24 and if we have not rather out of carefulness done this, from purpose, saying, In time to come your sons might speak to our sons, saying, What have ye to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel?

25 For Jehovah has made the Jordan a border between us and you, ye sons of Reuben and sons of Gad. Ye have no portion in Jehovah. So your sons might make our sons cease from fearing Jehovah.

26 Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

27 but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of Jehovah before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings, that your sons may not say to our sons in time to come, Ye have no portion in Jehovah.

28 Therefore we said, It shall be, when they so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say, Behold the pattern of the altar of Jehovah, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, but it is a witness between us and you.

29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against Jehovah, and turn away this day from following Jehovah, to build an altar for burnt offering, for meal offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of Jehovah our God that is before his tabernacle.

30 And when Phinehas the priest, and the rulers of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them well.

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, This day we know that Jehovah is in the midst of us, because ye have not committed this trespass against Jehovah. Now ye have delivered the sons of Israel out of the hand of Jehovah.

32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the sons of Reuben, and from the sons of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought them word again.

33 And the thing pleased the sons of Israel. And the sons of Israel blessed God, and spoke no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad dwelt.

34 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Witness. For, they said, it is a witness between us that Jehovah is God.