< Joshua 22 >

1 Then Ioshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh,
Then Joshua called together the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse,
2 And sayd vnto them, Ye haue kept all that Moses the seruaunt of the Lord commanded you, and haue obeied my voice in all that I commanded you:
and said to them, You have heard all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and you have listened to my voice in all that he commanded you.
3 You haue not forsaken your brethren this long season vnto this day, but haue diligently kept the commandement of the Lord your God.
You have not deserted your brethren these many days: until this day you have kept the commandment of the Lord your God.
4 And nowe the Lord hath giuen rest vnto your brethren as he promised them: therefore nowe returne ye and goe to your tentes, to the land of your possession, which Moses the seruant of the Lord hath giuen you beyond Iorden.
And now the Lord our God has given our brethren rest, as he told them: now then return and depart to your homes, and to the land of your possession, which Moses gave you on the other side Jordan.
5 But take diligent heede, to doe the commandement and Lawe, which Moses the seruant of the Lord commanded you: that is, that ye loue the Lord your God, and walke in all his wayes, and keepe his commandements, and cleaue vnto him, and serue him with all your heart and with all your soule.
But take great heed to do the commands and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you to do; to love the Lord our God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commands, and to cleave to him, and serve him with all your mind, and with all your soul.
6 So Ioshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went vnto their tents.
And Joshua blessed them, and dismissed them; and they went to their homes.
7 Nowe vnto one halfe of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had giuen a possession in Bashan: and vnto the other halfe thereof gaue Ioshua among their brethren on this side Iorden Westwarde: therefore when Ioshua sent them away vnto their tents, and blessed them,
And to [one] half the tribe of Manasse Moses gave a portion in the land of Basan, and to [the other] half Joshua gave a portion with his brethren on the other side of Jordan westward: and when Joshua sent them away to their homes, then he blessed them.
8 Thus he spake vnto them, saying, Returne with much riches vnto your tents, and with a great multitude of cattell, with siluer and with golde, with brasse and with yron, and with great abundance of rayment: deuide the spoyle of your enemies with your brethren.
And they departed with much wealth to their houses, and they divided the spoil of their enemies with their brethren; very much cattle, and silver, and gold, and iron, and much raiment.
9 So the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and halfe the tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel from Shiloh (which is in the land of Canaan) to goe vnto the countrey of Gilead to the land of their possession, which they had obteyned, according to ye word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
So the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse, departed from the children of Israel in Selo in the land of Chanaan, to go away into Galaad, into the land of their possession, which they inherited by the command of the Lord, by the hand of Moses.
10 And when they came vnto the borders of Iorden (which are in the land of Canaan) then the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh, built there an altar by Iorden, a great altar to see to.
And they came to Galaad of Jordan, which is in the land of Chanaan: and the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to look at.
11 When the children of Israel heard say, Beholde, the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh haue built an altar in the forefront of the lande of Canaan vpon the borders of Iorden at the passage of the children of Israel:
And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse have built an altar at the borders of the land of Chanaan at Galaad of Jordan, on the opposite side to the children of Israel.
12 When the children of Israel heard it, then the whole Congregation of the children of Israel gathered them together at Shiloh to goe vp to warre against them.
And all the children of Israel gathered together to Selo, so as to go up and fight against them.
13 Then the children of Israel sent vnto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to ye halfe tribe of Manasseh into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the Priest,
And the children of Israel sent to the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and to the sons of the half tribe of Manasse into the land of Galaad, both Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest,
14 And with him ten princes, of euery chiefe house a prince, according to all the tribes of Israel: for euery one was chiefe of their fathers housholde among the thousands of Israel.
and ten of the chiefs with him; [there was] one chief of every household out of all the tribes of Israel; (the heads of families are the captains of thousands in Israel.)
15 So they went vnto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the halfe tribe of Manasseh, vnto the land of Gilead, and spake with them, saying,
And they came to the sons of Ruben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasse into the land of Galaad; and they spoke to them, saying,
16 Thus saith the whole congregation of the Lord, What transgression is this that ye haue transgressed against the God of Israel, to turne away this day from the Lord, in that ye haue built you an altar for to rebell this day against the Lord?
Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, What [is] this transgression that you have transgressed before the God of Israel, to turn away today from the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, so that you should be apostates from the Lord?
17 Haue we too litle for the wickednesse of Peor, whereof we are not clensed vnto this day, though a plague came vpon the Congregation of the Lord?
Is the sin of Phogor too little for you, whereas we have not been cleansed from it until this day, though there was a plague amongst the congregation of the Lord?
18 Ye also are turned away this day from the Lord: and seeing ye rebell to day against ye Lord, euen to morowe he will be wroth with all the Congregation of Israel.
And you have this day revolted from the Lord; and it shall come to pass if you revolt this day from the Lord, that to-morrow there shall be wrath upon all Israel.
19 Notwithstanding if the land of your possession be vncleane, come ye ouer vnto the land of the possession of the Lord, wherein the Lordes Tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among vs: but rebell not against the Lord, nor rebell not against vs in building you an altar, beside the altar of the Lord our God.
And now if the land of your possession [be too] little, cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, where the tabernacle of the Lord dwells, and receive you an inheritance amongst us; and do not become apostates from God, neither do you apostatize from the Lord, because of your having built an altar apart from the altar of the Lord our God.
20 Did not Achan ye sonne of Zerah trespasse grieuously in the execrable thing, and wrath fell on all the Congregation of Israel? and this man alone perished not in his wickednesse.
Behold! did not Achar the [son] of Zara commit a trespass [taking] of the accursed thing, and there was wrath on the whole congregation of Israel? and he himself died alone in his own sin.
21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, and halfe the tribe of Manasseh answered, and saide vnto the heads ouer the thousands of Israel,
And the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse answered, and spoke to the captains of the thousands of Israel, saying,
22 The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel himselfe shall know: if by rebellion, or by transgression against ye Lord we haue done it, saue thou vs not this day.
God [even] God is the Lord, and God [even] God himself knows, and Israel he shall know; if we have transgressed before the Lord by apostasy, let him not deliver us this day.
23 If we haue built vs an altar to returne away from the Lord, either to offer thereon burnt offering, or meate offering, or to offer peace offerings thereon, let the Lord himselfe require it:
And if we have built to ourselves an altar, so as to apostatize from the Lord our God, so as to offer upon it a sacrifice of whole burnt offerings, so as to offer upon it a sacrifice of peace-offering, —the Lord shall require it.
24 And if we haue not rather done it for feare of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might say vnto our children, What haue ye to doe with the Lord God of Israel?
But we have done this for the sake of precaution [concerning this] thing, saying, Lest hereafter your sons should say to our sons, What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel?
25 For the Lord hath made Iorden a border betweene vs and you, ye children of Reuben, and of Gad: therefore ye haue no part in the Lord: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the Lord.
Whereas the Lord has set boundaries between us and you, even Jordan, and you have no portion in the Lord: so your sons shall alienate our sons, that they should not worship the Lord.
26 Therefore we said, We will nowe go about to make vs an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,
And we gave orders to do thus, to build this altar, not for burnt offerings, nor for meat-offerings;
27 But it shall be a witnesse betweene vs and you, and betweene our generations after vs, to execute the seruice of the Lord before him in our burnt offerings, and in our sacrifices, and in our peace offerings, and that your children should not say to our children in time to come, Ye haue no part in the Lord.
but that this may be a witness between you and us, and between our posterity after us, that we may do service to the Lord before him, with our burnt offerings and our meat-offerings and our peace-offerings: so your sons shall not say to our sons, hereafter, You have no portion in the Lord.
28 Therefore said we, If so be that they should so say to vs or to our generations in time to come, then will we answere, Beholde the facion of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, but it is a witnesse betweene vs and you.
And we said, If ever it should come to pass that they should speak [so] to us, or to our posterity hereafter; then shall they say, Behold the likeness of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for the sake of burnt offerings, nor for the sake of meat-offerings, but it is a witness between you and us, and between our sons.
29 God forbid, that we should rebell against the Lord, and turne this day away from the Lord to builde an altar for burnt offering, or for meate offering, or for sacrifice, saue the altar of the Lord our God, that is before his Tabernacle.
Far be it from us therefore that we should turn away from the Lord this day so as to apostatize from the Lord, so as that we should build an altar for burnt offerings, and for peace-offerings, besides the altar of the Lord which is before his tabernacle.
30 And when Phinehas the Priest, and the princes of the Congregation and heads ouer the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the wordes, that the children of Reuben, and children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spake, they were well content.
And Phinees the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation of Israel who were with him heard the words which the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse spoke; and it pleased them.
31 And Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the Priest said vnto the children of Reuben and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceiue, that the Lord is among vs, because ye haue not done this trespasse against the Lord: nowe ye haue deliuered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.
And Phinees the priest said to the sons of Ruben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half of the tribe of Manasse, To-day we know that the Lord [is] with us, because you have not trespassed grievously against the Lord, and because you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.
32 Then Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the Priest with the princes returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, vnto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them answere.
So Phinees the priest and the princes departed from the children of Ruben, and from the children of Gad, and from the half tribe of Manasse out of Galaad into the land of Chanaan to the children of Israel; and reported the words to them.
33 And the saying pleased the children of Israel: and the children of Israel blessed God, and minded not to goe against them in battell, for to destroy the land, wherein the children of Reuben, and Gad dwelt.
And it pleased the children of Israel; and they spoke to the children of Israel, and blessed the God of the children of Israel, and told them to go up no more to war against the others to destroy the land of the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse: so they lived upon it.
34 Then the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witnesse betweene vs, that the Lord is God.
And Joshua gave a name to the altar of the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse; and said, It is a testimony in the midst of them, that the Lord is their God.

< Joshua 22 >