Joshua 22

1 Then Ioshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh,

At the same time Josue called the Rubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasses,

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 done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: you have also obeyed me in all things,

3 You haue not forsaken your brethren this long season vnto this day, but haue diligently kept the commandement of the Lord your God.

Neither have you left your brethren this long time, until this present day, keeping 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.

Therefore as the Lord your God hath given your brethren rest and peace, as he promised: return, and go to your dwellings, and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the 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.

Yet so that you observe attentively, and in work fulfill the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: that you love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, and keep all his commandments, and cleave to him, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul.

6 So Ioshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went vnto their tents.

And Josue blessed them, and sent them away, and they returned to their dwellings.

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,

Now to half the tribe of Manasses, Moses had given a possession in Basan: and therefore to the half that remained, Josue gave a lot among the rest of their brethren beyond the Jordan to the west. And when he sent them away to their dwellings and had 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.

He said to them: With much substance and riches, you return to your settlements, with silver and gold, brass and iron, and variety of raiment: divide the prey of your enemies with your brethren.

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 children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses returned, and parted from the children of Israel in Silo, which is in Chanaan, to go into Galaad the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the commandment 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 when they were come to the banks of the Jordan, in the land of Chanaan, they built an altar immensely great near the Jordan.

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 when the children of Israel had heard of it, and certain messengers had brought them an account that the children of Ruben, and of Cad, and the half tribe of Manasses had built an altar in the land of Chanaan, upon the banks of the Jordan, over against 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.

They all assembled in Silo, 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 in the mean time they sent to them into the land of Galaad, Phinees the son of Eleazar 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 princes with him, one of every tribe.

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,

Who came to the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses, into the land of Galaad, and said to them:

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 saith all the people of the Lord: What meaneth this transgression? Why have you forsaken the Lord the God of Israel, building a sacrilegious altar, and revolting from the worship of him?

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 it a small thing to you that you sinned with Beelphegor, and the stain of that crime remaineth in us to this day? and many of the people perished.

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 forsaken the Lord today, and tomorrow his wrath will rage against 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.

But if you think the land of your possession to be unclean, pass over to the land wherein is the tabernacle of the Lord, and dwell among us: only depart not from the Lord, and from our society, by building an altar beside 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.

Did not Achan the son of Zare transgress the commandment of the Lord, and his wrath lay upon all the people of Israel? And he was but one man, and would to God he alone had perished in his wickedness.

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 children of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasses answered the princes of the embassage of Israel:

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.

The Lord the most mighty God, the Lord the most mighty God, he knoweth, and Israel also shall understand: If with the design of transgression we have set up this altar, let him not save us, but punish us immediately:

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 did it with that mind, that we might lay upon it holocausts, and sacrifice, and victims of peace offerings, let him require and judge:

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?

And not rather with this thought and design, that we should say: Tomorrow your children will say to our children: What have you to do with the Lord the 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.

The Lord hath put the river Jordan for a border between us and you, O ye children of Ruben, and ye children of Gad: and therefore you have no part in the Lord. And by this occasion you children shall turn away our children from the fear of the Lord. We therefore thought, it best,

26 Therefore we said, We will nowe go about to make vs an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

And said: Let us build us an altar, not for holocausts, nor to offer victims,

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 for a testimony between us and you, and our posterity and yours, that we may serve the Lord, and that we may have a right to offer both holocausts, and victims and sacrifices of peace offerings: and that your children tomorrow may not say to our children: You have no part 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 if they will say so, they shall answer them: Behold the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for holocausts, nor for sacrifice, but for a testimony between us and you.

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.

God keep us from any such wickedness that we should revolt from the Lord, and leave off following his steps, by building an altar to offer holocausts, and sacrifices, and victims, beside the altar of the Lord our God, which is erected 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 when Phinees the priest, and the princes of the embassage, who were with him, had heard this, they were satisfied: and they admitted most willingly the words of the children of Ruben, and Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasses.

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 the son of Eleazar said to them: Now we know that the Lord is with us, because you are not guilty of this revolt, and you have delivered the children of Israel from 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.

And he returned with the princes from the children of Ruben and Gad, out of the land of Galaad, into the land of Chanaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.

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 the saying pleased all that heard it. And the children of Israel praised God, and they no longer said that they would go up against them, and fight, and destroy the land of their possession.

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 the children of Ruben, and the children of Cad called the altar which they had built, Our testimony, that the Lord is God.