Numbers 32

1 Now, much cattle, had come into the possession of the sons of Reuben and of the sons of Gad, an exceeding mighty number. And when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, lo! the place, was a place for cattle.

And the sons of Ruben and Gad had many flocks of cattle, and their substance in beasts was infinite. And when they saw the lands of Jazer and Galaad fit for feeding cattle,

2 So the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came in, —and spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of assembly, saying,

They came to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the multitude, and said:

3 As touching Ataroth and Dibon, and Jazer and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, —and Sebam and Nebo, and Beon-

Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nemra, Hesebon, and Eleale, and Saban, and Nebo, and Beon,

4 the land which Yahweh smote before the assembly of Israel, a land for cattle, it is, —and, thy servants, have cattle.

The land, which the Lord hath conquered in the sight of the children of Israel, is a very fertile soil for the feeding of beasts: and we thy servants have very much cattle:

5 And they said—If we have found favour in thine eyes, let this land be given unto thy servants, for a possession, —do not take us over the Jordan.

And we pray thee, if we have found favour in thy sight, that thou give it to us thy servants in possession, and make us not pass over the Jordan.

6 Then said Moses unto the sons of Gad and unto the sons of Reuben, —Shall, your brethren, go into the war, and ye, settle down here?

And Moses answered them: What, shall your brethren go to fight, and will you sit here?

7 Wherefore, then, should ye dissuade the heart of the sons of Israel, from passing over into the land which Yahweh hath given to them?

Why do ye overturn the minds of the children of Israel, that they may not dare to pass into the place which the Lord hath given them?

8 Thus, did your fathers, —when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea, to view the land,

Was it not thus your fathers did, when I sent from Cadesbarne to view the land?

9 and they went up as far as the ravine of Eschol, and viewed the land, and then dissuaded the heart of the sons of Israel from entering into the land, which Yahweh had given them.

And when they were come as far as the valley of the cluster, having viewed all the country, they overturned the hearts of the children of Israel, that they should not enter into the coasts, which the Lord gave them.

10 Then was the anger of Yahweh kindled on that day, —and he sware, saying:

And he swore in his anger, saying:

11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt from twenty years old and upwards, shall see the soil, which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac and unto Jacob, because they have not followed after me fully;

If these men, that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land, which I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: because they would not follow me,

12 save Caleb son of Jephunneh, the Kenezite, and Joshua, son of Nun, —for they followed after Yahweh, fully.

Except Caleb the son of Jephone the Cenezite, and Josue the son of Nun: these have fulfilled my will.

13 So the anger of Yahweh kindled upon Israel, and he made them wander in the desert, forty years, —until all the generation who had done the evil in the eyes of Yahweh, had wasted away!

And the Lord being angry against Israel, led them about through the desert forty years, until the whole generation, that had done evil in his sight, was consumed.

14 Lo! therefore, ye have arisen in the room of your fathers, a brood of sinful men, —to heap up yet more upon the heat of the anger of Yahweh, towards Israel.

And behold, said he, you are risen up instead of your fathers, the increase and offspring of sinful men, to augment the fury of the Lord against Israel.

15 If ye do turn away from following him, then will he yet again leave them behind in the desert, —so shall ye bring destruction upon all this people.

For if you will not follow him, he will leave the people in the wilderness, and you shall be the cause of the destruction of all.

16 Then came they near unto him, and said, Folds, for flocks, would we build for our cattle, here, —and cities for our little ones;

But they coming near, said: We will make sheepfolds, and stalls for our cattle, and strong cities for our children:

17 but, we, would arm ourselves promptly, before the sons of Israel, until that we have brought them into their place, —so should our little ones remain in the fortified cities, because of the inhabitants of the land.

And we ourselves will go armed and ready for battle before the children of Israel, until we bring them in unto their places. Our little ones, and all we have, shall be in walled cities, for fear of the ambushes of the inhabitants.

18 We would not return unto our houses, —until the sons of Israel have possessed themselves each man, of his inheritance.

We will not return into our houses until the children of Israel possess their inheritance:

19 For we would not inherit with them, over the Jordan, and onwards, —because our inheritance hath come unto us on this side the Jordan towards sunrise.

Neither will we seek any thing beyond the Jordan, because we have already our possession on the east side thereof,

20 And Moses said unto them, If ye will indeed do this thing, —if ye will arm yourselves, before Yahweh, for the war;

And Moses said to them: If you do what you promise, go on well appointed for war before the Lord:

21 and every armed man of you pass over the Jordan before Yahweh, —until he hath dispossessed his enemies, from before him;

And let every fighting man pass over the Jordan, until the Lord overthrow his enemies:

22 and the land be subdued before Yahweh then afterwards, shall ye return, and shall be acquitted by Yahweh and by Israel, —and this land shall be yours for a possession before Yahweh.

And all the land be brought under him, then shall you be blameless before the Lord and before Israel, and you shall obtain the countries that you desire, before the Lord.

23 But, if ye shall not do this, lo! ye will have sinned against Yahweh, —and take note of your sin, that it will find you out.

But if you do not what you say, no man can doubt but you sin against God: and know ye, that your sin shall overtake you.

24 Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your flocks, —and then that which hath gone forth from your mouth, ye shall do.

Build therefore cities for your children, and folds and stalls for your sheep and beasts, and accomplish what you have promised.

25 Then spake the sons of Gad, and the sons of Reuben unto Moses, saying, —thy servants, will do, as, my lord, is giving command.

And the children of Gad and Ruben said to Moses: We are thy servants, we will do what my lord commandeth.

26 Our little ones, our wives, our cattle, and all our beasts, shall remain there in the cities of Gilead;

We will leave our children, and our wives and sheep and cattle, in the cities of Galaad:

27 and thy servants, will pass over every one armed for war, before Yahweh to battle, —as, my lord is speaking.

And we thy servants all well appointed will march on to the war, as thou, my lord, speakest.

28 So Moses gave command concerning them, unto Eleazar the priest and unto Joshua son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes, of the sons of Israel;

Moses therefore commanded Eleazar the priest, and Josue the son of Nun, and the princes of the families of all the tribes of Israel, and said to them:

29 and Moses said unto them—If the sons of Gad and the son of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every one armed for the war before Yahweh, and the land be subdued before you, then shall ye give unto them the land of Gilead, for a possession.

If the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben pass with you over the Jordan, all armed for war before the Lord, and the land be made subject to you: give them Galaad in possession.

30 But, if they will not pass over armed, with you, then shall they accept a possession in your midst, in the land of Canaan.

But if they will not pass armed with you into the land of Chanaan, let them receive places to dwell in among you.

31 Then responded the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, saying, —That which Yahweh had spoken unto thy servants, so, will we do.

And the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben answered: As the Lord hath spoken to his servants, so will we do:

32 We, will pass over armed, before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, —then shall be ours, the possession of our inheritance across the Jordan.

We will go armed before the Lord into the land of Chanaan, and we confess that we have already received our possession beyond the Jordan.

33 So then Moses gave unto them even unto the sons of Gad and unto the sons of Reuben and unto the half tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the land by her cities with boundaries, even the cities of the land round about.

Moses therefore gave to the children of Cad and of Ruben, and to the half tribe of Manasses the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sehon king of the Amorrhites, and the kingdom of Og king of Basan, and their land and the cities thereof round about.

34 And the sons of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, —and Aroer;

And the sons of Cad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

35 and Atroth-shophan and Jazer, and Jogbehah;

And Etroth, and Sophan, and Jazer, and Jegbaa,

36 and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, —fortified cities and folds for flocks.

And Bethnemra, and Betharan, fenced cities, and folds for their cattle.

37 And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, —and Kiriathaim,

But the children of Ruben built Hesebon, and Eleale, and Cariathaim,

38 and Nebo and Baal-meon—their names being changed, and Sibmah, —and they gave names to the cities which they built.

And Nabo, and Baalmeon (their names being changed) and Sabama: giving names to the cities which they had built.

39 Then went the sons of Machir son of Manasseh to Gilead, and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were therein,

Moreover the children of Machir, the son of Manasses, went into Galaad, and wasted it, cutting off the Amorrhites, the inhabitants thereof.

40 So Moses gave Gilead unto Machir son of Manasseh, and he dwelt therein.

And Moses gave the land of Galaad to Machir the son of Manasses, and he dwelt in it.

41 And Jair, son of Manasseh, went, and captured their encampments, —and called them Havvoth-jair ["The encampments of Jair"].

And Jair the son of Manasses went, and took the villages thereof, and he called them Havoth Jair, that is to say, the villages of Jair.

42 And, Nobah, went, and captured Kenath, with the villages thereof, —and called it Nobah, after his own name.

Nobe also went, and took Canath with the villages thereof: and he called it by his own name, Nobe.