Numbers 32

1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock. They saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead. Behold, the place was a place for livestock.

The people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad had much livestock. They saw that the land near Jazer [city] and the Gilead [region east of the Jordan River] had good [grass] for the animals [to graze on].

2 Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,

So their leaders came to Eleazar and the other leaders of the people and Moses/me. They said,

3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,

“We have a great amount of livestock.

4 the land which Yahweh struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock; and your servants have livestock.”

Yahweh has enabled us Israelis to capture some land that is very good for animals [to graze on]—the land near Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon [towns].

5 They said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Don’t bring us over the Jordan.”

If it pleases you, we would like this land to be ours, instead of land on the other side of the Jordan River.”

6 Moses said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?

Moses/I replied to the leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben, “It is not right for [RHQ] your fellow Israelis to go to fight in wars and you stay here!

7 Why do you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Yahweh has given them?

[If you do that], you will cause the other Israelis to be discouraged, with the result that they will not cross [the Jordan River] to the land that Yahweh is giving to them [RHQ].

8 Your fathers did so when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

Your ancestors did the same kind of thing. I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see what the land [of Canaan] was like.

9 For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Yahweh had given them.

They went as far as Eshcol Valley, but when they saw [the huge people in] the land, [they returned and] caused the Israeli people to be discouraged, saying ‘We should not try to enter the land that Yahweh said that he is giving to us.’

10 Yahweh’s anger burned in that day, and he swore, saying,

So Yahweh became very angry with them, and he solemnly declared this:

11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me,

‘From all the people who came out of Egypt, the only ones who are at least 20 years old who will see the land that I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are Jephunneh’s son Caleb and Nun’s son Joshua, because they trusted me completely. None of the other people who came out of Egypt will even see that land, because they have not completely believed in my [power].’

12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have followed Yahweh completely.’

13 Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he made them wander back and forth in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation who had done evil in Yahweh’s sight was consumed.

So Yahweh was angry with the Israeli people, and [as a result] he has caused us to wander in this desert for 40 years. Finally, all the people who had sinned against Yahweh [by refusing to trust him] died, [one by one].

14 “Behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, an increase of sinful men, to increase the fierce anger of Yahweh toward Israel.

And you are acting like your ancestors did! You sinful Israeli people are going to cause Yahweh to be more angry with you [than he was with our ancestors]

15 For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all these people.”

If you stop trusting him, he will cause you and all your fellow Israelis to stay longer in the desert, and he will get rid of all of you!”

16 They came near to him, and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones;

Then the [leaders of the tribes of Reuben and Gad] said to Moses/me, “First we will build pens for our animals and build cities for our families here.

17 but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

Then our families will live in strong cities with walls around them, and they will be safe from the people who live in this land. Then we will get ready to fight battles. We will help the other Israelis to get land [on the other side of the river].

18 We will not return to our houses until the children of Israel have all received their inheritance.

We will not return to our homes until every Israeli has received some land.

19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.”

We will not take any land on the west side of the Jordan [River]; our land will be here on the east side.”

20 Moses said to them: “If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to the war,

So Moses/I told them, “[Okay, I will tell you] what you all must do. You must get ready to fight battles for Yahweh.

21 and every one of your armed men will pass over the Jordan before Yahweh until he has driven out his enemies from before him,

You all must cross the Jordan [River] carrying your weapons.

22 and the land is subdued before Yahweh; then afterward you shall return, and be clear of obligation to Yahweh and to Israel. Then this land shall be your possession before Yahweh.

After Yahweh helps us to take that land [from the people who live there], you will be permitted to return to your homes. You will have done what you have promised Yahweh and the Israeli people that you would do, and you may keep this land to be your own, given to you by Yahweh.

23 “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your sin will find you out.

“But if you do not do these things, you will be sinning against Yahweh, and he will punish you for [that] sin.

24 Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth.”

Now you can build cities for your families and pens for your animals, but after doing that, you must do what you have promised.”

25 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do as my lord commands.

The leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben replied, “We will do what you have asked us to do [MTY], because you are our leader.

26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock shall be there in the cities of Gilead;

Our wives and children and our cattle and sheep and goats will stay here in the cities in the Gilead area,

27 but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before Yahweh to battle, as my lord says.”

but we will prepare to go to battle. We will take our weapons and go across [the Jordan River] and fight for Yahweh, just as you, our leader, have said.”

28 So Moses commanded concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ households of the tribes of the children of Israel.

So Moses/I gave instructions about them to Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of the Israeli tribes.

29 Moses said to them, “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle before Yahweh, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession;

Moses/I said to them, “If the men from the tribes of Gad and Reuben prepare for battle and cross the Jordan [River] with you, in order to do what Yahweh desires and help you to take that land, give them the Gilead area to belong to them.

30 but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”

But if they do not take their weapons and go with you prepared to fight, they will not receive this land. They will need to accept some land in Canaan, like the rest of you will do.”

31 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, “As Yahweh has said to your servants, so will we do.

The [leaders of the tribes of Gad and Reuben] replied, “We will do what you have said and what Yahweh has said.

32 We will pass over armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”

We will cross the river into Canaan land, and we will do what Yahweh desires and be prepared for battle. But our land will be [here] on the east side of the Jordan [River].”

33 Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan; the land, according to its cities and borders, even the cities of the surrounding land.

So Moses/I agreed to give that land to the tribes of Gad and Reuben and to half of the tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh. That land was previously the land where Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group, ruled, and the land where Og, the king of Bashan [region], ruled, including its cities and surrounding land.

34 The children of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

The people of the tribe of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

Atroth-Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified cities and folds for sheep.

Beth-Nimrah, and Beth-Haran cities. Those were cities with strong walls around them. And they also built pens for their sheep.

37 The children of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

The people of the tribe of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

38 Nebo, and Baal Meon, (their names being changed), and Sibmah. They gave other names to the cities which they built.

Nebo, Baal-Meon, and Sibmah cities. When they rebuilt Nebo and Baal-Meon, they gave new names to those cities.

39 The children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were therein.

The descendants of Manasseh’s son Makir went to the Gilead [region] and compelled the people of the Amor people-group to leave that area.

40 Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh; and he lived therein.

So Moses/I gave Gilead to the family of Makir, and they started to live there.

41 Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its villages, and called them Havvoth Jair.

Jair, who was also a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured the small towns in that region, and he named them the Towns of Jair.

42 Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

A man named Nobah went and captured Kenath [city] and the nearby towns, and then he put his own name to be the new name of that area.