Joshua 22

1 In the same tyme Josue clepide men of Ruben, and men of Gad, and half the lynage of Manasses,

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

2 and seide to hem, Ye han do alle thingis whiche Moises, `seruaunt of the Lord, comaundide to you, also ye obeieden to me in alle thingis;

and told them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you.

3 nether ye han lefte youre britheren in mych tyme til in to present dai, and ye kepten the comaundement of youre Lord God.

All this time you have not deserted your brothers, up to this very day, but have kept the charge given you by the LORD your God.

4 Therfor for youre Lord God yaf reste and pees to youre britheren, as he bihiyte, turne ye ayen, and go ye in to youre tabernaclis, and in to the loond of youre possessioun, which lond Moyses, the `seruaunt of the Lord, yaf to you biyende Jordan;

And now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as He promised them, you may return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you across the Jordan.

5 so onely that ye kepe bisili, and fille in werk the comaundement and lawe, `which lawe Moises, the `seruaunt of the Lord, comaundide to you; that ye loue youre Lord God, and go in alle hise weies, and kepe hise heestis, and cleue to hym and serue him in al youre herte, and in al youre soule.

But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

6 And Josue blesside hem, and lefte hem, whiche turneden ayen in to her tabernaclis.

So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes.

7 Sotheli Moyses hadde youe possessioun in Basan to the half lynage of Manasses; and therfor to the half lynage that lefte Josue yaf part among her othere britheren biyendis Jordan, at the west coost therof. And whanne Josue leet hem go in to her tabernaclis, and hadde blessid hem,

(To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan among their brothers.) When Joshua sent them to their homes he blessed them,

8 he seyde to hem, With myche catel and richessis turne ye ayen to youre seetis; with siluer and gold, and bras, and yrun, and myche clothing; departe ye the prey of enemyes with youre britheren.

saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies.”

9 And the sones of Ruben, and the sones of Gad, and `half the lynage of Manasses turneden ayen, and yeden fro the sones of Israel fro Silo, which is set in the lond of Canaan, that thei schulden entre in to Galaad, the lond of her possessioun, which thei gaten bi `comaundement of the Lord in the hond of Moises.

So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they had acquired according to the command of the LORD through Moses.

10 And whanne thei hadden come to the litle hillis of Jordan, in to the lond of Canaan, thei bildiden bisidis Jordan an auter of greetnesse ouer comyn mesure.

And when they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.

11 And whanne the sones of Israel hadden herd this, and certeyn messangeris hadden teld to hem, that the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and the half lynage of Manasses hadden bildid an auter in the lond of Canaan, on the heepis of Jordan, ayens the sones of Israel,

Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”

12 alle camen togidir in Silo, that thei schulden stie, and fiyte ayens hem.

And when they heard this, the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.

13 And in the meene tyme thei senten to hem in to the lond of Galaad, Fynees, preest,

The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

14 the sone of Eleazar, and ten princes with hym; of ech lynage o prince.

With him they sent ten chiefs—one family leader from each tribe of Israel, each the head of a family among the clans of Israel.

15 Whiche camen to the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half lynage of Manasses, in to the lond of Galaad, and seiden to hem,

They went to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them,

16 Al the puple of the Lord sendith these thingis; What is this trespassyng? Whi han ye forsake the Lord God of Israel, and han bildid a cursid auter, and han go awei fro the worschiping of hym?

“This is what the whole congregation of the LORD says: ‘What is this breach of faith you have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away from the LORD and building for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel against the LORD this day?

17 Whether it is litil to you that ye synneden in Belfegor, and the wem of this trespas dwellith in you til in to present dai, and many of the puple felden doun?

Was not the sin of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day? It even brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD.

18 And to day ye han forsake the Lord, and to morewe, that is, in tyme to comynge, the ire of hym schal be feers ayens al Israel.

And now, would you turn away from the LORD? If you rebel today against the LORD, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

19 That if ye gessen, that the lond of youre possessioun is vncleene, passe to the lond, `in which the tabernacle of the Lord is, and dwelle ye among vs, oneli that ye go not awei fro the Lord, and fro oure felouschipe, bi an auter bildid outakun the auter of oure Lord God.

If indeed the land of your inheritance is unclean, then cross over to the land of the LORD’s possession, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.

20 Whether not Achar, the sone of Zare, passide the comaundement of the Lord, and his ire felde on al the puple of Israel? And he was o man; and we wolden that he aloone hadde perischid in his trespas.

Was not Achan son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished because of his sin!’”

21 And the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and of half the lynage of Manasses, answeriden to the princes of the message of Israel,

Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel:

22 The strongeste Lord God hym silf of Israel knowith, and Israel schal vndirstonde togidere; if we bildiden this auter for entent of trespassyng, `that is, of ydolatrye, he kepe not vs, but punysche in present time;

“The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today.

23 and if we diden bi that mynde, that we schulden putte theronne brent sacrifice, and sacrifice, and pesible sacrifices, he seke, and deme;

If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from Him and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD Himself hold us accountable.

24 and not more `bi that thouyt and tretyng that we seiden, Youre sones schulen seie `to morew to oure sones, What is to you and to the Lord God of Israel? Ye sones of Ruben,

But in fact we have done this for fear that in the future your descendants might say to ours, ‘What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?

25 and ye sones of Gad, the Lord hath set a terme, the flood Jordan, bitwixe vs and you; and therfor ye han not part in the Lord; and bi this occasioun youre sones schulen turne awei oure sones fro the drede of the Lord. Therfor we gessiden betere,

For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the LORD!’ So your descendants could cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.

26 and seiden, Bilde we an auter to vs, not in to brent sacrifices, nethir to sacrifices to be offrid,

That is why we said, ‘Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.

27 but in to witnessyng bitwixe vs and you, and bitwixe oure children and youre generacioun, that we serue the Lord, and that it be of oure riyt to offre brent sacrifices, and sacrifices, and pesible sacrifices; and that youre sones seie not to morewe to oure sones, No part in the Lord is to you.

Rather, let it be a witness between us and you and the generations to come, that we will worship the LORD in His presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings.’ Then in the future, your descendants cannot say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD!’

28 And if `youre sones wolen seie this, `oure sones schulen answere hem, Lo! the auter of the Lord, which oure fadris maden, not in to brent sacrifices, nether in to sacrifice, but in to oure and your witnessing euerlastinge.

Therefore we said, ‘If they ever say this to us or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the altar of the LORD that our fathers made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’

29 Fer be this trespas fro vs, that we go awei fro the Lord, and forsake hise steppis, bi an auter bildid to brent sacrifices, and sacrifices, and sacrifices of preisyng to be offrid, outakun the auter of oure `Lord God, which is bildid bifore his tabernacle.

Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from Him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God, which stands before His tabernacle.”

30 And whanne these thingis weren herd, Fynees, preest, and the princes of message of Israel, that weren with hym, weren plesyd; and thei resseyueden gladli the wordis of the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half lynage of Manasses.

When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation—the heads of Israel’s clans who were with him—heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were satisfied.

31 And Finees, preest, the sone of Eleazar, seide to hem, Now we wyten, that the Lord is with you; for ye ben alien fro this trespassyng, and ye han delyuered the sones of Israel fro the hond, `that is, punyschyng, of the Lord.

Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against Him. Consequently, you have delivered the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.”

32 And Fynees turnede ayen with the princes fro the sones of Ruben and of Gad, fro the lond of Galaad to the coost of Canaan, to the sones of Israel; and he telde to hem.

Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, together with the other leaders, returned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report regarding the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead.

33 And the word pleside to alle men herynge; and the sones of Israel preisiden God, and seiden, that no more `thei schulden stie ayens hem, and fiyte, and do awei the lond of her possessioun.

The Israelites were satisfied with the report, and they blessed God and spoke no more about going to war against them to destroy the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived.

34 And the sones of Ruben and the sones of Gad clepiden the auter, which thei hadden bildid, Oure Witnessyng, that the Lord hym silf is God.

So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar Witness, for they said, “It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”