Joshua 22

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

Then Joshua called 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 said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have listened to 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.

You have not left your brothers these many days to this day, but have performed the duty of the commandment of 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;

Now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as he spoke to them. Therefore now return and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond 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.

Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded 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 away; and they went to their tents.

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,

Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given inheritance in Bashan; but Joshua gave to the other half amongst their brothers beyond the Jordan westward. Moreover when Joshua sent them away to their tents, 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.

and spoke to them, saying, “Return with much wealth to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the plunder of your enemies with your brothers.”

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.

The children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they owned, according to the commandment of the LORD by 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.

When they came to the region near the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a great altar to look at.

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,

The children of Israel heard this, “Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar along the border of the land of Canaan, in the region around the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the children of Israel.”

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

When the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up against them to war.

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

The children of Israel sent to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest.

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

With him were ten princes, one prince of a fathers’ house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were each head of their fathers’ houses amongst the thousands 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 came to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying,

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?

“The whole congregation of the LORD says, ‘What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away today from following the LORD, in that you have built yourselves an altar, to rebel today against the LORD?

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?

Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there came a plague on 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.

that you must turn away today from following the LORD? It will be, since you rebel today against the LORD, that 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.

However, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of the LORD, in which the LORD’s tabernacle dwells, and take possession amongst us; but don’t rebel against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building an altar other than the LORD our God’s altar.

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.

Didn’t Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? That man didn’t perish alone in his iniquity.’”

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 children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the heads of the thousands 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 Mighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD, he knows; and Israel shall know: if it was in rebellion, or if in trespass against the LORD (don’t save 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;

that we have built us an altar to turn away from following the LORD; or if to offer burnt offering or meal offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings, let the LORD himself require it.

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,

“If we have not out of concern done this, and for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your children might speak to our children, saying, “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, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no portion in the LORD.”’ So your children might make our children cease from fearing the LORD.

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

“Therefore we said, ‘Let’s now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice;

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.

but it will be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings;’ that your children may not tell our children in time to come, ‘You have no portion 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, ‘It shall be, when they tell us or our generations this in time to come, that we shall say, “Behold the pattern of the LORD’s altar, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is 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 that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn away today from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offering, for meal offering, or for sacrifice, besides the LORD our God’s altar that is 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 princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them well.

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 the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is amongst us, because you have not committed this trespass against the LORD. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the LORD’s hand.”

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.

Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.

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 thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and spoke no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad 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.

The children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar “A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.”