1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
2 and said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of theLordcommanded you, and have hearkened unto my voice in all that I commanded you:
3 ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of theLordyour God.
4 And now theLordyour God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he spake unto them: therefore now turn ye, and get you unto your tents, unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of theLordgave you beyond Jordan.
5 Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of theLordcommanded you, to love theLordyour God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.
7 Now to the one half tribe of Manasseh Moses had giveninheritancein Bashan: but unto the other half gave Joshua among their brethren beyond Jordan westward. Moreover when Joshua sent them away unto their tents, he blessed them,
8 and spake unto them, saying, Return with much wealth unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.
9 And 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 unto the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the commandment of theLordby the hand of Moses.
10 And when they came unto the region about Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about Jordan, on the side that pertaineth to the children of Israel.
12 And 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 the children of Israel sent unto 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 and with him ten princes, one prince of a fathers’ house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were every one of them head of their fathers’ houses among the thousands of Israel.
15 And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,
16 Thus saith the whole congregation of theLord, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following theLord, in that ye have builded you an altar, to rebel this day against theLord?
17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves unto this day, although there came a plague upon the congregation of theLord,
18 that ye must turn away this day from following theLord? and it will be, seeing ye rebel today against theLord, that tomorrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.
19 Howbeit, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of theLord, wherein theLord’S tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against theLord, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar besides the altar of theLordour God.
20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and spake unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,
22 TheLord, the God of gods, theLord, the God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in trespass against theLord, (save thou us not this day,)
23 that we have built us an altar to turn away from following theLord; or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meal offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings thereon, let theLordhimself require it;
24 and if we have notratherout of carefulness done this,andof purpose, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with theLord, the God of Israel?
25 for theLordhath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no portion in theLord: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing theLord.
26 Therefore we said, Let as now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
27 but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of theLordbefore him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no portion in theLord.
28 Therefore said we, It shall be, when they so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say, Behold the pattern of the altar of theLord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you.
29 God forbid that we should rebel against theLord, and turn away this day from following theLord, to build an altar for burnt offering, for meal offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of theLordour God that is before his tabernacle.
30 And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them well.
31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we know that theLordis in the midst of us, because ye have not committed this trespass against theLord: now have ye delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of theLord.
32 And 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, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.
33 And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and spake no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and the children of Gad dwelt.
34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altarEd: For,said they, it is a witness between us that theLordis God.