1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

2 He said to them, 'You have kept all that Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded you and have obeyed my voice in everything I commanded you.'

And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:

3 You have not abandoned your brothers these many days up until today, but you have been careful to keep the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.

Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.

4 And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, just as He promised them. So now turn and go back to your tents in the land of your possession, which Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you beyond the Jordan.

And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.

5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that 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 all your soul.

But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your 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 to their tents.

So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.

7 To the half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given an inheritance in Bashan, and to the other half, Joshua gave an inheritance alongside their brothers west of the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them.

Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them,

8 He said to them, 'Return to your tents with much wealth—many possessions, livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a great quantity of clothing. Divide the plunder from your enemies with your brothers.'

And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches 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 So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the other Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, the land of their possession, which they had acquired at the command of the LORD through Moses.

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 country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

10 When they came to the regions by the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built a large and impressive altar there by the Jordan.

And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are 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 Then the Israelites heard it said, 'Look, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, by the region of the Jordan, on the Israelite side.'

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 over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.

12 When the Israelites heard this, the whole assembly gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

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 to war against them.

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

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 With him, they sent ten leaders—one leader for each tribe of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.

15 When they came to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, they spoke to them, saying:

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 'This is what the entire assembly of the LORD says: What is this unfaithful act you have committed against the God of Israel by turning away from following the LORD today and building for yourselves an altar, rebelling against the LORD now?

Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the LORD?

17 Was the sin of Peor not enough for us, even though we have not yet cleansed ourselves of that sin to this very day, and a plague fell upon the congregation of the LORD?

Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,

18 And now you are turning away from the LORD today! If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow He will be angry with the entire assembly of Israel.

But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.

19 If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then come over to the land the LORD possesses, where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and settle among us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves other than the altar of the LORD our God.

Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD'S tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.

20 Did not Achan son of Zerah commit a treachery regarding the devoted things, and wrath fell upon the entire assembly of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.'

Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

21 Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel:

Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,

22 The Mighty One, God, the LORD—the Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows, and let Israel also know! If it was in rebellion or treachery against the LORD, do not spare us today.

The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)

23 If we have built an altar to turn away from following the LORD, or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings, or to offer fellowship sacrifices on it, may the LORD Himself call us to account.

That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it;

24 We did this because we feared that someday your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?’

And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?

25 The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop worshiping the LORD.

For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.

26 That is why we said, ‘Let us build an altar—not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,

Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:

27 but as a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at His sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings.’ Then in the future, your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD.’

But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before 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 part in the LORD.

28 And 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, which our ancestors built—not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’

Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.

29 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, and sacrifices other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands in front of His tabernacle.

God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.

30 Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the congregation, and the heads of the clans of Israel who were with him heard the words spoken by the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites, and they were pleased.

And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and 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.

31 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites, 'Today we know that the LORD is among us because you have not committed this act of treachery against Him. Instead, you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD's hand.'

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 perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.

32 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report to them.

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 The Israelites were pleased with the report, and they praised God. They no longer talked about going to war against them to destroy the land where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.

34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites named the altar 'A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.'

And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.