22:1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh
22:2 and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded.
22:3 For a long time now–to this very day–you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the LORD your God gave you.
22:4 Now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
22:5 But be very careful to keep 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 obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”
22:6 Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes.
22:7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them,
22:8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth–with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing–and divide with your brothers the plunder from your enemies.”
22:9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.
22:10 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.
22:11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side,
22:12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.
22:13 So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead–to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
22:14 With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.
22:15 When they went to Gilead–to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh–they said to them:
22:16 “The whole assembly of the LORD says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?
22:17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the LORD!
22:18 And are you now turning away from the LORD? “‘If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.
22:19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the LORD’S land, where the LORD’S tabernacle stands, and share the land with 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.
22:20 When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’”
22:21 Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel:
22:22 “The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day.
22:23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account.
22:24 “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?
22:25 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 fearing the LORD.
22:26 “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar–but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’
22:27 On the contrary, it is to be 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.’
22:28 “And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the LORD’S altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’
22:29 “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 before his tabernacle.”
22:30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community–the heads of the clans of the Israelites–heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.
22:31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD’S hand.”
22:32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites.
22:33 They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.
22:34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.
22:1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
22:2 And he said to them, You have kept all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, and you have listened to my voice in all that I have commanded you.
22:3 You have not forsaken your brothers these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of Jehovah your God.
22:4 And now Jehovah your God has given your brothers rest as He promised them. And now turn and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you across the Jordan.
22:5 However be very careful to perform the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God and to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and to cling to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
22:6 And Joshua blessed them and sent them away; and they went to their tents.
22:7 Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given an inheritance in Bashan, and to the other half of it Joshua gave an inheritance with their brothers across the Jordan on the west. Furthermore, when Joshua sent them away to their tents and blessed them,
22:8 He spoke to them, saying, Return with many riches to your tents and with very many cattle, with silver and with gold and with bronze and with iron and with very much clothing; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.
22:9 So the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh went; and they departed from among the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which was in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had taken possession of according to the commandment of Jehovah through Moses.
22:10 And when they came into the region of 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 at the Jordan, an altar great in appearance.
22:11 And the children of Israel heard the report, which said, Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar out in front of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side of the children of Israel.
22:12 And when the children of Israel heard this, all the assembly of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go up in battle against them.
22:13 And the children of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead,
22:14 And with him ten leaders, one leader each to a fathers’ house of all the tribes of Israel; and they were each the head of their fathers’ houses among the thousands of Israel.
22:15 And they went to the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and spoke to them, saying,
22:16 Thus says all the assembly of Jehovah, What is this trespass that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning this day from following after Jehovah by building yourselves an altar to rebel against Jehovah this day?
22:17 Was the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves unto this day, though there was a plague upon the assembly of Jehovah,
22:18 That you have turned this day from following after Jehovah? And now, if you rebel against Jehovah this day, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole assembly of Israel.
22:19 But if the land of your possession is unclean, cross over into the land of the possession of Jehovah, where Jehovah’s tabernacle dwells, and take a possession in the midst of us. But do not rebel against Jehovah, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of Jehovah our God.
22:20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the matter of the devoted thing? But there was wrath upon the whole assembly of Israel, and that one man did not perish alone for his iniquity.
22:21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the thousands of Israel,
22:22 The Mighty One, God Jehovah; the Mighty One, God Jehovah; He knows, and may Israel itself know, whether it was in rebellion, or whether it was in trespass against Jehovah ? may You not save us today ?
22:23 That we built an altar for ourselves to turn away from following after Jehovah; or if we did so to offer burnt offerings and meal offerings upon it or to make sacrifices of peace offerings upon it, may Jehovah Himself require it.
22:24 But truly we have done this for a reason and out of a concern that in the future your children might speak to our children, saying, What have you to do with Jehovah the God of Israel?
22:25 For Jehovah has made the Jordan a border between us and you, O children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no portion in Jehovah. Thus your children would cause our children to cease fearing Jehovah.
22:26 Therefore we said, Let us now take action to build the altar, though not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;
22:27 But it will be a witness between us and between you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of Jehovah before Him with our burnt offerings and our sacrifices and our peace offerings, and that your children may not say in the future to our children, You have no portion in Jehovah.
22:28 And we said, When they say this to us and to our generations in the future, we will say, Look at the copy of the altar of Jehovah that our fathers made, though not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you.
22:29 Far be it from us that we would rebel against Jehovah and turn away today from following after Jehovah by building an altar for burnt offering, for meal offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of Jehovah our God, which is before His tabernacle!
22:30 And when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the assembly and the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it seemed good in their sight.
22:31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh, Today we know that Jehovah is in the midst of us, because you have not committed this trespass against Jehovah. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of Jehovah.
22:32 So Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel; and they brought back word to them.
22:33 And the matter seemed good in the sight of the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God and never spoke again of going up in battle against them to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad dwelt.
22:34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar; for, they said, it is a witness between us that Jehovah is God.