The Eastern Tribes Return Home 1 ULT Then Joshua called to the Reubenite and to the Gadite and to half of the tribe of Manasseh. BSB BSB: Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
2 ULT And he said to them,“You yourselves have kept all that Moses, the servant of Yahweh, commanded you. And you have listened to my voice according to all that I have commanded you. BSB BSB: 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 ULT You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, to this day. But you have kept the keeping of the commandments of Yahweh your God. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And now Yahweh your God has given rest to your brothers, just as he spoke to them. And now, turn and go for yourselves to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses, the servant of Yahweh, gave to you on the other side of the Jordan. BSB BSB: 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 ULT Only watch greatly to do the commandment and the instruction that Moses, the servant of Yahweh, commanded you, to love Yahweh your God and to walk in all of his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him, and to serve him with all of your heart and with all of your soul.” BSB BSB: 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 ULT And Joshua blessed them. And he sent them away and they went to their tents. BSB BSB: So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes.
7 ULT Now to the half of the tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given in Bashan, and to half of him, Joshua gave with their brothers on the other side of the Jordan, seaward. And when Joshua sent them away to their tents, then he also blessed them, BSB BSB: (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 ULT and he spoke to them, saying,“Return to your tents with many riches and with very much livestock, with silver and with gold and with bronze and with iron and with very many garments. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.” BSB BSB: 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.”
The Altar of Witness 9 ULT And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh turned back and went from with the sons of Israel, from Shiloh, which{ is} in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, on which they had seized for themselves, upon the mouth of Yahweh by the hand of Moses. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And they entered into the regions of the Jordan that are in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there beside the Jordan, an altar large in appearance. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And the sons of Israel heard, saying,“Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the front of the land of Canaan, in the regions of the Jordan, on the side of the sons of Israel.” BSB BSB: 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 ULT When the sons of Israel heard, then all of the congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at Shiloh to go up against them to war. BSB BSB: And when they heard this, the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.
13 ULT And the sons of Israel sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, into the land of the Gilead to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to half of the tribe of Manasseh. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And ten leaders{ were} with him, one leader, one leader, to the house of the father to all of the tribes of Israel. And they{ were} a man, the head of the house of their fathers to the thousands of Israel. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And they came into the land of Gilead to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to half of the tribe of Manasseh, and they spoke with them, saying, BSB BSB: They went to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them,
16 ULT “Thus says all of the congregation of Yahweh:‘What is this unfaithfulness that you have done unfaithfully against the God of Israel, to turn today from after Yahweh in your building for yourselves an altar today for your rebelling against Yahweh? BSB BSB: “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 ULT { Was} the iniquity of Peor little for us, from which we have not purified ourselves to this day? And a plague was among the congregation of Yahweh. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And will you yourselves turn today from after Yahweh? And it will happen,{ if} you yourselves rebel against Yahweh today, then tomorrow he will be furious toward all of the congregation of Israel. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And indeed, if the land of your possession{ is} unclean, cross over for yourselves into the land of the possession of Yahweh, where the dwelling of Yahweh dwells there, and possess in the midst of us. But against Yahweh do not rebel, and against us do not rebel, by your building an altar for yourselves apart from the altar of Yahweh our God. BSB BSB: 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 ULT { Did} not Achan, the son of Zerah, act unfaithfully in unfaithfulness with the devoted thing, and wrath was on all of the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish, one man, in his iniquity!’” BSB BSB: 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 ULT And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke with the heads of the thousands of Israel: BSB BSB: Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel:
22 ULT “Yahweh{ is} God of gods! Yahweh{ is} God of gods! He knows, and Israel, let it know! If in rebellion or if in unfaithfulness against Yahweh, do not save us this day! BSB BSB: “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 ULT To build an altar for ourselves to turn from after Yahweh, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to make on it sacrifices of peace offerings, Yahweh himself will seek. BSB BSB: 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 peace offerings on it, may the LORD Himself hold us accountable.
24 ULT But if not from anxiety from a matter we did this, saying,‘Tomorrow your sons might speak to our sons, saying,“What to you and to Yahweh, the God of Israel? BSB BSB: 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 ULT For Yahweh has given a border between us and between you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad, the Jordan. No portion{ is} for you in Yahweh.”’ And your sons might make our sons desist, to not fearing Yahweh. BSB BSB: 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 ULT So we said,‘Let us now do to build for ourselves an altar, not for a burnt offering and not for a sacrifice, BSB BSB: That is why we said, ‘Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.
27 ULT but it{ will be} a witness between us and between you and between our generations after us, to serve the service of Yahweh to his face with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings. And your sons will not say to our sons tomorrow,“No portion{ is} for you in Yahweh.”’ BSB BSB: 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 ULT And we said,‘And it will happen, if they speak to us, or to our generations tomorrow, that we will say,“See, a copy of the altar of Yahweh that our fathers made, not for a burnt offering and not for a sacrifice, but it{ is} a witness between us and between you.” BSB BSB: 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 ULT Profane to us from him, to rebel against Yahweh and turn today from after Yahweh to build an altar for a burnt offering, for a grain offering, or for a sacrifice, apart from the altar of Yahweh our God that is to the face of his dwelling!’” BSB BSB: 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 ULT And Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation and the heads of the thousands of Israel who{ were} with him heard the words that the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke. And it was good in their eyes. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh,“Today we know that Yahweh{ is} in the midst of us, that you have not acted unfaithfully in this unfaithfulness against Yahweh. Therefore, you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of Yahweh.” BSB BSB: 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 ULT And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders returned from with the sons of Reuben and from with the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel. And they brought them a word. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And the word was good in the eyes of the sons of Israel. And the sons of Israel blessed God, and they did not speak of going up against them to war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad{ were} dwelling. BSB BSB: 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 ULT For the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had called the altar,“For it{ is} a witness between us that Yahweh{ is} God.” BSB BSB: So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar Witness, for they said, “It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.