Chapter 22

Then Joshua called⁴ the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

And said⁴ unto them, Ye have kept¹ all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded¹⁴ you, and have obeyed⁴ my voice in all that I commanded¹⁴ you:

Ye have not left¹ your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept¹ the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.

And now the LORD your God hath given rest⁵² unto your brethren, as he promised¹⁴ them: therefore now return³ ye, and get³ you unto your tents, [and] unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave¹ you on the other side Jordan.

But take diligent heed³ to do² the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged¹⁴ you, to love² the LORD your God, and to walk² in all his ways, and to keep² his commandments, and to cleave² unto him, and to serve² him with all your heart and with all your soul.

So Joshua blessed¹⁷ them, and sent them away:¹⁷ and they went⁴ unto their tents.

Now to the [one] half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given¹ [possession] in Bashan: but unto the [other] half thereof gave¹ Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away¹⁴ also unto their tents, then he blessed¹⁷ them,

And he spake⁴ unto them, saying,² Return³ 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 much⁵³ raiment: divide³ the spoil of your enemies⁶ with your brethren.

And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned,⁴ and departed⁴ from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which [is] in the land of Canaan, to go² unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed,⁸ according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

And when they came⁴ 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 built⁴ there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.

And the children of Israel heard⁴ say,² Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built¹ an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.

And when the children of Israel heard⁴ [of it], the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together¹¹ at Shiloh, to go up² to war against them.

And the children of Israel sent⁴ 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,

And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince ^{5387 259 5387} throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one [was] an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.

And they came⁴ 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 spake¹⁷ with them, saying,²

Thus saith¹ the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass [is] this that ye have committed¹ against the God of Israel, to turn away² this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded² you an altar, that ye might rebel² this day against the LORD?

[Is] the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed⁹⁸ until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,

But that ye must turn away⁴ this day from following the LORD? and it will be, [seeing] ye rebel⁴ to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth⁴ with the whole congregation of Israel.

Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession [be] unclean, [then] pass ye over³ unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD'S tabernacle dwelleth,¹ and take possession¹⁰ among us: but rebel⁴ not against the LORD, nor rebel⁴ against us, in building² you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.

Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit¹ a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell¹ on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished¹ not alone in his iniquity.

Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered,⁴ and said¹⁷ unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,

The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth,⁶ and Israel he shall know;⁴ if [it be] in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save⁵⁵ us not this day,)

That we have built² us an altar to turn² from following the LORD, or if to offer⁵³ thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer² peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require¹⁷ [it];

And if we have not [rather] done¹ it for fear of [this] thing, saying,² In time to come your children might speak⁴ unto our children, saying,² What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?

For the LORD hath made¹ 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 cease⁵² from fearing² the LORD.

Therefore we said,⁴ Let us now prepare⁴ to build² us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:

But [that] it [may be] a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do² 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 say⁴ to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.

Therefore said⁴ we, that it shall be, when they should [so] say⁴ to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say¹ [again], Behold³ the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made,¹ not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it [is] a witness between us and you.

God forbid that we should rebel² against the LORD, and turn² this day from following the LORD, to build² an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that [is] before his tabernacle.

And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which [were] with him, heard⁴ the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake,¹⁴ it pleased^{4 5869} them.

And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said⁴ unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive¹ that the LORD [is] among us, because ye have not committed¹ this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered⁵² the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.

And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned⁴ 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.⁵⁵

And the thing pleased^{4 5869} the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed¹⁷ God, and did not intend¹ to go up² against them in battle, to destroy¹⁵ the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.⁶

And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called⁴ the altar [Ed]: for it [shall be] a witness between us that the LORD [is] God.