Joshua
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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 the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed 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 the LORD your God.
4 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 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 unto their tents.
7 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 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 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 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 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 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 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, 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Therefore we said, Let us now
prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
27 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
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