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Chapter 22 |
| 1 | Then Joshua
called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
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| 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.
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| 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, |
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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. |
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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, |
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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.
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| 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,
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| 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;
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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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. |
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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.
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| 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. |
