| Chapter
22 |
| 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. |
