The Eastern Tribes Return Home

1Then Joshua called the Reubenite and the Gadite and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2and he said to them, “You⁺ have kept all that Moses the servant of YHWH commanded you⁺, and you⁺ have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you⁺. 3You⁺ have not left your⁺ brothers these many days up to this day, and you⁺ have kept the charge of the commandment of YHWH your⁺ God.

4And YHWH your⁺ God has given rest to your⁺ brothers as He promised to them, and now return and go for yourselves to your⁺ tents and to the land of your⁺ possession, which Moses the servant of YHWH gave to you⁺ on the other side of the Jordan. 5Only greatly take heed to do the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of YHWH commanded you⁺, to love YHWH your⁺ God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your⁺ heart and with all your⁺ soul.”

6And Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. 7(And to the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, and to half of it Joshua had given among their brothers on this side of the Jordan westward.) And indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them 8and spoke to them, saying, “With great riches return to your⁺ tents, and with very much livestock, with silver, and with gold, and with bronze, and with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your⁺ enemies with your⁺ brothers.”

The Altar of Witness

9And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh turned back and departed from the sons of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had acquired according to the word of YHWH by the hand of Moses. 10And they came to Geliloth† near the Jordan, which is in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar great in appearance.

11And the sons of Israel heard it said, “Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar over against the border of the land of Canaan in the region of the Jordan on the side of the sons of Israel.” 12And the sons of Israel heard, and the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.

13And the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, 14and ten leaders with him, one leader, one leader from the house of a father of every tribe of Israel; and each one was the head of the house of his father among the divisions of Israel.

15And they came to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, 16“Thus says the whole congregation of YHWH: ‘What is this treachery that you⁺ have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following YHWH, in that you⁺ have built for yourselves an altar, that you⁺ might rebel this day against YHWH?

17Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day? And there was a plague in the congregation of YHWH. 18And you⁺ turn away this day from following YHWH? And if it comes to pass that you⁺ rebel today against YHWH, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

19And nevertheless, if the land of your⁺ possession is unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of YHWH, where the tabernacle of YHWH stands, and take possession among us. And against YHWH do not rebel, and against us do not rebel, by building for yourselves an altar besides the altar of YHWH our God.

20Did not Achan† son of Zerah act unfaithfully in unfaithfulness with the devoted thing,† so that wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And not only he, one man, perished in his iniquity.’”

21And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel, 22“God of gods—YHWH, God of gods—YHWH, He knows, and Israel He does know. If it is in rebellion or if in treachery against YHWH, do not save us this day! 23If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn from following YHWH, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer on it peace offerings, YHWH Himself will require it.

24And nevertheless, we have done it from fear of this thing, saying, hereafter your⁺ sons may speak to our seed, saying, ‘And what have you⁺ to do with YHWH, God of Israel? 25For YHWH a border has given between us and between you⁺, sons of Reuben and sons of Gad—the Jordan. To you⁺ is no portion in YHWH.’ And your⁺ sons would make our sons cease from fearing YHWH.

26And we said, ‘Let us now prepare ourselves to build the altar—not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice— 27but that a witness it may be between us and between you⁺ and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of YHWH before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings,’ that your⁺ sons may not say hereafter to our sons, ‘To you⁺ is no portion in YHWH.’

28And we said, ‘And it will come to pass, when they say this to us or to our generations hereafter, that we may say: Here is the replica of the altar of YHWH, which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, but a witness it is between us and between you⁺.’

29Far be it from us that we should rebel against YHWH and turn this day from following YHWH to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, and for sacrifice, besides the altar of YHWH our God which is before His tabernacle.”

30And Phinehas the priest and the princes of the congregation and the heads of the divisions 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 pleased them. 31And Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that YHWH is among us, because you⁺ have not committed this treachery against YHWH. Therefore, you⁺ have delivered the sons of Israel out of the hand of YHWH.”

32And Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and they brought back to them word. 33And the word was pleasing in the eyes of the sons of Israel; and the sons of Israel blessed God, and they spoke no more of going against them in battle to destroy the land that the sons of Reuben and of Gad were dwelling in. 34And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad proclaimed of the altar that, “It is a witness between us that YHWH is God.”