The Eastern Tribes Return Home

1Then Iosua called ye Rubenites and Gaddites, and ye halfe trybe of Manasse, 2and sayde vnto them: Ye haue kepte all, that Moses the seruaunt of the LORDE commaunded you, and haue herkened vnto my voyce in all yt I haue commauded you. 3Ye haue not forsaken youre brethre a longe season, vnto this daye, and haue wayted vpon the commaundement of the LORDE youre God. 4For so moch now as the LORDE youre God hath broughte youre brethre to rest, as he promysed them, turne you now, and go youre waye to youre tentes in to the londe of youre possession, which Moses the seruaunt of the LORDE gaue you beyode Iordane. 5But take diligent hede now, that ye do acordinge to the commaundement and lawe which Moses the seruaunt of the LORDE hath commaunded: That ye loue the LORDE youre God, and walke in all his wayes, and kepe his commaundementes, and cleue vnto him, and serue him with all youre hert and with all youre soule. 6So Iosua blessed them, and let them go. And they wente vnto their tentes.

7Vnto the halfe trybe of Manasse had Moses geuen possession at Basan: vnto the other halfe gaue Iosua amonge their brethren on this syde Iordane westwarde. And whan he let them go to their tentes and blessed them, 8he sayde vnto them: Ye come home agayne with greate good vnto youre tetes, with exceadynge moch catell, syluer, golde, brasse, yron and rayment, distribute therfore the spoyle of youre enemyes amonge youre brethren.

The Altar of Witness

9So the Rubenites, Gaddites, and the halfe trybe of Manasse returned, and wente from the children of Israel out of Silo (which lyeth in the londe of Canaan) to go in to the countre of Gilead to the londe of their possession, that they mighte possesse it, acordynge to the commaundement of the LORDE by Moses.

10And whan they came vnto the heapes by Iordane, which lye in the londe of Canaan, the same Rubenites, Gaddites, and the halfe trybe of Manasses buylded there besyde Iordane, a fayre greate altare. 11But whan the children of Israel herde saye: Beholde, the children of Ruben, the children of Gad, and the halfe trybe of Manasse haue buylded an altare ouer agaynst the londe of Canaan vpon the heapes by Iordane on this syde the children of Israel, 12they gathered them selues together with the whole congregacion at Silo, to go vp agaynst the with an armye.

13And (in the meane season) they sent to them in to the londe of Gilead, Phineas the sonne of Eleasar the prest, 14and with him ten chefe prynces amonge the houses of their fathers, out of euery tribe in Israel one. 15And they came to the children of Ruben, to the children of Gad, and to the halfe trybe of Manasse in the londe of Gilead, and sayde: 16Thus sayeth the whole congregacion of the LORDE vnto you: What trespace is this, yt ye haue trespaced agaynst the God of Israel, that ye shulde turne backe from ye LORDE this daye, to builde you an altare, for to fall awaye from the LORDE? 17Haue we not ynough of the wickednesse of Peor? from the which we are not yet clensed this daye, and there came a plage amonge the congregacion of the LORDE: 18and ye turne you backe this daye from the LORDE, and this daye are ye fallen awaye from the LORDE, that he maye be wroth to daye or tomorow at the whole congregacion of the LORDE. 19Yf the londe of youre possession be vncleane, then come ouer in to the londe that the LORDE possesseth, where the dwellynge of the LORDE is, and take possessions amonge vs, and fall not awaye from the LORDE and from vs, to builde you an altare without the altare of the LORDE oure God. 20Did not Achan the sonne of Serah trespace in the thinge that was damned, and the wrath came ouer ye whole congregacion of Israel and he wente not downe alone for his mysdede?

21Then answered the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the halfe trybe of Manasse, and sayde vnto the heades and prynces of Israel: 22The mightie God ye LORDE, the mightie God the LORDE knoweth, and Israel knoweth also, yf this be a trangressynge or trespacynge agaynst the LORDE, then let it not helpe vs this daye: 23Yf we haue buylded the altare, because we wolde turne awaye backe from the LORDE, to offre burntofferynges or meatofferinges theron, or to make eny deedofferynges vpon it, then let the LORDE requyre it: 24And yf we haue not done it rather for very feare of this thinge, and sayde: To daye or tomorow mighte youre children saye vnto oure children: What haue ye to do with the LORDE the God of Israel? 25The LORDE hath set Iordane for a border betwene vs and you ye children of Ruben and Gad, ye haue no porcion in the LORDE: By this shulde youre children make oure children to turne awaye from the feare of the LORDE.

26Therfore sayde we: Let vs make oure children an altare, not for sacrifice, ner for burntofferinge, 27but that it maye be a toke betwene vs and you, and oure posterities, that we maye serue the LORDE in his sighte with oure burntofferinges, deedofferinges, and other offeringes: and yt youre children to daye or tomorow neade not to saye vnto oure children: Ye haue no parte in the LORDE. 28And we sayde: But yf they shulde speake so vnto vs, or to oure posterities to daye or tomorow, then maye we saye: Beholde the symilitude of ye altare of the LORDE, which oure fathers made, not for sacrifyce, ner for burntofferynge, but for a wytnesse betwene vs and you. 29God forbydde, that we shulde fall awaye from the LORDE, to turne backe from him this daye, and to buylde an altare for sacrifice, for burntofferinge and for eny presente, without ye altare of the LORDE oure God, that stondeth before his Habitacion.

30But whan Phineas the prest, and the chefe of the congregacion, the prynces of Israel which were with him, herde these wordes, that the children of Ruben, Gad, and Manasse had spoken, they pleased them well. 31And Phineas the sonne of Eleasar the prest sayde vnto the children of Rube, Gad and Manasse: This daye we knowe, that ye LORDE is amonge vs, in that ye haue not trespaced agaynst the LORDE in this dede. Now haue ye delyuered the children of Israel out of the hande of the LORDE.

32Then Phineas the sonne of Eleasar the prest, and the rulers returned out of the londe of Gilead, from the children of Ruben and Gad, vnto ye londe of Canaa to the children of Israel, and brought them worde agayne of the matter. 33Then were the children of Israel well cotente with the thinge. And they praysed the God of Israel, and sayde nomore that they wolde go vp agaynst them with an armye, to destroye the londe that the childre of Ruben and Gad dwelt in. 34And ye childre of Ruben and Gad called the name of the altare: This altare be witnesse betwene vs, that the LORDE is God.