Numbers 32:1-20 ▼

1 The childre of Ruben & the chidren of Gad had an exeeding great multitude of cattell: And when they sawe the lande of Iazer, & the lande of Gilead, that it was an apt place for cattell,

2 The children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, came & spake vnto Moyses and Eleazar the priest, and vnto the lordes of the congregation, saying:

3 The lande of Ataroth & Dibon, Iazer and Nenrah, Hesbon and Elealeh, Sabam, and Nebo, and Beon:

4 Which countrey the Lorde smote before the congregation of Israel, is a lande meete for cattell, and we thy seruauntes haue cattell.

5 Wherfore said they: If we haue found grace in thy sight, let this lande be geue vnto thy seruauntes to possesse, & bryng vs not ouer Iordane.

6 And Moyses sayde vnto the children of Gad and of Ruben: Shall your brethren go to warre, and ye shall sit here?

7 Wherfore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel, that they shoulde not go ouer into the lande which the Lorde hath geuen them?

8 Thus dyd your fathers when I sent them from Cades Brnea to see ye lande.

9 For when they went vp euen vnto the riuer of Eschol, and sawe the lande, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the lande which the Lord hath geue them.

10 And the Lordes wrath was kindled the same tyme, and he sware, saying:

11 None of the men that came out of Egypt, fro twentie yeres olde & aboue, shall see the lande which I sware vnto Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, because they haue not wholly folowed me:

12 Saue Caleb the sonne of Iephune the Kenesite, and Iosuah the sonne of Nun: for they haue constantly folowed the Lorde.

13 And the Lorde was verie angry with Israel, and made them wander in the wildernesse fourtie yeres, vntyll all the generation that had done euyll in the sight of the Lorde, were consumed.

14 And beholde, ye are rysen vp in your fathers steade, as an increase of sinfull men, to augment the fierce wrath of the Lorde towarde Israel:

15 For if ye turne away from after hym, he wyll yet agayne leaue the people in the wildernesse, and ye shall destroy all this folke.

16 And they went neare hym, and sayde: We wyll builde sheepe foldes here for our sheepe & for our cattell, and walled cities for our children:

17 But we our selues wyl go redy armed before the children of Israel, vntyll we haue brought them vnto their place: And our children shall dwell in the fensed cities, because of the inhabiters of the lande.

18 We wyll not returne vnto our houses, vntyll the children of Israel haue inherited, euery man his inheritaunce:

19 Neither wyll we inherite with them on yonder side Iordane forwarde, because our inheritaunce is fallen to vs on this side Iordane eastwarde.

20 And Moyses sayde vnto them: If ye wyll do this thyng, and go harnessed before the Lorde to warre,