The Eastern Tribes Return Home

1Then Joshua will call to the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to half the tribe of Manasseh, 2And he will say to them, Ye watched all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, and ye will hear to my voice for all which I commanded you: 3Ye left not your brethren this many days till this day, and ye watched the watches of the command of Jehovah your God. 4And now Jehovah your God caused your brethren to rest as he spake to them: and now turn ye and go for yourselves to your tents to the land of your possession which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave to you beyond Jordan. 5Only watch greatly to do the command and the law which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God and to go in all his ways, and to watch his commands, and to cleave to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. 6And Joshua will bless them and will send them away; and they will go to their tents.

7And to half the tribe of Manasseh, Moses gave in Bashan: and to its half Joshua gave with their brethren from beyond Jordan to the sea. And also when Joshua sent them away to their tents he will bless them, 8And he will say to them, saying, With much riches turn back to your tents, and with exceeding many cattle, with silver and with gold and with brass and with iron and with exceeding many garments: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.

The Altar of Witness

9And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh will turn back and will go from the sons of Israel from Shiloh, (which is in the land of Canaan) to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they held in it at the mouth of Jehovah by the hand of Moses.

10And they will come to the circuits of Jordan, which are in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh will build there an altar upon Jordan, a great altar for seeing. 11And the sons of Israel will hear saying, Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar over against the land of Canaan, at the circuits of Jordan, at the passing over of the sons of Israel. 12And the sons of Israel will hear, and all the assembly of the sons of Israel will be gathered together at Shiloh to go up to war against them.

13And the sons of Israel will send to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, 14And ten chiefs with him, one chief, one chief, to the house of a father for all the tribes of Israel; and each the head of the house of their fathers, these for the thousands of Israel. 15And they will come to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to half the tribe of Manasseh to the land of Gilead, and they will speak with them, saying, 16Thus said all the assembly of Jehovah, What transgression this which ye transgressed against the God of Israel to turn back this day from after Jehovah, in your building to you an altar for your rebellion this day against Jehovah? 17Was the iniquity of Peor little for us, which we were not cleansed from it till this day, and there will be a smiting in the assembly of Jehovah? 18And will ye turn back this day from after Jehovah? and it will be ye will rebel this day against Jehovah, and to-morrow be will be angry towards all the assembly of Israel. 19And surely, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over for yourselves to the land of the possession of Jehovah, where the dwelling of Jehovah dwelt there, and take possession in the midst of us: and ye shall not rebel against Jehovah, and ye shall not rebel against us in your building to yourselves an altar beside the altar of Jehovah our God. 20Did not Achan transgress a transgression in the devoted thing, and upon all the assembly of Israel was wrath? and that man died not alone in his iniquity.

21And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh will answer and will speak to the heads of the thousands of Israel, 22The God of gods, Jehovah, the God of gods, Jehovah he will know, and Israel he will know; if in rebellion and if in transgression against Jehovah, thou shalt not save us this day; 23To build to us an altar to turn back from after Jehovah, and if to bring up upon it a burnt-offering and a gift, and if to do upon it sacrifices of peace Jehovah he will search; 24And if we did not do this from fear of the word, saying, To-morrow your sons will say to our sons, saying, What to you and to Jehovah the God of Israel. 25Jehovah gave the bound of our sons and your sons, ye sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; Jordan not to you a part in Jehovah. And your sons caused our sons to cease from fearing Jehovah.

26And we shall say, We will do now for ourselves to build an altar, not for burnt-offerings and not for sacrifice: 27But this a witness between us and between you, and between our generations after us, to serve the service of Jehovah before him with our burnt-offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace-offerings; and your sons shall not say, To-morrow, to our sons, not to you, a part in Jehovah. 28And we shall say, and it was that they shall say to us and to our generations to-morrow, and we said, See the model of the altar of Jehovah which our fathers made, not for burnt-offering and not for sacrifice; but this a witness between us and between you. 29Wo to us from him to rebel against Jehovah, and to turn back this day from after Jehovah to build an altar for burnt-offering, for a gift and for sacrifice beside the altar of Jehovah our God which is before his tent.

30And Phinehas the priest will hear, and the chiefs of the assembly, and the heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spake, and it will be good in their eyes. 31And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest will say to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, This day we knew that Jehovah is in the midst of us, because ye transgressed not this transgression against Jehovah: then ye delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of Jehovah.

32And Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, will turn back, and the chiefs, from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and will turn back to them the word. 33And the word will be good in the eves of the sons of Israel; and the sons of Israel will bless God, and they said not to go up against them to war to destroy the land which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad dwelt in it. 34And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad will call to the altar: for it is a witness between us that Jehovah is their God.