Joshua 22:1-34
22 Then called Joshua—for the Reubenites, and for the Gadites,—and for the half tribe of Manasseh;
2 and said unto them, Ye have observed all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you,—and have hearkened unto my voice, in all that I commanded you:
3 ye have not forsaken your brethren these many days, unto this day,—but have kept the charge of the commandment of Yahweh your God.
4 Now, therefore, that Yahweh your God hath given rest unto your brethren, according as he spake unto them,—now, therefore, turn ye and get you to your homes within the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave unto you over the Jordan.
5 Only take ye diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you—to love Yahweh 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 took their journey unto their homes.
7 Now, unto the [one] half tribe of Manesseh had Moses given a possession in Bashan, and unto the [other] half did Joshua give possession with their brethren, over the Jordan, westward,—moreover also when Joshua sent them away unto their homes he blessed them,
8 and spake unto them, saying—With much wealth return ye unto your homes, even with very much cattle, with silver and with gold and with copper and with iron and with very much raiment,—divide ye the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.
9 So the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from the sons of Israel, from Shiloh, which was in the land of Canaan,—to go unto the land of Gilead unto the land of their possession, wherein they had received their possessions, at the bidding of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.
10 And when they came into the circles of the Jordan, which were in the land of Canaan,—then did the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh build there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of large dimensions,
11 And the sons of Israel heard say,—Lo! the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in front of the land of Canaan, in the circles of the Jordan in the region opposite the sons of Israel.
12 And when the sons of Israel heard, all the assembly of the sons of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up against them to war.
13 And the sons of Israel sent unto the sons of Reuben and unto the sons of Gad and unto the half tribe of Manasseh within the land of Gilead,—Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest;
14 and ten princes with him, one prince of an ancestral house for each of the tribes of Israel,—they being severally heads of their ancestral houses among the thousands of Israel.
15 So they came in unto the sons of Reuben and unto the sons of Gad and unto the half tribe of Manasseh within the land of Gilead,—and spake with them, saying:
16 Thus say all the assembly of Yahweh—What is this act of treachery which ye have committed against the God of Israel, that ye should turn back to-day, from following Yahweh,—in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel to-day against Yahweh?
17 Too little for us was the iniquity of Peor, from which we have not cleansed ourselves unto this day,—although the plague came upon the assembly of Yahweh;
18 but that ye must turn back to-day from following Yahweh,—though it must needs be that, if ye rebel to-day against Yahweh, then to-morrow with all the assembly of Israel will he be wroth?
19 Howbeit, if unclean be the land of your possession, do ye on your part come over into the land of the possession of Yahweh, where abideth the habitation of Yahweh, and take your possession in our midst,—but against Yahweh do not rebel, nor against us rebel, by building yourselves an altar apart from the altar of Yahweh our God.
20 Did not Achan son of Zerah commit an act of treachery with a devoted thing, and upon all the assembly of Israel came wrath,—so that not he—one man alone died in his iniquity?
21 Then responded the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh,—and spake unto the heads of the thousands of Israel:
22 Él-Elohim-Yahweh, Êl-Elohim-Yahweh, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know,—if in rebellion or if in treachery against Yahweh, do not save us this day:
23 that we should build for ourselves an altar, to turn back from following Yahweh,—or if that we might cause to go up thereon ascending-sacrifice or meal-offering, or if that we might offer thereon peace-offerings, let Yahweh himself require it;
24 if, indeed, we have not rather out of anxiety and of purpose done this thing, saying,—In time to come, your sons might speak to our sons, saying, What have ye to do with Yahweh, God of Israel;
25 seeing that a boundary hath Yahweh put between us and you, ye sons of Reuben and ye sons of Gad—even the Jordan, ye have no portion in Yahweh,—so might your sons cause our sons to cease from revering Yahweh.
26 We said therefore, Let us prepare, we pray you, to build us an altar,—not for ascending-offering nor for sacrifice;
27 but that a witness it may be between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we are to do the service of Yahweh before him, with our ascending-offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace-offerings,—that your sons may not say in time to come to our sons, Ye have no portion in Yahweh.
28 Therefore said we, And it shall be, when they [so] say to us or to our generations in time to come,—that we will say—Behold ye the pattern of the altar of Yahweh, which our fathers made not for ascending-offerings nor for sacrifice, but that a witness it might be between us and you.
29 Far be it from us—that we should rebel against Yahweh, or turn back to-day from following Yahweh, by building an altar, for ascending-offering or meal-offering or for sacrifice,—other than the altar of Yahweh our God, which is before his habitation.
30 And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the assembly, even the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spake, then was it well-pleasing in their eyes.
31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said unto the sons of Reuben and unto the sons of Gad and unto the sons of Manasseh—To-day we know that in our midst is Yahweh, in that ye have not committed against Yahweh this act of treachery,—now have ye rescued the sons of Israel out of the hand of Yahweh.
32 So Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the princes returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad out of the land of Gilead unto the land of Canaan unto the sons of Israel,—and brought them back word.
33 And the thing was well-pleasing in the eyes of the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel blessed God,—and spake not of going up against them to war, to lay waste the land wherein the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad dwelt.
34 So the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad named the altar [a Witness]: A witness it is between us, That Yahweh is God.