Numbers - Chapter 32

¹ Now, the Reubenites and Gadites owned very large herds of cattle. Having seen that the territories of Jazer and Gilead formed an ideal region for raising stock,

² the Gadites and Reubenites went to Moses, the priest Eleazar and the leaders of the community, and said to them,

³ 'The territory of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon,

⁴ which Yahweh has conquered before the advancing community of Israel, is ideal land for raising stock, and your servants are cattle breeders.

⁵ So', they said, 'if you approve, give your servants this land for us to own; do not make us cross the Jordan.'

⁶ Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, 'Do you intend your brothers to go into battle while you stay here?

⁷ Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing to the country which Yahweh has given them?

⁸ Your fathers behaved in the same way when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the country,

⁹ for, having gone as far as the Valley of Eshcol and seen the country, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the country which Yahweh had given them.

¹⁰ Hence Yahweh's anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath,

¹¹ "No man of twenty years and over, who left Egypt, shall set eyes on the country which I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob . . . , for they have not followed me absolutely,

¹² except for Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun: these indeed have followed Yahweh absolutely."

¹³ Yahweh's anger being aroused by Israel, he made them wander in the desert for forty years, until the generation that offended Yahweh had all disappeared.

¹⁴ And now you rise up in your father's place, offshoot of sinful stock, to increase Yahweh's burning anger with Israel even more!

¹⁵ If you turn away from him, he will prolong the time spent in the desert, and you will bring about this entire people's ruin.'

¹⁶ They came to Moses and said, 'We should like to build sheepfolds here for our flocks and towns for our little ones.

¹⁷ We ourselves will take up arms and lead the Israelites until we have brought them to the place appointed for them, while our little ones stay in the fortified towns to be safe from the local inhabitants.

¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until every one of the Israelites has taken possession of his heritage.

¹⁹ For we shall have no heritage with them on the other bank of the Jordan or beyond, since our heritage has fallen to us here, east of the Jordan.'

²⁰ Moses said to them, 'If you do as you have said, if you are prepared to fight before Yahweh,

²¹ and if all those of you who bear arms cross the Jordan before Yahweh, until he has driven all his enemies out before him,

²² then, once the country has become subject to Yahweh, you may go back, and will have discharged your obligation to Yahweh and Israel, and Yahweh will consider this territory yours.

²³ But if you do not, you will sin against Yahweh, and be sure your sin will find you out.

²⁴ Build towns, then, for your little ones and folds for your flocks; but do what you have promised.'

²⁵ The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, 'Your servants will do as my lord directs.

²⁶ Our little ones, our wives, our flocks and all our livestock will stay in the towns of Gilead,

²⁷ but your servants, each armed for war, will cross in Yahweh's name and fight, as my lord says.'

²⁸ So Moses gave orders about them to the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of families in the Israelite tribes.

²⁹ Moses said to them, 'If the Gadites and Reubenites, all those under arms, cross the Jordan with you to fight in Yahweh's name, then, once the country has become subject to you, you will give them the territory of Gilead as theirs.

³⁰ But if they will not cross with you under arms, they will receive their domains in Canaan with the rest of you.'

³¹ To this, the Gadites and Reubenites replied, 'What Yahweh has said to your servants, we shall do.

³² Under arms, we shall cross in Yahweh's name into Canaan, so that ownership of our heritage on this side of the Jordan will be ours.'

³³ Moses then gave them -- the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph -- the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the country and the towns within its territory, and the country's frontier-towns.

³⁴ The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

³⁵ Atroth-Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

³⁶ Beth-Nimrah and Beth-Haran as fortified towns with folds for the flocks.

³⁷ The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

³⁸ Nebo and Baal-Meon (the names of which were altered), and Sibmah, giving new names to the towns which they rebuilt.

³⁹ The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead. They conquered it and drove out the Amorites who were there.

⁴⁰ Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and he settled there.

⁴¹ Jair son of Manasseh went and seized their encampments, renaming them the Encampments of Jair.

⁴² Nobah went and seized Kenat with its dependent townships, and called it Nobah after himself.

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