^aThen Joshua called the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, ^aand have listened to and obeyed my voice in everything that I commanded you. 3 You have not deserted your brothers these many days to this day, but have carefully kept the obligation of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4 And now ^athe LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as He has promised them; so turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the east side of the Jordan. 5 Only be very careful and diligently observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD has commanded you to ^alove the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him ^bwith all your heart and with all your soul your very life.” 6 So Joshua ^ablessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

7 Now ^ato the one-half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but ^bto the other half Joshua gave a possession on the west side of the Jordan among their brothers. So when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8 and he said to them, “Return to your tents with great riches and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; ^adivide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers (fellow tribesmen) .” 9 So the sons (descendants) of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed from the other sons (western tribes) of Israel at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the ^aland of Gilead, to the land of their own which they had possessed, in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.

10 When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, an altar that was great to behold. 11 And the other sons of Israel heard it said, “Look, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have ^abuilt an ¹altar at the edge of the land of Canaan, in the region west of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.” 12 When the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the Israelites gathered at ^aShiloh to make war against them.

13 Then the sons of Israel sent ^aPhinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, 14 and with him ten leaders, one leader from each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and ^aeach one was the head of his father’s household among the thousands of Israel. 15 They came to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, 16 “This is what the entire congregation of the LORD says, ‘What is this disloyal and unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, so as to turn away from following the LORD this day, by ^abuilding yourselves an altar, to rebel against the LORD this day? 17 Is ^athe wrongdoing (idolatry) of Peor not enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, even though the affliction in which twenty-four thousand died came on the congregation of the LORD, Num 25:1-9 18 that you would turn away this day from following the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, ^aHe will be angry with the entire congregation of Israel tomorrow. 19 If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then cross into the land of the possession of the LORD, where the LORD’S tabernacle is situated, and settle down among us. But do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us by ^abuilding an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the LORD our God at Shiloh. 20 Did not ^aAchan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things under the ban, and as a result God’s wrath came on the entire congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his wrongdoing.’” Josh 7:1-26

21 Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the families of Israel, 22 “The ^aMighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD! ^bHe knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the LORD, do not save us this day! 23 If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from following the LORD, or if we did so to ^aoffer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the LORD Himself require it of us and hold us responsible. 24 But in truth we have done this out of concern, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons (descendants) may say to our sons, “What ¹claim do you have to the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no part in the LORD.” So your sons (descendants) may cause our sons to stop fearing the LORD.’

26 “So we said, ‘Let us prepare and build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice, 27 but to be ^aa witness between us and you and between the generations after us, that we are to ^bperform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons (descendants) will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no part in the LORD.”’ 28 So we said, ‘If your descendants should say this to us or to our descendants in time to come, then we can reply, “See the copy of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice, but rather it is a witness between us and you.”’ 29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away from following the LORD this day, by ^abuilding an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the LORD our God which is before His ¹tabernacle in Shiloh.”

30 So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation and heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it ¹pleased them. 31 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the ^aLORD is among us, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the LORD; indeed you have saved Israel from the hand of the LORD.”

32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 The report ¹pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel ^ablessed God; and they said no more about going to battle against them to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. 34 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad ^acalled the altar Witness; “For it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”

^aThen Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, ^aand have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 You have not abandoned your brothers these many days to this day, but have fulfilled the obligation of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4 And now ^athe LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan. 5 Only be very careful to ¹follow the commandment and the Law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to ^alove the LORD your God and walk in all His ways, and keep His commandments and cling to Him, and serve Him ^bwith all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 So Joshua ^ablessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

7 Now ^ato the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but ^bto the other half Joshua gave a possession among their brothers westward beyond the Jordan. So when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he also blessed them, 8 and said to ¹them, “Return to your tents with great riches and with very many livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; ^adivide the spoils of your enemies with your brothers.” 9 So the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home, ¹leaving the sons of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the ^aland of Gilead, to the land of their possession in which they had settled, in accordance with the ²command of the LORD ³through Moses.

10 When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, ¹a large altar in appearance. 11 But the sons of Israel ¹heard a report: “Behold, the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have ^abuilt an altar at the ²frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.” 12 And when the sons of Israel heard about it, the entire congregation of the sons of Israel assembled at ^aShiloh to go up against them in battle.

13 Then the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben, to the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, ^aPhinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, 14 and with him ten leaders, one leader for each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and ^aeach one of them was the head of his father’s household among the ¹thousands of Israel. 15 They came to the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, 16 “This is what the whole congregation of the LORD says: ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the LORD this day, by ^abuilding yourselves an altar, to rebel against the LORD this day? 17 Is ^athe wrongdoing of Peor ¹not enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although ²a plague came on the congregation of the LORD, 18 that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, ^aHe will be angry with the entire congregation of Israel tomorrow. 19 If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then ¹cross into the land of the possession of the LORD, where the LORD’S ²tabernacle ³stands, and settle among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us, by ^abuilding an altar for yourselves besides the altar of the LORD our God. 20 Did ^aAchan the son of Zerah not act unfaithfully in the things designated for destruction, and wrath fall on the entire congregation of Israel? So that man did not perish alone in his guilt.’”

21 Then the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the ¹families of Israel. 22 “The ^aMighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD! ^bHe knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the LORD, do not save us this day! 23 If we have built us an altar to turn away from following the LORD, or if to ^aoffer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the LORD Himself ¹demand it. 24 But truly we have done this out of concern, ¹for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our ²sons, “What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in the LORD.” So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the LORD.’

26 “Therefore we said, ‘Let’s ¹build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; 27 rather, it shall be ^aa witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to ^bperform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in the LORD.”’ 28 Therefore we said, ‘It shall also come about if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather, it is a witness between us and you.”’ 29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away from following the LORD this day, by ^abuilding an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the LORD our God which is before His ¹tabernacle.”

30 So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, that is, the heads of the ¹families of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the ^aLORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the LORD; now you have saved the sons of Israel from the hand of the LORD.”

32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned 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 brought back word to them. 33 The word pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel ^ablessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in battle to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. 34 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad ^acalled the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”

^aThen Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, ^aand have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 You have not forsaken your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4 And now ^athe LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan. 5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to ^alove the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him ^bwith all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 So Joshua ^ablessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

7 Now ^ato the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but ^bto the other half Joshua gave a possession among their brothers westward beyond the Jordan. So when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8 and said to ¹them, “Return to your tents with great riches and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; ^adivide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.” 9 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed from the sons of Israel at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the ^aland of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they had possessed, according to the ¹command of the LORD ²through Moses.

10 When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance. 11 And the sons of Israel heard it ¹said, “Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have ^abuilt an altar at the ²frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.” 12 When the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at ^aShiloh to go up against them in war.

13 Then the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, ^aPhinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, 14 and with him ten chiefs, one chief for each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and ^aeach one of them was the head of his father’s household among the ¹thousands of Israel. 15 They came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying, 16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the LORD this day, by ^abuilding yourselves an altar, to rebel against the LORD this day? 17 Is not ^athe iniquity of Peor ¹enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the LORD, 18 that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, ^aHe will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow. 19 If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then ¹cross into the land of the possession of the LORD, where the LORD’S tabernacle ²stands, and take possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us by ^abuilding an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the LORD our God. 20 Did not ^aAchan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’”

21 Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the ¹families of Israel. 22 “The ^aMighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD! ^bHe knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the LORD do not save us this day! 23 If we have built us an altar to turn away from following the LORD, or if to ^aoffer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the LORD Himself require it. 24 But truly we have done this out of concern, ¹for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our ²sons, “What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in the LORD.” So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the LORD.’

26 “Therefore we said, ‘Let us ¹build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; 27 rather it shall be ^aa witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to ^bperform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in the LORD.”’ 28 Therefore we said, ‘It shall also come about if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it is a witness between us and you.”’ 29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away from following the LORD this day, by ^abuilding an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the LORD our God which is before His ¹tabernacle.”

30 So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, even the heads of the ¹families of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the ^aLORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the LORD; now you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of the LORD.”

32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned 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 brought back word to them. 33 The word pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel ^ablessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. 34 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad ^acalled the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”

^aThen Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you ^aand have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 You have not forsaken your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the responsibility of the commandment of Yahweh your God. 4 And now ^aYahweh your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; so now turn and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you beyond the Jordan. 5 Only keep yourselves very carefully to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you, to ^alove Yahweh your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and cling to Him and serve Him ^bwith all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 Then Joshua ^ablessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

7 Now ^ato the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but ^bto the other half Joshua gave a possession among their brothers westward beyond the Jordan. So when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8 and spoke to them, saying, “Return to your tents with great riches and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; ^adivide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.” 9 Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed from the sons of Israel at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the ^aland of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they had possessed, according to the ¹command of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.

10 And they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance. 11 And the sons of Israel heard it ¹said, “Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have ^abuilt an altar at the ²entrance of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.” 12 Then the sons of Israel heard of it, and the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at ^aShiloh to go up against them in war.

13 Then the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, ^aPhinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, 14 and with him ten leaders, one leader for each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and ^aeach one of them was the head of his father’s household among the ¹thousands of Israel. 15 So they came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying, 16 “Thus says the whole congregation of Yahweh, ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following Yahweh this day, by ^abuilding yourselves an altar, to rebel against Yahweh this day? 17 Is ^athe iniquity of Peor too small a thing for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there was a plague on the congregation of Yahweh? 18 Yet you are turning away this day from following Yahweh. Now it will be that, if you rebel against Yahweh today, ^aHe will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow. 19 If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then ¹cross into the land of the possession of Yahweh, where the tabernacle of Yahweh dwells, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against Yahweh, nor rebel against us by ^abuilding an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of Yahweh our God. 20 Did not ^aAchan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things devoted to destruction, and indignation fall on all the congregation of Israel? But he was not the only man to breathe his last in his iniquity.’”

21 Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the thousands of Israel. 22 “The ^aMighty One, God, Yahweh, the Mighty One, God, Yahweh! ^bHe knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion or if in an unfaithful act against Yahweh, do not save us this day! 23 If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from following Yahweh, or if to ^aperform a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may Yahweh Himself require it. 24 But truly we have done this out of concern, ¹for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our ²sons, “What have you to do with Yahweh, the God of Israel? 25 And Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in Yahweh.” So your sons may make our sons stop fearing Yahweh.’

26 “Therefore we said, ‘Let us ¹build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; 27 rather it shall be ^aa witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to ^bperform the service of Yahweh before Him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in Yahweh.”’ 28 Therefore we said, ‘It will also be that if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of Yahweh which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it is a witness between us and you.”’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against Yahweh and turn away from following Yahweh this day, by ^abuilding an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of Yahweh our God which is before His ¹tabernacle.”

30 So Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, 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 spoke. And it was good in their sight. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that ^aYahweh is in our midst because you have not committed this unfaithful act against Yahweh; so then you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of Yahweh.”

32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned 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 brought back word to them. 33 And the word was good in the sight of the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel ^ablessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. 34 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad ^acalled the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God.”