1. Then Joshua called for the Reubenites and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
2. and said to them, You have done all that which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you. And you have listened to my voice, to all that I have commanded you.
3. You have not left your brothers these many days until today, and have kept the observance of the command of Jehovah your God.
4. And now Jehovah your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them. And now turn and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah has given to you beyond the Jordan.
5. Only, diligently take heed to do the commands and the Law which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
6. And Joshua blessed them and sent them away. And they went to their tents.
7. And to the half tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given possession in Bashan. And to its other half Joshua had given possession with their brothers beyond the Jordan westward. And also when Joshua had sent them away to their tents, then he blessed them.
8. And he spoke to them, saying, You are returning to your tents with your great treasures, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with bronze, and with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.
9. And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned. And they departed from the sons of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, in which they have possession, according to the Word of Jehovah by the hand of Moses.
10. And when they came to the borders of Jordan in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar of grand appearance there by Jordan.
11. And the sons of Israel heard, Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar opposite the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the sons of Israel.
12. And when the sons of Israel heard, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at Shiloh to go to war against them.
13. And the sons of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead,
14. and with him ten rulers, a ruler from each of the chief houses throughout all the tribes of Israel. And each one was a head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.
15. And 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. So says all the congregation of Jehovah: What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away today from following Jehovah, in that you have built an altar for you so that you might rebel this day against Jehovah?
17. Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not been made clean until today? Yea, a plague came on the congregation of Jehovah!
18. But must you turn away today from following Jehovah? It shall be, you rebel today against Jehovah, and tomorrow He will be angry with all the congregation of Israel.
19. But surely if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over to the land of the possession of Jehovah in which Jehovah's tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against Jehovah, nor rebel against us in building an altar for yourselves besides the altar of Jehovah our God.
20. Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a sin in the cursed thing, and did not wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.
21. And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the thousands of Israel,
22. Jehovah, the God of gods, Jehovah, the God of gods shall know, and Israel shall know if it is in rebellion or in transgression against Jehovah (you shall not save us alive today),
23. that we have built us an altar to turn from following Jehovah. Or if we have built an altar to offer on it burnt offering or food offering, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let Jehovah Himself require it.
24. And if we have not done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your sons might speak to our sons, saying, What have you to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel?
25. For Jehovah has made Jordan a border between us and you, sons of Reuben and sons of Gad. You have no part in Jehovah. And your sons shall make our sons stop fearing Jehovah.
26. And we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,
27. but it shall be a witness between us and you, and our generations after us, so that we might do the service of Jehovah before Him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings; so that your sons may not say to our sons in time to come, You have no part in Jehovah.
28. And we said that when they should say so to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, Behold the pattern of the altar of Jehovah which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, but it is a witness between us and you.
29. Far be it from us that we should rebel against Jehovah and turn this day from following Jehovah, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for food offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of Jehovah our God that is before His tabernacle!
30. And Phinehas the priest, and the rulers of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel with him, heard the words that the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke. And it was good in their eyes.
31. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half tribe of Manasseh, Today we see that Jehovah is among us, because you have not committed this sin against Jehovah. Now you have delivered the sons of Israel out of the hand of Jehovah.
32. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the sons of Reuben, and from the sons of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought them word again.
33. And the thing pleased the sons of Israel. And the sons of Israel blessed God and no more said to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and Gad lived.
34. And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad proclaimed regarding the altar, that it was a witness between us that Jehovah is God.