10 The warriors from the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and the Manashsheh half-tribe arrived at the Yordan river (still on the Canaan side) and they built a very large and noticeable altar there before crossing over to go home. 11 When the other Israelis heard about it, they said, “Look, the men from the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and the Manashsheh half-tribe have built the altar at the entrance to this Canaan region down at the Yordan on our side.”

12 Hearing that, those from the western side of the Yordan assembled at Shiloh to go to battle with the two and a half tribes on the eastern side. 13 Meanwhile, they sent the priest Finehas (Eleazar’s son) across into the Gilead region to talk with the leaders from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the Manashsheh half-tribe. 14 Finehas took ten leaders with him—important leaders from each of the Israeli tribes from the western side. 15 They crossed over to the Gilead region to talk to the leaders from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the Manashsheh half-tribe. They said, 16 “Yahweh’s people are asking, ‘What’s this unfaithfulness that you all have done unfaithfully against Israel’s God—turning away from Yahweh when you built an altar for yourselves today in rebellion against Yahweh?[ref] 17 Wasn’t our disobedience at Peor[ref] bad enough for you? We haven’t gotten over it to this day. Plus there was a plague among Yahweh’s people. 18 But all of you—are you turning away from Yahweh today? If you all rebel against Yahweh today, tomorrow he’ll be furious at all of us. 19 But if it’s because you all think this land here is defiled, then cross back over to Yahweh’s own land where he lives in his sacred tent. Either way don’t rebel against Yahweh by building this other altar for yourselves that’s distinct from our God Yahweh’s altar. 20 Didn’t Akan act unfaithfully taking something that was forbidden[ref] and all of us suffered as a result of it? It wasn’t just him alone that died because of that.’ ”

21 The leaders from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the Manashsheh half-tribe answered the other leaders, 22 “Yahweh is the God of gods. Yahweh is the God of gods. He knows, and as for the Israeli people, let them know also—if it was in rebellion or in unfaithfulness against Yahweh, don’t bother trying to save us today. 23 If we’d aimed to build an altar for ourselves to turn away from following Yahweh, or if it was to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings on it, or if to make the sacrifices of peace offerings on it, Yahweh himself will handle it. 24 But no, we did it because we foresaw a potential problem: what if in the future, your descendants ask our descendants over here on this side of the river, ‘What do you lot have to do with Israel’s God Yahweh? 25 Yahweh has given this Yordan river as a border between us, and you descendants of Reuben and Gad. You all don’t have any part in Yahweh.’ Then your descendants might make our descendants stop worshipping Yahweh. 26 So we decided to build the altar—not to be used for burnt offerings or for sacrifices, 27 but as a symbol to remind our future descendants and yours, that we all truly worship Yahweh with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices, and our peace offerings, so your descendants can’t tell our future descendants that we have no business worshipping Yahweh. 28 If they do say anything like that, then our descendants will be able to reply, ‘See that copy of Yahweh’s altar which isn’t used for burnt offerings or sacrifices, our ancestors built that as a reminder for both you all and us.’ 29 May any idea of rebelling against Yahweh stay far from us. Same with any idea of building any altar apart from our God Yahweh’s genuine altar for burnt offerings, or grain offerings, or other sacrifices.”

30 So Finehas the priest and the other community and clan leaders with him, listened to what the descendants of Rueben, Gad, and Manashsheh told them, and it sounded sensible to them, 31 so Finehas (the late Eleazar’s son) told them, “Today we realise that Yahweh is among us and that you all haven’t acted unfaithfully against him, so therefore you’ve prevented Yahweh from needing to punish us.”

32 Then Finehas and the other leaders left Gilead and returned back across the Yordan to the Canaan region where most of the Israelis resided, taking back a good report. 33 The people were pleased with that news, and they thanked God and stopped talking about going to war with Rueben and Gad across the river and destroying them.

34 The descendants of Rueben and Gad named the altar ‘Reminder’ because it was a reminder between them that Yahweh is God.