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ULT JOS Chapter 22

22 Then Joshua called to the Reubenite and to the Gadite and to the half of the tribe of Manasseh. 2 And he said to them, “You yourselves have kept all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you. And you have listened to my voice according to all that I have commanded you. 3 You have not forsaken your brothers this many days, until this day. And you have kept the keeping of the commandments of Yahweh your God. 4 And now Yahweh your God has given rest to your brothers, just as he spoke to them. And now, turn and go for yourselves to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave to you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 Only watch exceedingly to do the commandment and the law that 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 cling to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your self.” 6 And Joshua blessed them. And he sent them away and they went to their tents.

7 Now to the half of the tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given in the Bashan, and to the half of him, Joshua gave with their brothers on the other side of the Jordan to the sea. And when Joshua had also sent them away to their tents, then he blessed them. 8 And he spoke to them, saying, “Return to your tents with many riches and with very much livestock, with silver and with gold and with bronze and with iron and with very many garments. Apportion the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.” 9 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half of the tribe of Manasseh turned back and went from with the sons of Israel, from Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of the Gilead, to the land of their possession, it which they had seized for themselves in accordance with the mouth of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.

10 And they entered into the territories of the Jordan that are in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half of the tribe of Manasseh built there an altar beside the Jordan—an altar large of appearance. 11 And the sons of Israel heard, saying, “Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half of the tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the front of the land of Canaan, at the territories of the Jordan, at the side of the sons of Israel.” 12 And the sons of Israel heard and all the congregation of the sons of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go up for 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 of the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of the Gilead. 14 And ten leaders were with him, one leader by one leader of the house of the father of all the tribes of Israel. And they were each a man of the head of the house of their fathers of the thousands of Israel. 15 And they came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half of the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of the Gilead. And they spoke with them, saying, 16 “Thus says all the congregation of Yahweh, ‘What is this unfaithfulness that you have done unfaithfully against the God of Israel, to turn today from after Yahweh when you built for yourselves an altar today for your rebelling against Yahweh? 17 Was the iniquity of Peor little for us, it from which we have not purified ourselves until this day? And there was a plague among the congregation of Yahweh. 18 But as for you, you are turning from after Yahweh today! And it will happen that you yourselves will rebel against Yahweh today and tomorrow he will be furious toward all the congregation of Israel. 19 However, if the land of your possession is defiled, cross over for yourselves into the land of the possession of Yahweh, there where the dwelling of Yahweh dwells, and take possession in the midst of us. But do not rebel against Yahweh and do not rebel against us by your building an altar for yourselves apart from the altar of Yahweh our God. 20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in unfaithfulness with the banned thing and wrath was on all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish as one man in his iniquity.’ ”

21 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half of the tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke with the heads of the thousands of Israel: 22 “Yahweh is God of gods! Yahweh is God of gods! He knows, and as for Israel, let it know! If it was in rebellion or if in unfaithfulness against Yahweh, do not save us this day! 23 If it was to build an altar for ourselves to turn from after Yahweh, or if to offer on it burnt up offerings or grain offerings or if to make on it the sacrifices of peace offerings, Yahweh himself will seek out. 24 But no! Because of anxiety from a matter we did this, saying, ‘Tomorrow your sons might say to our sons, saying, “What is for you and for Yahweh, the God of Israel? 25 And Yahweh has given a border between us and between you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad, the Jordan. There is no portion for you in Yahweh.” ’ And your sons might make our sons cease so that they are not fearing Yahweh. 26 And we said, ‘Let us now prepare for ourselves to build the altar, not for a burnt up offering and not for a sacrifice. 27 But it will be a witness between us and between you and between our generations after us, to serve the service of Yahweh before his face, with our burnt up offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings. And your sons will not say to our sons tomorrow, “There is no portion for you in Yahweh.” ’ 28 And we said, ‘And it will happen if they speak to us or to our generations of tomorrow, that we will say, “See the copy of the altar of Yahweh, which our fathers made, not for a burnt up offering and not for a sacrifice, but it is a witness between us and between you.” 29 May it be far from us for us to rebel against Yahweh, and turn today from after Yahweh to build an altar for a burnt up offering, for a grain offering, or for a sacrifice, apart from the altar of Yahweh our God that is before the face of his dwelling!’ ”

30 And Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation and the heads of the thousands of Israel who were 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 sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that Yahweh is in the midst of us, that you have not acted unfaithfully in this unfaithfulness against Yahweh. Therefore you have rescued the sons of Israel from the hand of Yahweh.” 32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from with the sons of Reuben and from with the sons of Gad, from the land of the Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel. And they brought them back a word. 33 And the word was good in the eyes of the sons of Israel. And the sons of Israel blessed God and did not speak of going up against them for war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were dwelling. 34 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar “Truly it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God.”

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