Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close TLB

Joshua 22
Living Bible

22 Joshua now called together the troops from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2-3 and addressed them as follows:

“You have done as the Lord’s disciple Moses commanded you, and have obeyed every order I have given you—every order of the Lord your God. You have not deserted your brother tribes, even though the campaign has lasted for such a long time. 4 And now the Lord our God has given us success and rest as he promised he would. So go home now to the land given you by the Lord’s servant Moses, on the other side of the Jordan River. 5 Be sure to continue to obey all of the commandments Moses gave you. Love the Lord and follow his plan for your lives. Cling to him and serve him enthusiastically.”

6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them home. 7-8 (Moses had assigned the land of Bashan to the half-tribe of Manasseh, although the other half of the tribe was given land on the west side of the Jordan.) As Joshua sent away these troops, he blessed them and told them to share their great wealth with their relatives back home—their loot of cattle, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and clothing.

9 So the troops of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the army of Israel at Shiloh in Canaan and crossed the Jordan River to their own homeland of Gilead. 10 Before they went across, while they were still in Canaan, they built a large monument for everyone to see, in the shape of an altar.

11 But when the rest of Israel heard about what they had done, 12 they mustered an army at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against their brother tribes. 13 First, however, they sent a delegation led by Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest. They crossed the river and talked to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. 14 In this delegation were ten high officials of Israel, one from each of the ten tribes, and each a clan leader. 15 When they arrived in the land of Gilead they said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

16 “The whole congregation of the Lord demands to know why you are sinning against the God of Israel by turning away from him and building an altar of rebellion against the Lord. 17-18 Was our guilt at Peor—from which we have not even yet been cleansed despite the plague that tormented us—so little that you must rebel again? For you know that if you rebel today the Lord will be angry with all of us tomorrow. 19 If you need the altar because your land is defiled, then join us on our side of the river where the Lord lives among us in his Tabernacle, and we will share our land with you. But do not rebel against the Lord by building another altar in addition to the only true altar of our God. 20 Don’t you remember that when Achan, the son of Zerah, sinned against the Lord, the entire nation was punished in addition to the one man who had sinned?”

21 This was the reply of the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to these high officials:

22-23 “We swear by Jehovah, the God of gods, that we have not built the altar in rebellion against the Lord. He knows (and let all Israel know it too) that we have not built the altar to sacrifice burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings—may the curse of God be on us if we did. 24-25 We have done it because we love the Lord and because we fear that in the future your children will say to ours, ‘What right do you have to worship the Lord God of Israel? The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and your people! You have no part in the Lord.’ And your children may make our children stop worshiping him. 26-27 So we decided to build the altar as a symbol to show our children and your children that we, too, may worship the Lord with our burnt offerings and peace offerings and sacrifices, and your children will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no part in the Lord our God.’ 28 If they say this, our children can reply, ‘Look at the altar of the Lord that our fathers made, patterned after the altar of Jehovah. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices but is a symbol of the relationship with God that both of us have.’ 29 Far be it from us to turn away from the Lord or to rebel against him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that.”

30 When Phinehas the priest and the high officials heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, they were very happy.

31 Phinehas replied to them, “Today we know that the Lord is among us because you have not sinned against the Lord as we thought; instead, you have saved us from destruction!”

32 Then Phinehas and the ten ambassadors went back to the people of Israel and told them what had happened, 33 and all Israel rejoiced and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad. 34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar “The Altar of Witness,” for they said, “It is a witness between us and them that Jehovah is our God too.”

Close LEB

Joshua 22
Lexham English Bible

The Eastern Tribes Return

22 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and he said to them, “You have observed all that Moses Yahweh’s servant commanded you, and you have listened[a] to my voice in all that I have commanded you; 3 you have not forsaken your kinsmen[b] these many days, up to this day, and you have observed the obligation of the command of Yahweh your God. 4 So then, Yahweh your God has given rest to your kinsmen,[c] just as he promised them; so then, turn and go to your tents to the land of your possession, which Moses Yahweh’s servant gave to you beyond the Jordan. 5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and law that Moses Yahweh’s servant commanded you, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”[d] 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 a possession in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua had given a possession with their kinsmen[e] beyond the Jordan to the west; and when Joshua sent them to their tents and blessed them, 8 he said to them, “Return to your tents with much wealth, and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, copper, iron, and with very much clothing; divide the war-booty of your enemies with your kinsmen.”[f] 9 So the descendants[g] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed with the Israelites[h] at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead to the land of their possession, which they had acquired according to the command of Yahweh[i] through the hand of Moses.

10 And they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, and the descendants[j] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar on the Jordan, a large and imposing altar.[k] 11 And the Israelites[l] heard it said that the descendants[m] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar next to the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the Israelites.[n] 12 When the Israelites[o] heard of it, the whole congregation of the Israelites[p] gathered at Shiloh to go up against them for battle. 13 And the Israelites[q] sent to the descendants[r] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, Phinehas the priest son of Eleazar, 14 and ten leaders with him, one leader for each[s] family[t] from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one was the head of his family[u] among the clans of Israel.[v] 15 They came to the descendants[w] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, 16 “Thus says all the congregation of Yahweh: ‘What is this treachery that you have committed against the God of Israel by turning away today from following Yahweh, by building for yourselves an altar to rebel today against Yahweh? 17 Is not the sin of Peor enough for us,[x] from which we have not cleansed ourselves today, and for which a plague came to the congregation of Yahweh, 18 that you must turn today from following Yahweh? If you rebel today against Yahweh, tomorrow he will be angry with all of the congregation of Israel; 19 if, however, the land of your property is unclean, cross over to the land of Yahweh’s property, where Yahweh’s tabernacle resides,[y] and take possession among us. But you must not rebel against Yahweh or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of Yahweh our God. 20 Did not Achan son of Zerah commit treachery with devoted things,[z] and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And he alone[aa] did not perish because of his iniquity.’”

21 And the descendants[ab] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh spoke with the heads of the clans[ac] of Israel, 22 “Yahweh, God of gods! Yahweh, God of gods knows. And let Israel itself know, if it was in rebellion or treachery against Yahweh, do not spare us this day 23 for building for ourselves an altar to turn away from Yahweh, or if it was to offer burnt offerings,[ad] grain offerings,[ae] or fellowship offerings on it, may Yahweh himself take vengeance. 24 But in fact, we have done this because of anxiety, because of a reason, saying, ‘In the future your children may say to our children, ‘What is the relationship between you and Yahweh the God of Israel?[af] 25 Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, the descendants[ag] of Reuben and Gad; you have no portion in Yahweh.’ So your children may put an end to our children worshiping[ah] Yahweh. 26 So we said, ‘Let us build immediately for ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings[ai] or for sacrifices;[aj] 27 instead, it is a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us for performing the serving of Yahweh in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings; so that your children may not say in the future to our children, “You have no portion in Yahweh.”’ 28 And we thought, if they say to us and to our children in the future, we can say, ‘Look at this replica of the altar of Yahweh, which our ancestors[ak] made, not for burnt offerings[al] or sacrifices;[am] rather, it is a witness between us and you.’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against Yahweh, to turn today from following Yahweh, to build an altar for burnt offerings,[an] grain offerings,[ao] or sacrifices,[ap] instead of the altar of Yahweh our God that is before his tabernacle.”

30 Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the congregation, and the heads of the clans[aq] of Israel who were with him heard the words that the descendants[ar] of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh spoke, and they were satisfied.[as] 31 Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, said to the descendants[at] of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that Yahweh is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against Yahweh. Therefore you have rescued the Israelites[au] from the hand of Yahweh.”

32 And Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, and the leaders returned from the descendants[av] of Reuben and Gad, from the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan to the Israelites,[aw] and they gave them their report.[ax] 33 The report satisfied the Israelites;[ay] they blessed God, and they did not speak of going up for battle against them to destroy the land in which the descendants[az] of Reuben and Gad were living.[ba] 34 The descendants[bb] of Reuben and Gad called the altar Witness, “Because,” they said, “it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God.”

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 22:2 Or “you have obeyed”
  2. Joshua 22:3 Or “brothers”
  3. Joshua 22:4 Or “brothers”
  4. Joshua 22:5 Or “inner self”
  5. Joshua 22:7 Or “brothers”
  6. Joshua 22:8 Or “brothers”
  7. Joshua 22:9 Or “sons”
  8. Joshua 22:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  9. Joshua 22:9 Literally “on the mouth of Yahweh”
  10. Joshua 22:10 Or “sons”
  11. Joshua 22:10 Literally “a large altar to appearance”
  12. Joshua 22:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  13. Joshua 22:11 Or “sons”
  14. Joshua 22:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  15. Joshua 22:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  16. Joshua 22:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  17. Joshua 22:13 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  18. Joshua 22:13 Or “sons”
  19. Joshua 22:14 Literally “one leader, one leader”
  20. Joshua 22:14 Literally “of the house of father”
  21. Joshua 22:14 Literally “house of their fathers”
  22. Joshua 22:14 Or “thousands of Israel”
  23. Joshua 22:15 Or “sons”
  24. Joshua 22:17 Literally “too little for us”
  25. Joshua 22:19 Or “stands”
  26. Joshua 22:20 Or “consecrated possession”
  27. Joshua 22:20 Literally “And he is one man that”
  28. Joshua 22:21 Or “sons”
  29. Joshua 22:21 Or “thousands”
  30. Joshua 22:23 Hebrew “offering”
  31. Joshua 22:23 Hebrew “offering”
  32. Joshua 22:24 Literally “What is to you and to Yahweh the God of Israel”
  33. Joshua 22:25 Or “sons”
  34. Joshua 22:25 Or “seeing”
  35. Joshua 22:26 Hebrew “offering”
  36. Joshua 22:26 Hebrew “sacrifice”
  37. Joshua 22:28 Or “fathers”
  38. Joshua 22:28 Hebrew “offering”
  39. Joshua 22:28 Hebrew “sacrifice”
  40. Joshua 22:29 Hebrew “offering”
  41. Joshua 22:29 Hebrew “offering”
  42. Joshua 22:29 Hebrew “sacrifice”
  43. Joshua 22:30 Or “thousands”
  44. Joshua 22:30 Or “sons”
  45. Joshua 22:30 Literally “it was good in their eyes”
  46. Joshua 22:31 Or “sons”
  47. Joshua 22:31 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  48. Joshua 22:32 Or “sons”
  49. Joshua 22:32 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  50. Joshua 22:32 Literally “they brought back a word to them”
  51. Joshua 22:33 Literally “The report was good in the eyes of the children of Israel”
  52. Joshua 22:33 Or “sons”
  53. Joshua 22:33 Or “dwelling”
  54. Joshua 22:34 Or “sons”
Close GW

Joshua 22
GOD’S WORD Translation

Joshua Blesses the Tribes That Live East of the Jordan River

22 Joshua summoned the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. 2 He said to them, “You have done everything the Lord’s servant Moses commanded you. You have also obeyed me in everything I commanded you. 3 All this time, to this day, you have never deserted your relatives. You have carefully kept the commands of the Lord your God.

4 “Now the Lord your God has given your relatives peace, as he promised them. So return home, to the land that is your own possession. It is the land that the Lord’s servant Moses gave you east of the Jordan River. 5 Carefully follow the commands and teachings that the Lord’s servant Moses gave you. Love the Lord your God, follow his directions, and keep his commands. Be loyal to him, and serve him with all your heart and soul.” 6 Then Joshua blessed them. He sent them on their way, and they went to their homes.

7 Moses had given land in Bashan as an inheritance to half of Manasseh, and Joshua had given the other half of the tribe their land with their relatives west of the Jordan. When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them. 8 He also said to them, “Return to your homes with your vast wealth, large herds of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and loads of clothing. Divide the loot from your enemies with your relatives.”

An Altar for the Lord Is Built East of the Jordan River

9 So the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh left the rest of the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan. They returned to Gilead. This was their own possession which they had captured as the Lord had instructed them through Moses. 10 Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh came to the region of the Jordan that was still in Canaan. They built an altar by the Jordan River. The altar was very large and highly visible. 11 The rest of the Israelites heard about it and said, “See there! Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the border of Canaan. It’s in the region near the Jordan River on Israel’s side.” 12 When the people of Israel heard about it, the whole congregation of Israel gathered at Shiloh. They intended to wage war against them.

13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead. 14 Ten leaders, one from each tribe in Israel, went with him. Each man was a leader of a household and head of a family division in Israel. 15 When they arrived these leaders said to the people of Gilead, 16 “All of the Lord’s congregation is asking, ‘What is this faithless act you have committed against the God of Israel?’ Today you have turned away from following the Lord by building an altar for yourselves. Today you have rebelled against the Lord! 17 Does the sin we committed at Peor mean nothing to us anymore? Didn’t we cleanse ourselves from it? Because of that sin there was a plague on the Lord’s congregation! 18 You have turned away from following the Lord! Today you rebel against the Lord, and tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19 If your land is unclean,[a] come over here to the Lord’s land. The Lord’s tent is standing here. Take some property for yourselves among us. Don’t rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves in addition to the altar of the Lord our God. 20 Didn’t Achan, son of Zerah, act faithlessly with the things claimed by the Lord? Didn’t the Lord become angry with the whole congregation of Israel? Achan wasn’t the only one who died because of his sin.”

21 Then the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the divisions of Israel. 22 They said, “The Lord is ⌞the only true⌟ God! The Lord is ⌞the only true⌟ God! He knows, so let Israel know! If our act is rebellious or unfaithful to the Lord, 23 don’t spare us today. If we built an altar with the intention of no longer following him, and if we built it for making burnt offerings, grain offerings, or fellowship offerings, let the Lord punish us.

24 “We were worried because of the situation we’re in. We thought sometime in the future your children might say to our children, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel? 25 The Lord has made the Jordan River a dividing line between us and you, the descendants of Reuben and Gad. You have no connection with the Lord!’ So your descendants would stop our descendants from worshiping the Lord. 26 Then we said, ‘Let’s build an altar for ourselves. It will not be for burnt offerings or sacrifices, 27 but it will stand as a witness between us for generations to come. It will stand as a witness that we may worship in the presence of the Lord with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings.’ Then your descendants cannot say to our descendants, ‘You have no connection with the Lord!’ 28 So we thought, if this statement is made to us or to our descendants in the future, we will answer, ‘Look at the model of the Lord’s altar our ancestors made. They didn’t make it for burnt offerings or sacrifices but to stand as a witness between us.’ 29 It would be unthinkable for us to rebel against the Lord or to turn back today from following the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices in addition to the altar of the Lord our God that is in front of his tent.”

30 When the priest Phinehas, the leaders of the congregation, and the heads of the divisions of Israel heard what the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, they were satisfied. 31 Then Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know the Lord is among us, because you did not commit an unfaithful act against the Lord. Now you have rescued the people of Israel from the Lord’s punishment.”

32 Then Phinehas (son of the priest Eleazar) and the leaders returned from Reuben and Gad in Gilead to Israel in Canaan and gave them the report. 33 The people of Israel were satisfied with the report. So they praised God and didn’t talk anymore about going to war against Reuben and Gad and destroying the land where they were living.

34 The tribes of Reuben and Gad gave the altar a name: Witness Between Us That the Lord Is ⌞the Only True⌟ God.

Footnotes

  1. 22:19 “Unclean   ” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to God.
Next
Joshua 21
Joshua 23
Next
dropdown
Living Bible (TLB)

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.