¹⁸ “Then I commanded you at that time, saying: ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. ^(A)All you men of valor shall cross over armed before your brethren, the children of Israel.

²⁰ Then ^(A)Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, ²¹ and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, ²² and ^(B)the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward ^(C)you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and ^(D)this land shall be your possession before the Lord. ²³ But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure ^(E)your sin will find you out. ^24 (F)Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do ^[a]what has proceeded out of your mouth.”

¹² And ^(A)the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them. ¹³ About forty thousand ^[a]prepared for war crossed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho.

Eastern Tribes Return to Their Lands

22 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, ² and said to them: “You have kept ^(A)all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, ^(B)and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. ³ You have not ^[a]left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. ⁴ And now the Lord your God has given ^(C)rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, ^(D)which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. ⁵ But ^(E)take^[b] careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, ^(F)to love the Lord 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.” ⁶ So Joshua ^(G)blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

⁷ Now to half the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, ^(H)but to the other half of it Joshua gave a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. And indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, ⁸ and spoke to them, saying, “Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. ^(I)Divide the ^[c]spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”

⁹ So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to ^(J)the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

¹² And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, ¹³ “Remember ^(A)the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’ ¹⁴ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall ^[a]pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them, ¹⁵ until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. ^(B)Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”