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.”
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
- Joshua 22:2 Or “you have obeyed”
- Joshua 22:3 Or “brothers”
- Joshua 22:4 Or “brothers”
- Joshua 22:5 Or “inner self”
- Joshua 22:7 Or “brothers”
- Joshua 22:8 Or “brothers”
- Joshua 22:9 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Joshua 22:9 Literally “on the mouth of Yahweh”
- Joshua 22:10 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:10 Literally “a large altar to appearance”
- Joshua 22:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Joshua 22:11 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Joshua 22:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Joshua 22:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Joshua 22:13 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Joshua 22:13 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:14 Literally “one leader, one leader”
- Joshua 22:14 Literally “of the house of father”
- Joshua 22:14 Literally “house of their fathers”
- Joshua 22:14 Or “thousands of Israel”
- Joshua 22:15 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:17 Literally “too little for us”
- Joshua 22:19 Or “stands”
- Joshua 22:20 Or “consecrated possession”
- Joshua 22:20 Literally “And he is one man that”
- Joshua 22:21 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:21 Or “thousands”
- Joshua 22:23 Hebrew “offering”
- Joshua 22:23 Hebrew “offering”
- Joshua 22:24 Literally “What is to you and to Yahweh the God of Israel”
- Joshua 22:25 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:25 Or “seeing”
- Joshua 22:26 Hebrew “offering”
- Joshua 22:26 Hebrew “sacrifice”
- Joshua 22:28 Or “fathers”
- Joshua 22:28 Hebrew “offering”
- Joshua 22:28 Hebrew “sacrifice”
- Joshua 22:29 Hebrew “offering”
- Joshua 22:29 Hebrew “offering”
- Joshua 22:29 Hebrew “sacrifice”
- Joshua 22:30 Or “thousands”
- Joshua 22:30 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:30 Literally “it was good in their eyes”
- Joshua 22:31 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:31 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Joshua 22:32 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:32 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Joshua 22:32 Literally “they brought back a word to them”
- Joshua 22:33 Literally “The report was good in the eyes of the children of Israel”
- Joshua 22:33 Or “sons”
- Joshua 22:33 Or “dwelling”
- Joshua 22:34 Or “sons”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software