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Joshua 22
King James Version
Joshua 22
King James Version
22 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
3 Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God.
4 And now the Lord your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side Jordan.
5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.
7 Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them,
8 And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.
9 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
10 And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.
12 And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.
13 And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
14 And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.
15 And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,
16 Thus saith the whole congregation of the Lord, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the Lord?
17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord,
18 But that ye must turn away this day from following the Lord? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the Lord, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.
19 Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the Lord, wherein the Lord's tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the Lord, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the Lord our God.
20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,
22 The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the Lord, (save us not this day,)
23 That we have built us an altar to turn from following the Lord, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the Lord himself require it;
24 And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the Lord God of Israel?
25 For the Lord hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the Lord: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the Lord.
26 Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
27 But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the Lord before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the Lord.
28 Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.
29 God forbid that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn this day from following the Lord, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the Lord our God that is before his tabernacle.
30 And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.
31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the Lord is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the Lord: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.
32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.
33 And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the Lord is God.
Joshua 22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Joshua 22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
III. Return of the Transjordan Tribes and Joshua’s Farewell
Chapter 22
The Eastern Tribes Dismissed. 1 At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2 and said to them:(A) “You have observed all that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you, and have listened to my voice in everything I commanded you. 3 For many years now, even until today, you have not abandoned your allies, but have taken care to observe the commands of the Lord, your God. 4 Now that the Lord, your God, has settled your allies as he promised them, you may return to your tents, to your own land, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you, across the Jordan.(B) 5 But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you: love the Lord, your God,(C) follow him in all his ways, keep his commandments, hold fast to him, and serve him with your whole heart and your whole self.” 6 Joshua then blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.
7 (For, to half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had assigned land in Bashan;(D) and to the other half Joshua had given a portion along with their allies west of the Jordan.) When Joshua sent them away to their tents and blessed them, 8 he said, “Now that you are returning to your own tents with great wealth, with abundant livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and with a very large supply of clothing, divide these spoils of your enemies with your allies there.”(E) 9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the other Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and returned to the land of Gilead, their own land, which they had received according to the Lord’s command through Moses.(F)
The Altar Beside the Jordan. 10 When the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh came to the region of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, they built an altar there at the Jordan, an impressively large altar. 11 The other Israelites heard the report:(G) “The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar” in the region of the Jordan facing the land of Canaan,[a] across from the Israelites. 12 When the Israelites heard this, they assembled at Shiloh, as the entire Israelite community to take military action against them.[b]
Accusation of the Western Tribes. 13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead,(H) 14 and with him ten leaders, one from each tribe of Israel, each one the head of an ancestral house among the clans of Israel. 15 When these came to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, they said to them: 16 “Thus says the whole community of the Lord: What act of treachery is this you have committed against the God of Israel? This day you have turned from following the Lord; by building an altar of your own you have rebelled against the Lord this day. 17 Is the iniquity of Peor not enough, by which we made ourselves impure, even to this day, and a plague came upon the community of the Lord?(I) 18 If today you turn away from following the Lord, and rebel against the Lord, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel! 19 If you consider the land you now possess unclean,[c] cross over to the land the Lord possesses, where the tabernacle of the Lord stands, and share that with us. But do not rebel against the Lord, nor involve us in rebellion, by building an altar of your own in addition to the altar of the Lord, our God. 20 When Achan, son of Zerah,(J) acted treacherously by violating the ban, was it not upon the entire community of Israel that wrath fell? Though he was but a single man, he did not perish alone[d] for his guilt!”
Reply of the Eastern Tribes. 21 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the Israelite clans: 22 “The Lord is the God of gods. The Lord, the God of gods,[e] knows and Israel shall know. If now we have acted out of rebellion or treachery against the Lord, our God, do not try to save us this day, 23 and if we have built an altar of our own to turn from following the Lord, or to sacrifice burnt offerings, grain offerings, or communion sacrifices upon it, the Lord himself will exact the penalty. 24 We did it rather out of our anxious concern lest in the future your children should say to our children: ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 For the Lord has placed the Jordan as a boundary between you and us, you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the Lord.’ Thus your children would prevent ours from revering the Lord. 26 So we thought, ‘Let us act for ourselves by building this altar of our own’—not for burnt offerings or sacrifice, 27 (K)but as witness between us and you and our descendants, that we have the right to provide for the service of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and communion sacrifices. Now in the future your children cannot say to our children, ‘You have no share in the Lord.’ 28 Our thought was that, if in the future they should speak thus to us or to our descendants, we could answer: ‘Look at the copy of the altar of the Lord which our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifices, but to witness[f] between you and us.’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord or to turn now from following the Lord by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice in addition to the altar of the Lord, our God, which stands before his tabernacle.”
30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community, the heads of the Israelite clans, heard what the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites had to say, they were satisfied. 31 Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites, “Today we know that the Lord is in our midst. Since you have not rebelled against the Lord by this act of treachery, you have delivered the Israelites from the hand of the Lord.”
32 Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan, and reported the matter to them. 33 The report satisfied the Israelites, who blessed God and decided not to take military action against the Reubenites and Gadites nor to ravage the land where they lived.
34 The Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar its name[g] as a witness among them that the Lord is God.
Footnotes
- 22:11 In the region of the Jordan facing the land of Canaan: on the eastern side of the Jordan valley. The river itself formed the boundary between these eastern tribes and the rest of the tribes who lived in what was formerly Canaan—though the term “Canaan” could also be used of both sides of the Jordan valley (cf. v. 10). The Transjordan tribes naturally built their altar in their own territory.
- 22:12 To take military action against them: the western Israelites considered this altar, which seemed to violate the customary unity of the sanctuary (cf. Lv 17:1–9; Dt 12:4–14), as constituting rebellion against the Lord and compromising national unity.
- 22:19 Unclean: not sanctified by the tabernacle.
- 22:20 Achan…did not perish alone: his guilt caused the failure of the first attack on Ai (7:4–23); this fact is adduced as an argument for the solidarity and mutual responsibility of all the Israelites.
- 22:22 The Lord, the God of gods: the Hebrew, which cannot be adequately rendered in English here, adds to the divine name Yhwh (“the Lord”) two synonymous words for “God,” ’el and ’elohim. The repetition of these three sacred words adds force to the protestations of fidelity and innocence.
- 22:28 To witness: far from being destined to form a rival sanctuary, the copy of the altar is intended by the eastern tribes solely as a means of teaching their children to be faithful to the one true sanctuary beyond the Jordan.
- 22:34 The name of this altar was the Hebrew word for “witness,” ‘ed.
Yoswa 22
Endagaano Enkadde nʼEndagaano Empya
Yoswa 22
Endagaano Enkadde nʼEndagaano Empya
22 Awo Yoswa n’ayita Abalewubeeni n’Abagaadi n’ekitundu eky’ekika kya Manase, 2 (A)n’abagamba nti, “Mwekuumye ne mukola byonna Musa omuweereza wa Mukama Katonda bye yabalagira. 3 Ebbanga lyonna n’okutuusa leero temulekeredde baganda bammwe, mubadde beegendereza okukuuma ekiragiro kya Mukama Katonda wammwe. 4 (B)Era kaakano Mukama Katonda wammwe awadde baganda bammwe emirembe nga bwe yabasuubiza. Noolwekyo muddeeyo mu maka gammwe mu nsi Musa omuweereza wa Mukama gye yabawa ku luuyi luli olulala olwa Yoludaani. 5 (C)Wabula mwegendereze okukuumanga ebiragiro era n’amateeka Musa omuweereza wa Mukama bye yabalagira: okwagalanga Mukama Katonda wammwe, okutambuliranga mu makubo ge gonna, okukuumanga ebiragiro bye, n’okumunywererangako era n’okumuweerezanga n’omutima gwammwe gwonna era n’emmeeme yammwe yonna.” 6 (D)Yoswa n’alyoka abasabira omukisa n’abasiibula ne baddayo mu maka gaabwe.
Ekyoto ku Yoludaani
7 (E)Ekitundu ekimu eky’ekika kya Manase, Musa yali akigabidde ettaka mu Basani, n’ekitundu ekirala eky’ekika kya Manase ne baganda baabwe, Yoswa n’akiwa ettaka ku luuyi olw’ebugwanjuba bwa Yoludaani. Yoswa n’abawa omukisa n’abasiibula baddeyo ewaabwe. 8 (F)N’abagamba nti, “Ente nnyingi, ne ffeeza, ne zaabu, n’ekikomo, n’ekyuma, era n’engoye nnyingi bye munyaze ku balabe bammwe; mubigabaane ne baganda bammwe.”
9 (G)Awo Abalewubeeni n’abaana ba Gaadi n’ekitundu eky’ekika kya Manase nga bava mu baana ba Isirayiri mu Siiro ekiri mu nsi ya Kanani ne baddayo mu nsi yaabwe, mu Gireyaadi, gye baali bagabanye bo bennyini ng’ekiragiro kya Mukama Katonda bwe kyali okuyita mu Musa. 10 Era bwe baatuuka mu kitundu ekiriraanye Yoludaani mu nsi ya Kanani, abaana ba Lewubeeni n’abaana ba Gaadi n’ekitundu eky’ekika kya Manase, ne bazimba awo ekyoto, ekinene ddala. 11 Wabula abantu ba Isirayiri bwe baawulira nti bazimbye ekyoto ku Yoludaani ku luuyi lwa Isirayiri, 12 (H)ekibiina kyonna ekya Isirayiri ne bakuŋŋaana e Siiro beetegekere olutalo babalumbe.
13 (I)Awo abaana ba Isirayiri ne batuma Finekaasi omwana wa Eriyazaali kabona eri Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi, n’ekitundu ky’ekika kya Manase mu nsi ya Gireyaadi. 14 (J)Ne batumirako abakungu kkumi, omu omu omukulu w’ennyumba mu buli kika kya Isirayiri.
15 Bwe bajja eri Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi, n’ekibiina kyonna ekya Manase mu nsi ya Gireyaadi ne babagamba nti, 16 (K)“Ekibiina kyonna ekya Mukama bwe kiti bwe kigamba, ‘Muyinza mutya okukyama bwe muti okuva ku Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri? Muyinza mutya okuva ku Mukama ne mwezimbira ekyoto ne mumujeemera awo? 17 (L)Ekibi kya Peoli tekyatumala, ate nga n’okwerongoosa tubadde tetunnaba kwerongoosa kwemalako kibi ekyo, wadde kawumpuli yagwa ku kibiina kya Mukama Katonda, 18 (M)ate mmwe ne mulekeraawo okugoberera Mukama Katonda? Bwe munaajeemera Mukama leero, enkya ajja kunyiigira eggwanga lyonna erya Isirayiri. 19 Obanga ensi gye mututte sinnongoofu, mujje eno eri ensi ya Mukama, weema ya Mukama gy’eri, tugabane eno gye tuli; kye mutasaana kukola kwe kujeemera Mukama, oba okutufuula ffe abajeemu nga mwezimbira ekyoto ekitali kya Mukama Katonda waffe. 20 (N)Akani mutabani wa Zeera teyajeema bwe yatoola ku bintu Mukama bye yali yeerobozza, ekiruyi kya Mukama ne kijjira ekibiina kyonna ekya Isirayiri? Si ye yekka eyazikirira olw’ekibi kye.’ ”
21 Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi, n’ekitundu ky’ekika kya Manase ne balyoka baddamu abakulu b’ebika bya Isirayiri nti, 22 (O)“Mukama Katonda ow’Amaanyi, Mukama ow’Amaanyi! Ye amanyi, era Isirayiri akimanye! Bwe kiba nga kyabadde mu kwediima oba kujeemera Mukama, temutusonyiwa leero. 23 (P)Bwe tuba nga ekyatuzimbya ekyoto kwe kuva ku Mukama, tukiweereko ekiweebwayo ekyokebwa oba ekiweebwayo ekyobutta oba ssaddaaka ez’ebiweebwayo olw’emirembe, Mukama Katonda yennyini atuvunaane. 24 Nedda, twakikola mu kutya nti mu mirembe egijja abaana baffe balitubuuza nti, ‘Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri mumumanyiiko ki? 25 Kubanga Mukama yakola Yoludaani okubeera ensalo wakati wammwe naffe mmwe Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi, temulina mugabo eri Mukama Katonda.’ Noolwekyo abaana bammwe bayinza okugaana abaana baffe okusinza Mukama Katonda.
26 “Kyetwava tugamba nti, ‘Leka tuzimbe kaakano ekyoto ekitali kya kukozesa ku biweebwayo ebyokebwa, wadde ssaddaaka,’ 27 (Q)naye kibeere akabonero ak’obujulizi wakati waffe nammwe, era ne wakati we mirembe egirituddirira nti tugenda mu maaso ga Mukama Katonda ne tumusinza n’ebiweebwayo byaffe ebyokebwa ne ssaddaaka era n’ebiweebwayo olw’emirembe si kulwa nga abaana bammwe bagamba abaana baffe mu biseera ebijja nti, ‘Temulina mugabo gwonna eri Mukama Katonda.’ 28 Kyetwava tugamba nti, ‘Bwe balitugamba batyo oba okugamba abaana baffe abaliddawo, tulibaddamu nti, “Mulabe ekifaananyi kye kyoto kya Mukama Katonda, bakitaffe kye baakola, si lwa biweebwayo ebyokebwa wadde ssaddaaka, naye okubeera omujulirwa wakati waffe nammwe.” ’ 29 (R)Kikafuuwe ffe okujeemera Mukama era n’okumuvaako leero ne tutamugoberera nga tuzimba ekyoto eky’ebiweebwayo ebyokebwa, oba ebiweebwayo eby’empeke, oba ssaddaaka, ekitali kyoto kya Mukama Katonda waffe ekiri mu maaso ga Ssanduuko y’Endagaano ye!”
Ekyoto Kikkirizibwa
30 Finekaasi kabona, n’abakulu b’ebibiina by’ebika bya Isirayiri abaali naye bwe baawulira ebigambo Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi n’aba Manase bye bayogera, ne bibasanyusa nnyo. 31 (S)Finekaasi mutabani wa Eriyazaali kabona n’agamba Abalewubeeni n’Abagaadi n’abaana ba Manase nti, “Leero tutegedde nti Mukama ali wakati mu ffe, kubanga temukoze kivve kino eri Mukama Katonda, kaakano abantu ba Isirayiri mubawonyezza omukono gwa Mukama Katonda.” 32 Awo Finekaasi mutabani wa Eriyazaali kabona, n’abakulu b’ebika ne bava eri Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi mu nsi ye Kanani, ne baddayo eri abantu ba Isirayiri ne bababuulira ebibaddeyo. 33 (T)Bye baayogera ne bisanyusa abantu ba Isirayiri ne bagulumiza Katonda ne bataddayo kwogera ku bya lutalo kubalumba, bazikirize ensi Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi gye baali basenze.
34 (U)Abalewubeeni n’Abagaadi ne batuuma ekyoto erinnya Mujulizi, ne bagamba nti, “Kubanga mujulizi eri ffe nti Mukama ye Katonda.”
Joshua 22
New International Version
Joshua 22
New International Version
Eastern Tribes Return Home
22 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2 and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded,(A) and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. 3 For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. 4 Now that the Lord your God has given them rest(B) as he promised, return to your homes(C) in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan.(D) 5 But be very careful to keep the commandment(E) and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord(F) your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands,(G) to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.(H)”
6 Then Joshua blessed(I) them and sent them away, and they went to their homes. 7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan,(J) and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side(K) of the Jordan along with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them,(L) 8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth—with large herds of livestock,(M) with silver, gold, bronze and iron,(N) and a great quantity of clothing—and divide(O) the plunder(P) from your enemies with your fellow Israelites.”
9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh(Q) in Canaan to return to Gilead,(R) their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.
10 When they came to Geliloth(S) near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar(T) there by the Jordan. 11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh(U) to go to war against them.
13 So the Israelites sent Phinehas(V) son of Eleazar,(W) the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With him they sent ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.(X)
15 When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them: 16 “The whole assembly of the Lord says: ‘How could you break faith(Y) with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion(Z) against him now? 17 Was not the sin of Peor(AA) enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord! 18 And are you now turning away from the Lord?
“‘If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community(AB) of Israel. 19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord’s land, where the Lord’s tabernacle(AC) stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar(AD) for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 When Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful in regard to the devoted things,[a](AE) did not wrath(AF) come on the whole community(AG) of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’”(AH)
21 Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: 22 “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God,(AI) the Lord!(AJ) He knows!(AK) And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. 23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings,(AL) or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.(AM)
24 “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord.
26 “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness(AN) between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings.(AO) Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the Lord.’
28 “And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord’s altar, which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness(AP) between us and you.’
29 “Far be it from us to rebel(AQ) against the Lord and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle.(AR)”
30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. 31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is with us,(AS) because you have not been unfaithful to the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s hand.”
32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites.(AT) 33 They were glad to hear the report and praised God.(AU) And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.
34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness(AV) Between Us—that the Lord is God.
Footnotes
- Joshua 22:20 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Endagaano Enkadde nʼEndagaano Empya (LCB)
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