Numbers 32:1-33:49
EasyEnglish Bible
Land on the east side of the Jordan River
32 The people in the tribes of Reuben and Gad had very many animals. They saw that the land in Jazer and Gilead was good for their animals. 2 They went to speak to Moses, Eleazar and the other leaders of the Israelites. 3 They said, ‘The land at Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon 4 is good for animals. The Lord has given all this land to us Israelites. We have very many animals, 5 so please let us have this land for our animals. Let us have this land to live on, instead of land on the other side of the Jordan River.’[a]
6 Moses said to the men of Reuben and Gad, ‘The other Israelite tribes will go across the river to fight against the people who live there. It is not fair that you should stay here! 7 If you stay here, the rest of the Israelites may not want to cross the river. Do not stop them going into the land that the Lord has given to them! 8 Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to look at the land of Canaan. 9 They went to Eshcol valley and they saw the land. But they told the Israelites that it was not a good idea to go into Canaan. So the people did not go into the land that the Lord had given to them. 10 As a result, the Lord was very angry with them. 11 He promised, “None of the men that I brought out from Egypt will go into the land. It is the land that I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But they have not trusted me completely. So any man who is 20 years old or older will not go into this land. 12 Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun are the only men who will go into the land. They are the only men who trusted me completely.”
13 At that time, the Lord was angry with all the Israelites. He caused them to travel in the desert for 40 years. After that, all the men who had turned against him were dead.’
14 Moses continued to say, ‘Now you are turning against God, as your fathers did. You are as bad as them! You will cause the Lord to be even more angry with the Israelites. 15 If you turn against him, he will leave them here in the desert. If all the Israelite people die, it will be because of you!’
16 The men of Reuben and Gad said to Moses, ‘Let us build strong houses here for our women and our children. We will also build places to keep our animals safe. 17 Then we will be ready to join the other tribes and we will lead them to the battle. While we are fighting, our families will be safe here. The people who live in this land will not be able to hurt them. 18 We will not return to our homes here until all the Israelite tribes receive their own part of the land. 19 We will not receive any of the land on the other side of the Jordan River. Our part of the land will be here, on the east side of the river.’
20 Moses said to the men, ‘You must really do as you have said. You must take your weapons and go to fight for the Lord. 21 Your men must cross over the Jordan River with the other tribes. You must continue to fight until we have won against all our enemies. 22 When the Lord has power over the whole land, then you can return here. You will have done everything that the Lord wants you to do. You will have helped the whole Israelite nation in the way that you should. The Lord will give to you this land on the east side of the Jordan River.
23 But if you do not do what you have promised, that will be a sin against the Lord. And be sure that God will punish you for your sin. 24 So build towns for your families, and build safe places for your animals. But then do everything that you have promised to do.’
25 The men in the tribes of Gad and Reuben said to Moses, ‘Yes sir, we will do what you have said. 26 Our women, children and our animals will stay here in Gilead's towns. 27 But all our men who are able to fight will cross over the river. We will fight on behalf of the Lord, as you have said that we should do.’
28 Moses gave this message to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun and to the leaders of the family clans. 29 He said to them, ‘The men in Reuben's tribe and in Gad's tribe must cross over the Jordan River to fight with you on behalf of the Lord. If they do that, you must give to them the land here in Gilead. When you have won power over the whole land, then this land will belong to them. 30 If they refuse to fight together with the other tribes, they will have no land here. They must have part of the land in Canaan, like the other tribes.’
31 The men in the tribes of Reuben and Gad said, ‘We will do what the Lord has told us to do. 32 We will take our weapons and we will cross over the Jordan River to fight on behalf of the Lord in Canaan. But then we will live in our land here on this side of the river.’
33 So Moses gave to them all the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites and Og, the king of Bashan. He gave to them the land with its towns and all the land round the towns. He gave it to the descendants of Gad and of Reuben and half of the tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh.
34 The men in the tribe of Gad built up again Dibon, Ataroth and Aroer. 35 They also built up again Atroth-Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-Nimrah and Beth-Haran. They built houses for their families and their animals. 37 The men in the tribe of Reuben built up again Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim. 38 Nebo, Baal-Meon and Sibmah. They gave new names to the cities that they built up again.
39 The descendants of Makir, the son of Manasseh, attacked Gilead. They sent away the people who lived there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the descendants of Makir who was the son of Manasseh. And they lived there. 41 Jair, who was a descendant of Manasseh, attacked some villages. He got power over them and he called them Havvoth-Jair. 42 Nobah attacked Kenath and the villages round it. He called it Nobah, like his own name.
The journey of the Israelites
33 This is the way that the Israelites travelled, after Moses and Aaron led them out of Egypt. They travelled in their family groups. 2 The Lord told Moses that he should write about the journey. These are the places where they made their camps on the way:
3 They left Rameses in Egypt on the 15th day of the first month. That was the day after the Passover meal. The Israelites marched out bravely, while all the Egyptian people watched them. 4 As they left, the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons, because the Lord had killed them. The Lord had shown his power over the Egyptians' gods.
5 They left Rameses and they travelled to Succoth. They made their camp there.
6 They travelled from Succoth to Etham. They made their camp there, on the edge of the desert.
7 They travelled from Etham and they turned round to go to Pi-Hahiroth, which is east of Baal-Zephon. They made their camp near Migdol.
8 They travelled from Pi-Hahiroth. They went through the middle of the sea and then went into the desert. They travelled for three days and then they made their camp at Marah, in Etham desert.
9 They travelled from Marah to Elim. At Elim, there were 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees. They made their camp there.
10 They travelled from Elim and they made their camp by the side of the Red Sea.
11 They travelled from the Red Sea. And they made their camp in the Sin desert.
12 They travelled from the Sin desert and they made their camp at Dophkah.
13 They travelled from Dophkah and they made their camp at Alush.
14 They travelled from Alush and they made their camp at Rephidim. There was no water there for the people to drink.
15 They travelled from Rephidim and they made their camp in the Sinai desert.
16 They travelled from the Sinai desert and they made their camp at Kibroth-Hattaavah.
17 They travelled from Kibroth-Hattaavah and they made their camp at Hazeroth.
18 They travelled from Hazeroth and they made their camp at Rithmah.
19 They travelled from Rithmah and they made their camp at Rimmon-Perez.
20 They travelled from Rimmon-Perez and they made their camp at Libnah.
21 They travelled from Libnah and they made their camp at Rissah.
22 They travelled from Rissah and they made their camp at Kehelathah.
23 They travelled from Kehelathah and they made their camp at Shepher mountain.
24 They travelled from Shepher mountain and they made their camp at Haradah.
25 They travelled from Haradah and they made their camp at Makheloth.
26 They travelled from Makheloth and they made their camp at Tahath.
27 They travelled from Tahath and they made their camp at Terah.
28 They travelled from Terah and they made their camp at Mithcah.
29 They travelled from Mithcah and they made their camp at Hashmonah.
30 They travelled from Hashmonah and they made their camp at Moseroth.
31 They travelled from Moseroth and they made their camp at Bene-Jaakan.
32 They travelled from Bene-Jaakan and they made their camp at Hor-Haggidgad.
33 They travelled from Hor-Haggidgad and they made their camp at Jotbathah.
34 They travelled from Jotbathah and they made their camp at Abronah.
35 They travelled from Abronah and they made their camp at Ezion-Geber.
36 They travelled from Ezion-Geber and they made their camp at Kadesh in the Zin desert.
37 They travelled from Kadesh and they made their camp at Hor mountain. It is on the border of Edom land.
38 The Lord told Aaron that he must go up Hor mountain. Aaron went up and he died there. That was in the 40th year after the Israelites had left Egypt. He died on the first day of the fifth month. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Hor mountain.
40 The king of Arad lived in the south part of the land of Canaan. People told him that the Israelites were coming.
41 The Israelites travelled from Hor mountain and they made their camp at Zalmonah.
42 They travelled from Zalmonah and they made their camp at Punon.
43 They travelled from Punon and they made their camp at Oboth.
44 They travelled from Oboth and they made their camp at Iye-Abarim, on the border of Moab land.
45 They travelled from Iye-Abarim and they made their camp at Dibon-Gad.
46 They travelled from Dibon-Gad and they made their camp at Almon-Diblathaim.
47 They travelled from Almon-Diblathaim and they made their camp in the mountains of Abarim, near Nebo.
48 They travelled from the mountains of Abarim and they made their camp in Moab beside the Jordan River. They were on the other side of the river from Jericho city.
49 They made their camp on the flat ground beside the river. Their tents covered the ground from Beth-Jeshimoth to Abel-Shittim.
Footnotes
- 32:5 The Israelites were getting near to Canaan from the south-east. They already had power over much of the land east of the Jordan River.
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