Numbers 32
The Message
Tribes East of the Jordan
32 1-4 The families of Reuben and Gad had huge herds of livestock. They saw that the country of Jazer and Gilead was just the place for grazing livestock. And so they came, the families of Gad and of Reuben, and spoke to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the congregation, saying, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon—the country that God laid low before the community of Israel—is a country just right for livestock, and we have livestock.”
5 They continued, “If you think we’ve done a good job so far, give us this country for our inheritance. Don’t make us go across the Jordan.”
6-12 Moses answered the families of Gad and Reuben: “Do you mean that you are going to leave the fighting that’s ahead to your brothers while you settle down here? Why would you even think of letting the People of Israel down, demoralizing them just as they’re about to move into the land God gave them? That’s exactly what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to survey the country. They went as far as the Valley of Eshcol, took one look and quit. They completely demoralized the People of Israel from entering the land God had given them. And God got angry—oh, did he get angry! He swore: ‘They’ll never get to see it; none of those who came up out of Egypt who are twenty years and older will ever get to see the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They weren’t interested in following me—their hearts weren’t in it. None, except for Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun; they followed me—their hearts were in it.’
13 “God’s anger smoked against Israel. He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until that entire generation that acted out evil in his sight had died out.
14-15 “And now here you are, just one more mob of sinners stepping up to replace your ancestors, throwing fuel on the already blazing anger of God against Israel. If you won’t follow him, he’ll do it again. He’ll dump them in the desert and the disaster will be all your fault.”
16-19 They came close to him and said, “All we want to do is build corrals for our livestock and towns for our families. Then we’ll take up arms and take the front lines, leading the People of Israel to their place. We’ll be able to leave our families behind, secure in fortified towns, safe from those who live in the land. But we won’t go back home until every Israelite is in full possession of his inheritance. We won’t expect any inheritance west of the Jordan; we are claiming all our inheritance east of the Jordan.”
20-22 Moses said, “If you do what you say, take up arms before God for battle and together go across the Jordan ready, before God, to fight until God has cleaned his enemies out of the land, then when the land is secure you will have fulfilled your duty to God and Israel. Then this land will be yours to keep before God.
23-24 “But if you don’t do what you say, you will be sinning against God; you can be sure that your sin will track you down. So, go ahead. Build towns for your families and corrals for your livestock. Do what you said you’d do.”
25-27 The families of Gad and Reuben told Moses: “We will do as our master commands. Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will stay behind here in the towns of Gilead. But we, every one of us fully armed, will cross the river to fight for God, just as our master has said.”
28-30 So Moses issued orders for them to Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the ancestral tribes of the People of Israel. Moses said, “If the families of Gad and Reuben cross the Jordan River with you and before God, all armed and ready to fight, then after the land is secure, you may give them the land of Gilead as their inheritance. But if they don’t cross over with you, they’ll have to settle up with you in Canaan.”
31-32 The families of Gad and Reuben responded: “We will do what God has said. We will cross the Jordan before God, ready and willing to fight. But the land we inherit will be here, to the east of the Jordan.”
33 Moses gave the families of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan—the land, its towns, and all the territories connected with them—the works.
34-36 The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities; they also built corrals for their animals.
37-38 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, also Nebo and Baal Meon and Sibmah. They renamed the cities that they rebuilt.
39-40 The family of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who lived there. Moses then gave Gilead to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh. They moved in and settled there.
41 Jair, another son of Manasseh, captured some villages and named them Havvoth Jair (Jair’s Tent-Camps).
42 Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding camps. He renamed it after himself, Nobah.
Numbers 32
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Transjordan Tribes
32 The descendants of Reuben and Gad had very large flocks and herds of livestock. They saw that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was ideal for livestock. 2 The descendants of Gad and Reuben came and spoke to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the tribal chiefs of the community. They said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon— 4 the land which the Lord struck down before the community of Israel—is an ideal land for livestock. We, your servants, have livestock.” 5 They continued, “If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not require us to cross the Jordan.”
6 Moses said to the descendants of Gad and Reuben, “Do you expect your brothers to go into battle while you live here? 7 Why are you disheartening the Israelites from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given to them? 8 Your fathers did that same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 They had gone up as far as the Valley of Eshcol and had seen the land. Then they disheartened the Israelites so that they would not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord’s anger burned on that day, and he swore an oath, 11 ‘Surely none of the men twenty years old and up who came up from Egypt will see the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not followed me completely, 12 except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, because they have followed the Lord completely.’ 13 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel so he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation that had done evil in the Lord’s sight was gone.”
14 He continued, “See, here you are, a band of sinners standing in your fathers’ place, adding still more to the Lord’s fierce anger against Israel. 15 If you turn away from following him, he will once again leave these people in the wilderness, and you will have destroyed all these people.”
16 They approached him and said, “We will build sheep pens here for our livestock and cities for our children, 17 but we will be quick to arm ourselves to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their own places. Our children will live in our fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land, 18 but we will not return to our houses until the Israelites have each taken possession of their inheritance. 19 We certainly will not have any claim to an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us here on the east side of the Jordan, toward the sunrise.”
20 Moses said to them, “If you will do what you have said, if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle, 21 and if every one of you who is armed will cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven out his enemies before him, 22 and until the land has been subdued before the Lord, then after that you may return home. You will be guiltless toward the Lord and Israel. This land will be a possession for you in the presence of the Lord.
23 “But if you will not do this, look, you will have sinned against the Lord. Know that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your children, and pens for your flocks, but keep the promises that have come out of your mouth.”
25 The descendants of Gad and Reuben spoke to Moses: “We, your servants, will do as my lord commands. 26 Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will stay here by the cities of Gilead, 27 but your servants, every man who is armed for war, will cross over before the Lord for battle, as my lord says.”
28 So Moses gave a command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leading fathers of the Israelite tribes. 29 Moses said to them, “If the descendants of Gad and Reuben, everyone who is armed for battle, will cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you will give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30 But if they are not willing to cross over with you armed, they will have an inheritance among you in the land of Canaan.”
31 The descendants of Gad and Reuben answered, “We will do what the Lord has said to us, your servants. 32 We will cross over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but the property that comes to us as our inheritance will be east of the Jordan.”
33 Moses gave the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to half of the tribe descended from Manasseh, the son of Joseph—the land including its cities with the territories surrounding them. 34 The descendants of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities and built sheep pens there. 37 The descendants of Reuben built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo and Baal Meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt. 39 The descendants of Makir, the son of Manasseh, went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40 Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Makir, the descendants of Manasseh, and they lived there. 41 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth Jair.[a] 42 Nobah went and captured Kenath and its settlements. He renamed it Nobah after himself.
Footnotes
- Numbers 32:41 Havvoth Jair means Villages of Jair.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.