Numbers 32
English Standard Version
Reuben and Gad Settle in Gilead
32 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of (A)Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. 2 So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, 3 (B)“Ataroth, (C)Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, (D)Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land (E)that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”
6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? 7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? 8 Your fathers did this, (F)when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the Lord had given them. 10 (G)And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, (H)from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give (I)to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, 12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the (J)Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for (K)they have wholly followed the Lord.’ 13 And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them (L)wander in the wilderness forty years, until (M)all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. 14 And behold, you have risen in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel! 15 For if you (N)turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.”
16 Then they came near to him and said, (O)“We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but (P)we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 (Q)We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, (R)because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” 20 So (S)Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war, 21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has (T)driven out his enemies from before him 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and (U)this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and (V)be sure your sin will find you out. 24 (W)Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” 25 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 (X)Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27 (Y)but your servants will pass over, every man who is (Z)armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord orders.”
28 So (AA)Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to (AB)Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them, “If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the Lord, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30 However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” 31 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the Lord has said to your servants, we will do. 32 We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”
33 And (AC)Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. 34 And the people of Gad built (AD)Dibon, (AE)Ataroth, (AF)Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, (AG)Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 (AH)Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, (AI)fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37 And the people of Reuben built (AJ)Heshbon, (AK)Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 (AL)Nebo, and (AM)Baal-meon ((AN)their names were changed), and (AO)Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built. 39 And the sons of (AP)Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 And Moses (AQ)gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. 41 And (AR)Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair.[a] 42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
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- Numbers 32:41 Havvoth-jair means the villages of Jair
Numbers 32
Common English Bible
Reuben and Gad request land
32 The livestock owned by the Reubenites and the Gadites were unusually vast and numerous. They saw that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead were exactly the place for livestock. 2 So the Gadites and the Reubenites came and said to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs of the community: 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon is 4 the land that the Lord struck down before the Israelite community. It is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 They said, “If you approve our request, give this land to your servants as property. Don’t make us cross the Jordan.”
6 Moses said to the Gadites and the Reubenites, “Should your brothers go to war, while you stay here? 7 Why would you destroy the Israelites’ resolve to cross into the land that the Lord gave them? 8 Your ancestors did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land. 9 They went up to the Cluster ravine, saw the land, and destroyed the Israelites’ resolve to enter the land that the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord became angry on that day and promised, 11 ‘None of the persons that went up from Egypt, those 20 years old and above, will see the fertile ground that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they didn’t remain true to me, 12 except Caleb, Jephunneh the Kenizzite’s son, and Joshua, Nun’s son, because they remained true to the Lord.’ 13 The Lord became angry with the Israelites and made them wander in the desert for forty years until the entire generation had died, which had done evil in the Lord’s eyes. 14 Now you’ve taken the place of your ancestors, a group of sinful men, to intensify the Lord’s anger against Israel. 15 If you turn away from him, he will turn away again to abandon Israel in the desert. Then you will destroy this entire people.”
Conditions for possession of the land
16 So they approached him and said, “We will build walled enclosures here for our livestock and towns for our children. 17 Then we will eagerly fight in front of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place. Our children will live in the fortified cities because of the land’s inhabitants. 18 And we won’t return to our homes until each one of the Israelites takes possession of his property. 19 We won’t inherit land with them there across the Jordan, because we’ve received our property on the east side of the Jordan.”
20 Moses said to them, “Do this and fight before the Lord in war. 21 All of you who are equipped for war, cross the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him 22 and the land is subdued in the Lord’s presence. Then you may return innocently before the Lord and Israel, and this land will be your property before the Lord. 23 But if you don’t do this, you’ve sinned against the Lord. Know that your sin will find you. 24 So build towns for your children and walled enclosures for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
25 The Gadites and the Reubenites said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my master has commanded. 26 Our children, wives, livestock, and all of our animals will remain in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants, everyone equipped for war before the Lord, will go over to do battle as my master said.”
28 Moses made demands for them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua, Nun’s son, and to the leaders of the households of the Israelite tribes. 29 Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and the Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, each equipped for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you will give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30 If, however, they don’t cross with you, equipped for war, they will take possession of property with you in the land of Canaan.”
31 The Gadites and the Reubenites answered, “We’ll do just as the Lord has spoken to your servants. 32 We’ll cross into the land of Canaan before the Lord, equipped for war. But the property we inherit will be across the Jordan.”
Territory of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh
33 So Moses gave to them—to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s son—the kingdom of Sihon the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og the king of Bashan, including the land, its cities, and the territory surrounding the land’s cities. 34 The Gadites built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fortified cities and walled enclosures for flocks. 37 The Reubenites built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. They named the cities that they built. 39 The descendants of Machir, Manasseh’s son, went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir, Manasseh’s son, and he lived there. 41 Manasseh’s son Jair went and captured their villages and named them Havvoth-jair.[a] 42 Nobah went and captured Kenath and its surrounding villages. He renamed it Nobah after himself.
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- Numbers 32:41 Or the villages of Jair
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible