Numbers 32:1-19

Good News Translation

The Tribes East of the Jordan^(A)

32 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had a lot of livestock. When they saw how suitable the land of Jazer and Gilead was for cattle, ² they went to Moses, Eleazar, and the other leaders of the community and said, ^3-4 “This region which the Lord has helped the Israelites occupy—the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon—is good land for livestock, and we have so much livestock. ⁵ Please give us this land as our property, and do not make us cross the Jordan River and settle there.”

⁶ Moses replied, “Do you want to stay here while the other Israelites go to war? ⁷ How dare you try to discourage the people of Israel from crossing the Jordan into the land which the Lord has given them? ^8 (B)That is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. ⁹ They went as far as Eshcol Valley and saw the land, but when they returned, they discouraged the people from entering the land which the Lord had given them. ^10 (C)The Lord became angry that day and made a promise: ¹¹ ‘I swear that because they did not remain loyal to me, none of the men twenty years old or older who came out of Egypt will enter the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ ¹² This included everyone, except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun; they remained loyal to the Lord. ¹³ The Lord became angry with the people and made them wander in the wilderness forty years until that whole generation that had displeased him was dead. ¹⁴ And now you have taken your ancestors' place, a new generation of sinful people ready to bring down the fierce anger of the Lord on Israel again. ¹⁵ If you people of Reuben and Gad refuse to follow him now, he will once again abandon all these people in the wilderness, and you will be responsible for their destruction.”

¹⁶ They approached Moses and said, “First, allow us to build stone enclosures here for our sheep and fortified towns for our dependents. ¹⁷ Then we will be ready to go with the other Israelites into battle and lead the attack until we have settled them in the land that will be theirs. In the meantime, our dependents can live here in the fortified towns, safe from the people of this land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until all the other Israelites have taken possession of the land assigned to them. ¹⁹ We will not take possession of any property among them on the other side of the Jordan, because we have received our share here east of the Jordan.”