Eastern Tribes Return Home

22 Joshua summoned the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh and told them, “You have done everything Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you(A) and have obeyed me in everything I commanded you. You have not deserted your brothers even once this whole time but have carried out the requirement of the command of the Lord your God. Now that He has given your brothers rest, just as He promised them, return to your homes in your own land that Moses the Lord’s servant gave you across the Jordan. Only carefully obey the command and instruction that Moses the Lord’s servant gave you: to love the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, keep His commands, remain faithful[a] to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.”(B)

Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way,(C) and they went to their homes. Moses had given territory to half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, but Joshua had given territory to the other half,[b] with their brothers, on the west side of the Jordan.(D) When Joshua sent them to their homes and blessed them, he said, “Return to your homes with great wealth: a huge number of cattle, and silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a large quantity of clothing. Share the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.”(E)

Eastern Tribes Build an Altar

The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead,(F) which they took possession of according to the Lord’s command through Moses.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 22:5 Lit commands, hold on
  2. Joshua 22:7 Lit to his half

The Tribes East of the Jordan

22 Later, Joshua called together the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh and told them, “You have done everything that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and you have listened to me in everything that I commanded you. You haven’t abandoned your relatives these past days to the present, and you have met the obligation contained in[a] the commands of the Lord your God. Now the Lord has given peace[b] to your relatives, just as he told them. Therefore, proceed to your tents—to the land that is yours to possess—that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you east of[c] the Jordan River. Only be very careful to keep the commands and the Law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you—that is,[d] to love the Lord your God, to follow in all of his ways, to keep his commands, to stay close to him, and to serve him with all your heart and soul.” That’s how Joshua blessed them. Then he sent them on their way and they returned to their tents.

Now Moses had made an allotment in Bashan to one half-tribe of Manasseh, but Joshua made an allotment west of the Jordan River to the other half-tribe of their relatives. So when Joshua sent them on their way back to their tents, he also blessed them by saying “Return to your tents with great wealth, plenty of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and lots of clothing. Divide the spoil from your enemies among your relatives.”

The descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh went back to the land of Gilead, leaving the Israelis at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, for their territorial possession that they had inherited in accordance with the command of the Lord given through Moses.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 22:3 The Heb. lacks contained in
  2. Joshua 22:4 Lit. rest
  3. Joshua 22:4 Lit. you beyond
  4. Joshua 22:5 The Heb. lacks that is