Joshua 22 :: Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh

Then^H227 Joshua^H3091 summoned^H7121 the Reubenites^H7206 and the Gadites^H1425 and the half-tribe^H2677^H4294 of Manasseh^H4519,

Jos 22:2

Jos 22:2and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you.

Jos 22:3

Jos 22:3“You have not forsaken your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the responsibility of the commandment of Yahweh your God.

Jos 22:4

Jos 22:4“And now Yahweh your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; so now turn and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you beyond the Jordan.

Jos 22:5

Jos 22:5“Only keep yourselves very carefully to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you, to love Yahweh your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and cling to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Jos 22:6

Jos 22:6Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

Jos 22:7

Now to the one half-tribe^H2677^H7626 of Manasseh^H4519 Moses^H4872 had given^H5414 a possession in Bashan^H1316, but to the other half^H2677 Joshua^H3091 gave^H5414 a possession among^H5973 their brothers^H251 westward^H3220 beyond^H5676 the Jordan^H3383. So when^H3588 Joshua^H3091 sent^H7971 them away^H7971 to their tents^H168, he blessed^H1288 them,

Jos 22:8

Jos 22:8and spoke to them, saying, “Return to your tents with great riches and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.”

Jos 22:9

Jos 22:9Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed from the sons of Israel at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they had possessed, according to the [fn]command of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.

An Altar Called Witness

Jos 22:10

And they came^H935 to the region^H1552 of the Jordan^H3383 which^H834 is in the land^H776 of Canaan^H3667, and the sons^H1121 of Reuben^H7205 and the sons^H1121 of Gad^H1410 and the half-tribe^H2677^H7626 of Manasseh^H4519 built^H1129 an altar^H4196 there^H8033 by the Jordan^H3383, a large^H1419 altar^H4196 in appearance^H4758.

Jos 22:11

Jos 22:11And the sons of Israel heard it [fn]said, “Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the [fn]entrance of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.”

Jos 22:12

Jos 22:12Then the sons of Israel heard of it, and the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh to go up against them in war.

Jos 22:13

Then the sons^H1121 of Israel^H3478 sent^H7971 to the sons^H1121 of Reuben^H7205 and to the sons^H1121 of Gad^H1410 and to the half-tribe^H2677^H7626 of Manasseh^H4519, into the land^H776 of Gilead^H1568, Phinehas^H6372 the son^H1121 of Eleazar^H499 the priest^H3548,

Jos 22:14

Jos 22:14and with him ten leaders, one leader for each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one of them was the head of his father’s household among the [fn]thousands of Israel.

Jos 22:15

Jos 22:15So they came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying,

Jos 22:16

Jos 22:16“Thus says the whole congregation of Yahweh, ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following Yahweh this day, by building yourselves an altar, to rebel against Yahweh this day?

Jos 22:17

Jos 22:17‘Is the iniquity of Peor too small a thing for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there was a plague on the congregation of Yahweh?

Jos 22:18

Jos 22:18Yet you are turning away this day from following Yahweh. Now it will be that, if you rebel against Yahweh today, He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow.

Jos 22:19

Jos 22:19‘If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then [fn]cross into the land of the possession of Yahweh, where the tabernacle of Yahweh dwells, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against Yahweh, nor rebel against us by building an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of Yahweh our God.

Jos 22:20

Jos 22:20‘Did not Achan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things devoted to destruction, and indignation fall on all the congregation of Israel? But he was not the only man to breathe his last in his iniquity.’”

Jos 22:21

Then the sons^H1121 of Reuben^H7205 and the sons^H1121 of Gad^H1410 and the half-tribe^H2677^H7626 of Manasseh^H4519 answered^H6030 and spoke^H1696 to the heads^H7218 of the thousands^H505 of Israel^H3478.

Jos 22:22

Jos 22:22“The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, the Mighty One, God, Yahweh! He knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion or if in an unfaithful act against Yahweh, do not save us this day!

Jos 22:23

Jos 22:23“If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from following Yahweh, or if to perform a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may Yahweh Himself require it.

Jos 22:24

Jos 22:24“But truly we have done this out of concern, [fn]for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our [fn]sons, “What have you to do with Yahweh, the God of Israel?

Jos 22:25

Jos 22:25“And Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in Yahweh.” So your sons may make our sons stop fearing Yahweh.’

Jos 22:26

“Therefore we said^H559, ‘Let us [fn]build^H6213^H1129 an altar^H4196, not for burnt^H5930 offering^H5930 or for sacrifice^H2077;

Jos 22:27

Jos 22:27rather it shall be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to perform the service of Yahweh before Him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in Yahweh.”’

Jos 22:28

Jos 22:28“Therefore we said, ‘It will also be that if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of Yahweh which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it is a witness between us and you.”’

Jos 22:29

Jos 22:29“Far be it from us to rebel against Yahweh and turn away from following Yahweh this day, by building an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of Yahweh our God which is before His [fn]tabernacle.”

Jos 22:30

So Phinehas^H6372 the priest^H3548 and the leaders^H5387 of the congregation^H5712, even the heads^H7218 of the thousands^H505 of Israel^H3478 who^H834 were with him, heard^H8085 the words^H1697 which^H834 the sons^H1121 of Reuben^H7205 and the sons^H1121 of Gad^H1410 and the sons^H1121 of Manasseh^H4519 spoke^H1696. And it was good^H3190 in their sight^H5869.

Jos 22:31

Jos 22:31And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that Yahweh is in our midst because you have not committed this unfaithful act against Yahweh; so then you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of Yahweh.”

Jos 22:32

Then Phinehas^H6372 the son^H1121 of Eleazar^H499 the priest^H3548 and the leaders^H5387 returned^H7725 from the sons^H1121 of Reuben^H7205 and from the sons^H1121 of Gad^H1410, from the land^H776 of Gilead^H1568 to the land^H776 of Canaan^H3667, to the sons^H1121 of Israel^H3478, and brought^H7725 back^H7725 word^H1697 to them.

Jos 22:33

Jos 22:33And the word was good in the sight of the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel blessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living.

Jos 22:34