Numbers 32

1 And the sons of Ruben and Gad had many flocks of cattle, and their substance in beasts was infinite. And when they saw the lands of Jazer and Galaad fit for feeding cattle,

Now the descendants of Reuben and of Gad had large numbers of livestock. When they saw the land of Jazer and Gilead, the land was a wonderful place for livestock.

2 They came to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the multitude, and said:

So the descendants of Gad and Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the community. They said,

3 Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nemra, Hesebon, and Eleale, and Saban, and Nebo, and Beon,

“This is a list of places we have surveyed: Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon.

4 The land, which the Lord hath conquered in the sight of the children of Israel, is a very fertile soil for the feeding of beasts: and we thy servants have very much cattle:

These are the lands that Yahweh attacked before the community of Israel, and they are good places for livestock. We, your servants, have a lot of livestock.”

5 And we pray thee, if we have found favour in thy sight, that thou give it to us thy servants in possession, and make us not pass over the Jordan.

They said, “If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to us, your servants, as a possession. Do not make us cross over the Jordan.”

6 And Moses answered them: What, shall your brethren go to fight, and will you sit here?

Moses replied to the descendants of Gad and Reuben, “Should your brothers go to war while you settle down here?

7 Why do ye overturn the minds of the children of Israel, that they may not dare to pass into the place which the Lord hath given them?

Why discourage the hearts of the people of Israel from going over into the land that Yahweh has given them?

8 Was it not thus your fathers did, when I sent from Cadesbarne to view the land?

Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to examine the land.

9 And when they were come as far as the valley of the cluster, having viewed all the country, they overturned the hearts of the children of Israel, that they should not enter into the coasts, which the Lord gave them.

They went up to the Valley of Eshkol. They saw the land and then discouraged the hearts of the people of Israel so that they refused to enter the land that Yahweh had given them.

10 And he swore in his anger, saying:

Yahweh's anger was kindled on that day. He took an oath and said,

11 If these men, that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land, which I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: because they would not follow me,

'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and up, will see the land about which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not completely followed me, except for

12 Except Caleb the son of Jephone the Cenezite, and Josue the son of Nun: these have fulfilled my will.

Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun. Only Caleb and Joshua have completely followed me.'

13 And the Lord being angry against Israel, led them about through the desert forty years, until the whole generation, that had done evil in his sight, was consumed.

So Yahweh's anger was kindled against Israel. He made them wander around in the wilderness for forty years until all the generation who had done evil in his sight was destroyed.

14 And behold, said he, you are risen up instead of your fathers, the increase and offspring of sinful men, to augment the fury of the Lord against Israel.

Look, you have risen up in your fathers' place, like just more sinful men, to add to Yahweh's burning anger toward Israel.

15 For if you will not follow him, he will leave the people in the wilderness, and you shall be the cause of the destruction of all.

If you turn away from following him, he will again leave Israel in the wilderness and you will have destroyed all this people.”

16 But they coming near, said: We will make sheepfolds, and stalls for our cattle, and strong cities for our children:

So they came near Moses and said, “Allow us to build fences here for our cattle and cities for our families.

17 And we ourselves will go armed and ready for battle before the children of Israel, until we bring them in unto their places. Our little ones, and all we have, shall be in walled cities, for fear of the ambushes of the inhabitants.

However, we ourselves will be ready and armed to go with Israel's army until we have led them into their place. But our families will live in the fortified cities because of the other people who still live in this land.

18 We will not return into our houses until the children of Israel possess their inheritance:

We will not return to our houses until every one of the people of Israel has obtained his inheritance.

19 Neither will we seek any thing beyond the Jordan, because we have already our possession on the east side thereof,

We will not inherit the land with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance is here on the east side of the Jordan.”

20 And Moses said to them: If you do what you promise, go on well appointed for war before the Lord:

So Moses replied to them, “If you do what you say, if you arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to war,

21 And let every fighting man pass over the Jordan, until the Lord overthrow his enemies:

then every one of your armed men must cross over the Jordan before Yahweh, until he has driven out his enemies from before him

22 And all the land be brought under him, then shall you be blameless before the Lord and before Israel, and you shall obtain the countries that you desire, before the Lord.

and the land is subdued before him. Then afterward you may return. You will be guiltless toward Yahweh and toward Israel. This land will be your possession before Yahweh.

23 But if you do not what you say, no man can doubt but you sin against God: and know ye, that your sin shall overtake you.

But if you do not do so, look, you will have sinned against Yahweh. Be sure that your sin will find you out.

24 Build therefore cities for your children, and folds and stalls for your sheep and beasts, and accomplish what you have promised.

Build cities for your families and pens for your sheep; then do what you have said.”

25 And the children of Gad and Ruben said to Moses: We are thy servants, we will do what my lord commandeth.

The descendants of Gad and Reuben spoke to Moses and said, “Your servants will do as you, our master, commands.

26 We will leave our children, and our wives and sheep and cattle, in the cities of Galaad:

Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will stay there in the cities of Gilead.

27 And we thy servants all well appointed will march on to the war, as thou, my lord, speakest.

However, we, your servants, will cross over before Yahweh to battle, every man who is armed for war, as you, our master, say.”

28 Moses therefore commanded Eleazar the priest, and Josue the son of Nun, and the princes of the families of all the tribes of Israel, and said to them:

So Moses gave instructions concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the leaders of the ancestor's clans in the tribes of the people of Israel.

29 If the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben pass with you over the Jordan, all armed for war before the Lord, and the land be made subject to you: give them Galaad in possession.

Moses said to them, “If the descendants of Gad and Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man who is armed to battle before Yahweh, and if the land is subdued before you, then you will give them the land of Gilead as a possession.

30 But if they will not pass armed with you into the land of Chanaan, let them receive places to dwell in among you.

But if they do not cross over with you armed, then they will acquire their possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”

31 And the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben answered: As the Lord hath spoken to his servants, so will we do:

So the descendants of Gad and Reuben answered and said, “As Yahweh has said to us, your servants, this is what we will do.

32 We will go armed before the Lord into the land of Chanaan, and we confess that we have already received our possession beyond the Jordan.

We will cross over armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, but our possessed inheritance will remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”

33 Moses therefore gave to the children of Cad and of Ruben, and to the half tribe of Manasses the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sehon king of the Amorrhites, and the kingdom of Og king of Basan, and their land and the cities thereof round about.

So to the descendants of Gad and Reuben, and also to the half tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, Moses gave the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan. He gave to them the land, and distributed to them all its cities with their borders, the cities of the land around them.

34 And the sons of Cad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

The descendants of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

35 And Etroth, and Sophan, and Jazer, and Jegbaa,

Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

36 And Bethnemra, and Betharan, fenced cities, and folds for their cattle.

Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities with pens for sheep.

37 But the children of Ruben built Hesebon, and Eleale, and Cariathaim,

The descendants of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

38 And Nabo, and Baalmeon (their names being changed) and Sabama: giving names to the cities which they had built.

Nebo, Baal Meon—their names were later changed, and Sibmah. They gave other names to the cities that they rebuilt.

39 Moreover the children of Machir, the son of Manasses, went into Galaad, and wasted it, cutting off the Amorrhites, the inhabitants thereof.

The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it away from the Amorites who were in it.

40 And Moses gave the land of Galaad to Machir the son of Manasses, and he dwelt in it.

Then Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and his people settled there.

41 And Jair the son of Manasses went, and took the villages thereof, and he called them Havoth Jair, that is to say, the villages of Jair.

Jair son of Manasseh went and captured its towns and called them Havvoth Jair.

42 Nobe also went, and took Canath with the villages thereof: and he called it by his own name, Nobe.

Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.