Numbers 32

1 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.

Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a great number of cattle: and when they saw that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was a good place for cattle;

2 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,

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the meeting,

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

Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

4 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.”

The land which the Lord gave into the hands of the children of Israel, is a land for cattle, and your servants have cattle.

5 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.”

And they said, With your approval, let this land be given to your servants as their heritage: do not take us over Jordan.

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

And Moses said to the children of Gad and the children of Reuben, Are your brothers to go to the war, while you take your rest here?

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

Why would you take from the children of Israel the desire to go over into the land which the Lord has given them?

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

So did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

9 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.

For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they took from the children of Israel the desire to go into the land which the Lord had given them.

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

And at that time the Lord was moved to wrath, and made an oath, saying,

11 '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

Truly, not one of the men of twenty years old and over who came out of Egypt will see the land which I gave by oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; because they have not been true to me with all their heart;

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

But only Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua, the son of Nun: because they have been true to the Lord.

13 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.

Then the Lord was angry with Israel, and he made them wanderers in the waste land for forty years? till all that generation who had done evil in the eyes of the Lord was dead.

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

And now you have come to take the place of your fathers, another generation of sinners, increasing the wrath of the Lord against Israel.

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

For if you are turned away from him, he will send them wandering again in the waste land; and you will be the cause of the destruction of all this people.

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

Then they came to him, and said, We will make safe places for our cattle here, and towns for our little ones;

17 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.

But we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel till we have taken them to their place: but our little ones will be safe in the walled towns against the people of the land.

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

We will not come back to our houses till every one of the children of Israel has come into his heritage.

19 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.”

For we will not have our heritage with them on the other side of Jordan and forward; because our heritage has come to us on this side of Jordan to the east.

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

Then Moses said to them, If you will do this, arming yourselves to go before the Lord to the war,

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

Every armed man of you going across Jordan before the Lord till he has overcome and sent in flight all who are against him,

22 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.

And the land is under the rule of the Lord: then after that you may come back, having done no wrong to the Lord and to Israel; and this land will be yours for your heritage before the Lord.

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

But if you do not do this, then you are sinners against the Lord; and you may be certain that your sin will have its reward.

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

So get to work building your towns for your little ones, and safe places for your sheep; and do as you have said.

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

And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben said to Moses, Your servants will do as my lord says.

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

Our little ones, our wives, and our flocks, and all our cattle, will be there in the towns of Gilead;

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

But your servants will go over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to the fight, as my lord says.

28 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.

So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua, the son of Nun, and to the heads of families of the tribes of the children of Israel.

29 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.

And Moses said to them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben go with you over Jordan, every man armed for the fight before the Lord, and all the land is given into your hands, then let them have the land of Gilead for a heritage:

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

But if they do not go over with you armed, they will have to take their heritage with you in the land of Canaan.

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

Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben said, As the Lord has said to your servants, so will we do.

32 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.”

We will go over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, and you will give us our heritage on this side of Jordan.

33 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.

So Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad and the children of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites and Og, king of Bashan, all the land with its towns and the country round them.

34 The descendants of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

And the children of Gad were the builders of Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer;

35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

And Atroth-shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah;

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

And Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran: walled towns and shut-in places for sheep.

37 The descendants of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

And the children of Reuben were the builders of Heshbon and Elealeh and Kiriathaim;

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

And Nebo and Baal-meon, (their names being changed, ) and Sibmah: and they gave other names to the towns they made.

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

And the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, went to Gilead and took it, driving out the Amorites who were living there.

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

And Moses gave Gilead to Machir, the son of Manasseh; and he made it his living-place.

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

And Jair, the son of Manasseh, went and took the towns of Gilead, naming them Havvoth-Jair.

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

And Nobah went and took Kenath and its small towns, naming it Nobah, after himself.