Joshua Chapter 22

Joshua Chapter 22
1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites,
and the Gadites, and the half tribe of
Manasseh,
2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all
that Moses the servant of the Lord
commanded you, and have obeyed my
voice in all that I commanded you: 3 Ye
have not forsaken your brethren this long
season unto this day, but have diligently
kept the commandment of the Lord your
God.
4 And now the Lord hath given rest unto
your brethren as he promised them:
therefore now return ye and go to your
tents, to the land of your possession,
which Moses the servant of the Lord
hath given you beyond Jordan. 5 But
take diligent heed, to do the
commandment and law, which Moses the
servant of the Lord commanded you:
that is, that ye love the Lord your God,
and walk in all his ways, and keep his
commandments, and cleave unto him,
and serve him with all your heart and
with all your soul.
6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them
away, and they went unto their tents.
7 Now unto one half of the tribe of
Manasseh Moses had given a possession
in Bashan: and unto the other half
thereof gave Joshua among their brethren
on this side Jordan westward: therefore
when Joshua sent them away unto their
tents, and blessed them,
8 Thus he spake unto them, saying,
Return with much riches unto your tents,
and with a great multitude of cattle, with
silver and with gold, with brass and
with iron, and with great abundance of
raiment: divide the spoil of your
enemies with your brethren.
9 So the children of Reuben, and the
children of Gad, and half the tribe of
Manasseh returned, and departed from
the children of Israel from Shiloh (which
is in the land of Canaan) to go unto the
country of Gilead to the land of their
possession, which they had obtained,
according to the word of the Lord by the
hand of Moses.
10 And when they came unto the borders
of Jordan (which are in the land of
Canaan) then the children of Reuben, and
the children of Gad, and the half tribe of
Manasseh, built there an altar by Jordan,
a great altar to see to. 11 When the
children of Israel heard say, Behold, the
children of Reuben, and the children of
Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh have
built an altar in the forefront of the land
of Canaan upon the borders of Jordan at
the passage of the children of Israel:
12 When the children of Israel heard it,
then the whole congregation of the
children of Israel gathered them together
at Shiloh to go up to war against them.
13 Then the children of Israel sent unto
the children of Reuben, and to the
children of Gad, and to the half tribe of
Manasseh into the land of Gilead,
Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
14 And with him ten princes, of every
chief house a prince, according to all the
tribes of Israel: for every one was chief
of their father’s household among the
thousands of Israel.
15 So they went unto the children of
Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and
to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the
land of Gilead, and spake with them,
saying,
16 Thus saith the whole congregation of
the Lord, What transgression is this that
ye have transgressed against the God of
Israel, to turn away this day from the
Lord, in that ye have built you an altar
for to rebel this day against the Lord?
17 Have we too little for the wickedness
of Peor, whereof we are not cleansed
unto this day, though a plague came upon
the congregation of the Lord?
18 Ye also are turned away this day
from the Lord: and seeing ye rebel today
against the Lord, even tomorrow he will
be wroth with all the congregation of
Israel.
19 Notwithstanding if the land of your
possession be unclean, come ye over
unto the land of the possession of the
Lord, wherein the Lord’s tabernacle
dwelleth, and take possession among us:
but rebel not against the Lord, nor rebel
not against us in building you an altar,
beside the altar of the Lord our God.
20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah
trespass grievously in the execrable
thing, and wrath fell on all the
congregation of Israel? And this man
alone perished not in his wickedness.
21 Then the children of Reuben and the
children of Gad, and half the tribe of
Manasseh answered, and said unto the
heads over the thousands of Israel, 22
The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of
gods, he knoweth, and Israel himself
shall know: if by rebellion, or by
transgression against the Lord we have
done it, save thou us not this day.
23 If we have built us an altar to return
away from the Lord, either to offer
thereon burnt offering, or meat offering,
or to offer peace offerings thereon, let
the Lord himself require it:
24 And if we have not rather done it for
fear of this thing, saying, In time to come
your children might say unto our
children, What have ye to do with the
Lord God of Israel?
25 For the Lord hath made Jordan a
border between us and you, ye children
of Reuben, and of Gad: therefore ye
have no part in the Lord: so shall your
children make our children cease from
fearing the Lord.
26 Therefore we said, We will now go
about to make us an altar, not for burnt
offering, nor for sacrifice,
27 But for a witness between us and you,
and between our generations after us, to
execute the service of the Lord before
him in our burnt offerings, and in our
sacrifices, and in our peace offerings,
and that your children should not say to
our children in time to come, Ye have no
part in the Lord. 28 Therefore said we,
If so be that they should so say to us or
to our generations in time to come, then
will we answer, Behold the fashion of
the altar of the Lord, which our fathers
made, not for burnt offering nor for
sacrifice, but it is a witness between us
and you.
29 God forbid, that we should rebel
against the Lord, and turn this day away
from the Lord to build an altar for burnt
offering, or for meat offering, or for
sacrifice, save the altar of the Lord our
God, that is before his tabernacle. 30
And when Phinehas the priest, and the
princes of the congregation and heads
over the thousands of Israel which were
with him, heard the words, that the
children of Reuben, and children of Gad,
and the children of Manasseh spake, they
were well content.
31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the
priest said unto the children of Reuben
and to the children of Gad, and to the
children of Manasseh, This day we
perceive, that the Lord is among us,
because ye have not done this trespass
against the Lord: now ye have delivered
the children of Israel out of the hand of
the Lord.
32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the
priest with the princes returned from the
children of Reuben, and from the
children of Gad, out of the land of
Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the
children of Israel, and brought them
answer.
33 And the saying pleased the children
of Israel: and the children of Israel
blessed God, and minded not to go
against them in battle, for to destroy the
land, wherein the children of Reuben,
and Gad dwelt.
34 Then the children of Reuben, and the
children of Gad called the altar Ed: for
it shall be a witness between us, that the
Lord is God.