Chapter
22
- 22:1
- Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the
half tribe of Manasseh,
- 22:2
- 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:
- 22:3
- Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this
day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD
your God.
- 22:4
- And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren,
as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto
your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses
the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.
- 22:5
- But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law,
which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the
LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his
commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with
all your heart and with all your soul.
- 22:6
- So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went
unto their tents.
- 22:7
- Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given
possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua
among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when
Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed
them,
- 22:8
- And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto
your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with
gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment:
divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.
- 22:9
- And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the
half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children
of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to
go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession,
whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD
by the hand of Moses.
- 22:10
- And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in
the land of Canaan, 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.
- 22:11
- And 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 over against the land of Canaan, in the
borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.
- 22:12
- And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation
of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh,
to go up to war against them.
- 22:13
- And 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,
- 22:14
- And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout
all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house
of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.
- 22:15
- And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children
of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of
Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,
- 22:16
- Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass
is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to
turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have
builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the
LORD?
- 22:17
- Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we
are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague
in the congregation of the LORD,
- 22:18
- But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD?
and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that
to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.
- 22:19
- Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean,
then pass 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 against
us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our
God.
- 22:20
- Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed
thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and
that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
- 22:21
- Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the
half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of
the thousands of Israel,
- 22:22
- The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and
Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression
against the LORD, (save us not this day,)
- 22:23
- That we have built us an altar to turn from following the
LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering,
or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself
require it;
- 22:24
- And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing,
saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children,
saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?
- 22:25
- For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you,
ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in
the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from
fearing the LORD.
- 22:26
- Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar,
not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
- 22:27
- But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our
generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD
before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices,
and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say
to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.
- 22:28
- Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so
say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may
say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which
our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices;
but it is a witness between us and you.
- 22:29
- God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn
this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt
offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the
altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.
- 22:30
- And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation
and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard
the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad
and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.
- 22:31
- 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 committed this trespass against the LORD:
now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand
of the LORD.
- 22:32
- And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and 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 word again.
- 22:33
- And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children
of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them
in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben
and Gad dwelt.
- 22:34
- And 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.
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