Joshua 22

1Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

2He said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded you.

3You have not abandoned your brothers these many days, up to this very day, but you have carefully kept the command of Yahweh your God.

4And now Yahweh your God has given your brothers rest, as he promised them. So now turn and go to your tents, to the land that is your property, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you beyond the Jordan.

5Only be very careful to carry out the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you: to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

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

7Now to one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua had given land with their brothers west of the Jordan. When Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them.

8He said to them, “Go back to your tents with great wealth, with very large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with a great quantity of clothing. Share the plunder from your enemies with your brothers.”

9So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and went home to the land of Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired at Yahweh’s command through Moses.

10When they came to the region of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there beside the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.

11The Israelites heard it said, “Look, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar facing the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the Israelite side.”

12When the Israelites heard this, the whole congregation of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh to go up against them in battle.

13Then the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead,

14and with him ten leaders, one leader for each ancestral house from all the tribes of Israel. Each of them was the head of his ancestral house among the clans of Israel.

15They came to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them,

16“This is what the whole congregation of Yahweh says: What is this unfaithfulness you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away today from following Yahweh by building yourselves an altar and rebelling against Yahweh today?

17Was the sin of Peor not enough for us? To this day we have not cleansed ourselves from it, even though a plague came on the congregation of Yahweh.

18And now you would turn away today from following Yahweh! If you rebel against Yahweh today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

19But if the land you possess is unclean, cross over into the land Yahweh possesses, where Yahweh’s tabernacle stands, and take possession of land among us. Only do not rebel against Yahweh, and do not rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar other than the altar of Yahweh our God.

20When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully concerning the things devoted to destruction, did not wrath fall on the whole congregation of Israel? He was only one man, but he did not perish alone for his sin.”

21Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the clans of Israel,

22“The Mighty One, God, Yahweh! The Mighty One, God, Yahweh! He knows, and let Israel itself know! If this was in rebellion or in unfaithfulness against Yahweh, do not save us today.

23If we have built ourselves an altar to turn away from following Yahweh, or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings on it, or to present fellowship offerings on it, may Yahweh himself call us to account.

24No, we did this out of concern that in the future your descendants might say to our descendants, ‘What do you have to do with Yahweh, the God of Israel?

25Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you people of Reuben and Gad. You have no share in Yahweh.’ So your descendants might make our descendants stop fearing Yahweh.

26So we said, ‘Let us act now and build an altar, not for burnt offerings and not for sacrifices.’

27Instead, it is to be a witness between us and you, and between the generations after us, that we will perform the service of Yahweh in his presence with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices, and our fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not say to our descendants, ‘You have no share in Yahweh.’

28We also said, ‘If they ever say this to us or to our descendants in the future, we will answer, “Look at the replica of Yahweh’s altar that our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings and not for sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.”’

29Far be it from us to rebel against Yahweh and to turn away today from following Yahweh by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, other than the altar of Yahweh our God that stands in front of his tabernacle!”

30When Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the congregation, and the heads of the clans of Israel who were with him heard what the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites said, they were satisfied.

31Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassites, “Today we know that Yahweh is among us, because you have not committed this unfaithfulness against Yahweh. Now you have rescued the Israelites from Yahweh’s hand.”

32Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the Israelites, and brought back a report to them.

33The Israelites were pleased with the report, and the Israelites blessed God. They said no more about going up against them in battle to destroy the land where the Reubenites and the Gadites were living.

34The Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar a name: “It is a witness between us that Yahweh is God.”