The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Joshua 22
1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the
Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
2 and said to them, “Youhave kept allthat
Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded
you, and have listened to my voice in all
that I commanded you.
3 You have not left your brothers these
many days to this day, but have performed
the duty of the commandment of Yahweh
your God.
4 Now Yahweh your God has given restto
your brothers, as he spoke to them. Therefore now return and go to your tents, to the
land of your possession, which Moses the
servant of Yahweh gave you beyond the
Jordan.
5 Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which 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.”
6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them
away; and they went to their tents.
7 Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh
Moses had given inheritance in Bashan;
but Joshua gave to the other half among
their brothers beyond the Jordan westward. Moreover when Joshua sent them
away to their tents, he blessed them,
8 and spoke to them, saying, “Return
with much wealth to your tents, with very
much livestock, with silver, with gold, with
bronze, with iron, and with very much
clothing. Divide the plunder of your enemies with your brothers.”
9 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 to the land of Gilead, to
the land of their possession, which they
owned, according to the commandment of
Yahweh by Moses.
10 When they came to the region near
the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan,
the children of Reuben and the children of
Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built
an altar there by the Jordan, a great altar
to look at.
11 The children of Israel heard this, “Behold, the children of Reuben and the children
of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh
have built an altar along the border of
the land of Canaan, in the region around
the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the
children of Israel.”
12 When the children of Israel heard of
it, the whole congregation of the children
of Israel gathered themselves together at
Shiloh, to go up against them to war.
13 The children of Israel sent to 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 With him were ten princes, one prince
of a fathers’ house for each of the tribes of
Israel; and they were each head of their
fathers’ houses among the thousands of
Israel.
15 They came to the children of Reuben,
and to the children of Gad, and to the halftribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead,
and they spoke with them, saying,
16 “The whole congregation of Yahweh
says, ‘What trespass is this that you have
committed against the God of Israel, to
turn away today from following Yahweh,
in that you have built yourselves an altar,
to rebel today against Yahweh?
17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for
us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there came a
plague on the congregation of Yahweh,
18 that you must turn away today from
following Yahweh? It will be, since you
rebel today against Yahweh, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.
19 However, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass over to the land
of the possession of Yahweh, in which Yahweh’s tabernacle dwells, and take possession
among us; but don’t rebel against Yahweh, nor rebel against us, in building an
altar other than Yahweh our God’s altar.
20 Didn’t Achan the son of Zerah commit
a trespass in the devoted thing, and wrath
fell on all the congregation of Israel? That
man didn’t perish alone in his iniquity.’ ”
21 Then the children of Reuben and the
children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the heads of
the thousands of Israel,
22 “The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, the
Mighty One, God, Yahweh, he knows; and
Israel shall know: if it was in rebellion, or
ifintrespass against Yahweh (don’t save us
today),
23 that we have built us an altar to turn
away from following Yahweh; or if to offer
burnt offering or meal offering, or if to
offer sacrifices of peace offerings, let Yahweh himself require it.
24 “If we have not out of concern done
this, and for a reason, saying, ‘In time to
come your children might speak to our
children, saying, “What have you to do
with Yahweh, the God of Israel?
25 For Yahweh has made the Jordan a
border between us and you, you children
of Reuben and children of Gad. You have
no portion in Yahweh.” ’ So your children
might make our children cease from fearing Yahweh.
26 “Therefore we said, ‘Let’s now prepare
to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt
offering, nor for sacrifice;
27 but it will be a witness between us and
you, and between our generations after us,
that we may perform the service of Yahweh before him with our burnt offerings,
with our sacrifices, and with our peace
offerings;’ that your children may not tell
our children in time to come, ‘You have no
portion in Yahweh.’
28 “Therefore we said, ‘It shall be, when
they tell us or our generations this in time
to come, that we shall say, “Behold the
pattern of Yahweh’s altar, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering, nor for
sacrifice; butitis a witness between us and
you.” ’
29 “Far be it from us that we should rebel
againstYahweh, andturnaway today from
following Yahweh, to build an altar for
burnt offering, for meal offering, or for
sacrifice, besides Yahweh our God’s altar
that is before his tabernacle!”
30 When Phinehas the priest, and the
princes of the congregation, even the
heads of the thousands of Israel that were
with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and
the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it
pleased them well.
31 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest
said to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, “Today we know that Yahweh is
among us, because you have not committed this trespass against Yahweh. Now you
have delivered the children of Israel out of
Yahweh’s hand.”
32 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, to the land
of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and
brought them word again.
33 The thing pleased the children of Israel; andthe childrenofIsraelblessed God,
and spoke no more of going up against
them to war, to destroy the land in which
the children of Reuben and the children of
Gad lived.
34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar “A Witness
Between Us that Yahweh is God.