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

²and said to them , “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you , and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you .

³You have not left your brothers these many days to this day , but have performed the duty of the commandment of the LORD your God .

⁴Now the LORD your God has given rest to 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 the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan .

⁵Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you , to love the LORD 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 .”

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

⁷Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given inheritance in Bashan ; but Joshua gave to the other half amongst their brothers beyond the Jordan westward . Moreover when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them ,

⁸and 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.”

⁹The 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 the LORD by Moses .

¹⁰When 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 .

¹¹The 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 .”

¹²When 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 .

¹³The 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 .

¹⁴With 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 amongst the thousands of Israel .

¹⁵They came to the children of Reuben , and to the children of Gad , and to the half-tribe of Manasseh , to the land of Gilead , and they spoke with them , saying ,

¹⁶“The whole congregation of the LORD says , ‘What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel , to turn away today from following the LORD , in that you have built yourselves an altar , to rebel today against the LORD ?

¹⁷Is 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 the LORD ,

¹⁸that you must turn away today from following the LORD ? It will be , since you rebel today against the LORD , that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel .

¹⁹However, if the land of your possession is unclean , then pass over to the land of the possession of the LORD , in which the LORD ’s tabernacle dwells , and take possession amongst us ; but don’t rebel against the LORD , nor rebel against us , in building an altar other than the LORD our God ’s altar .

²⁰Didn’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 .’”

²¹Then 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 , the LORD , the Mighty One , God , the LORD , he knows ; and Israel shall know : if it was in rebellion , or if in trespass against the LORD (don’t save us today ),

²³that we have built us an altar to turn away from following the LORD ; or if to offer burnt offering or meal offering , or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings , let the LORD 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 the LORD , the God of Israel ?

²⁵For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you , you children of Reuben and children of Gad . You have no portion in the LORD .”’ So your children might make our children cease from fearing the LORD .

²⁶“Therefore we said, ‘Let ’s now prepare to build ourselves an altar , not for burnt offering , nor for sacrifice ;

²⁷but it will be a witness between us and you , and between our generations after us , that we may perform the service of the LORD 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 the LORD .’

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 the LORD ’s altar , which our fathers made , not for burnt offering , nor for sacrifice ; but it is a witness between us and you .”’

²⁹“Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD , and turn away today from following the LORD , to build an altar for burnt offering , for meal offering , or for sacrifice , besides the LORD our God ’s altar that is before his tabernacle !”

³⁰When 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 .

³¹Phinehas 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 the LORD is amongst us , because you have not committed this trespass against the LORD . Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the LORD ’s hand .”

³²Phinehas 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 .

³³The thing pleased the children of Israel ; and the children of Israel blessed 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 .

³⁴The children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar “A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God .”