Joshua 22

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

22Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.H3091H7121H7206H1425H2677H4294H45192He told them, "You have done as Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded you, and you have obeyed every order I have given you.H559H8104H4872H5650H3068H6680H8085H6963H66803During all this time you have not deserted the other tribes. You have been careful to obey the commands of the LORD your God right up to the present day.H5800H251H7227H3117H3117H8104H4931H4687H3068H4304And now the LORD your God has given the other tribes rest, as he promised them. So go back home to the land that Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you as your possession on the east side of the Jordan River.H3068H430H5117H251H1696H6437H3212H168H776H272H4872H5650H3068H5414H5676H33835But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul."H3966H8104H6213H4687H8451H4872H5650H3068H6680H157H3068H430H3212H1870H8104H4687H1692H5647H3824H53156So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went home.H3091H1288H7971H3212H1687Moses had given the land of Bashan, east of the Jordan River, to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The other half of the tribe was given land west of the Jordan.) As Joshua sent them away and blessed them,H2677H7626H4519H4872H5414H1316H2677H5414H3091H5973H251H5676H3383H3220H3091H7971H168H12888he said to them, "Go back to your homes with the great wealth you have taken from your enemies—the vast herds of livestock, the silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and the large supply of clothing. Share the plunder with your relatives."H559H559H7725H7227H5233H168H3966H7227H4735H3701H2091H5178H1270H3966H7235H8008H2505H7998H341H2519So the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the rest of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. They started the journey back to their own land of Gilead, the territory that belonged to them according to the LORD's command through Moses.H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H7725H3212H1121H3478H7887H776H3667H3212H776H1568H776H272H270H6310H3068H3027H4872

The Eastern Tribes Build an Altar

10But while they were still in Canaan, and when they came to a place called Geliloth

near the Jordan River, the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh stopped to build a large and imposing altar.H935H1552H3383H776H3667H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H1129H4196H3383H1419H4196H475811The rest of Israel heard that the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at Geliloth at the edge of the land of Canaan, on the west side of the Jordan River.H1121H3478H8085H559H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H1129H4196H4136H776H3667H1552H3383H5676H1121H347812So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them.H1121H3478H8085H5712H1121H3478H6950H7887H5927H663513First, however, they sent a delegation led by Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to talk with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.H1121H3478H7971H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H776H1568H6372H1121H499H354814In this delegation were ten leaders of Israel, one from each of the ten tribes, and each the head of his family within the clans of Israel.H6235H5387H259H259H5387H5387H1004H1H4294H3478H376H7218H1004H1H505H347815When they arrived in the land of Gilead, they said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,H935H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H776H1568H1696H55916"The whole community of the LORD demands to know why you are betraying the God of Israel. How could you turn away from the LORD and build an altar for yourselves in rebellion against him?H559H5712H3068H4604H4603H430H3478H7725H3117H310H3068H1129H4196H4775H3117H306817Was our sin at Peor not enough? To this day we are not fully cleansed of it, even after the plague that struck the entire community of the LORD.H5771H6465H4592H2891H3117H5063H5712H306818And yet today you are turning away from following the LORD. If you rebel against the LORD today, he will be angry with all of us tomorrow.H7725H3117H310H3068H4775H3117H3068H4279H7107H5712H347819"If you need the altar because the land you possess is defiled, then join us in the LORD's land, where the Tabernacle of the LORD is situated, and share our land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar other than the one true altar of the LORD our God.H389H776H272H2931H5674H776H272H3068H3068H4908H7931H270H8432H4775H3068H408H4775H1129H4196H1107H4196H3068H43020Didn't divine anger fall on the entire community of Israel when Achan, a member of the clan of Zerah, sinned by stealing the things set apart for the LORD

? He was not the only one who died because of his sin."H5912H1121H2226H4603H4604H2764H7110H1961H5712H3478H376H1478H259H577121Then the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the clans of Israel.H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H6030H1696H7218H505H347822"The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows the truth, and may Israel know it, too! We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against the LORD. If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day.H3068H410H430H3068H410H430H3045H3478H3045H4777H4604H3068H3467H311723If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from the LORD or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings, may the LORD himself punish us.H1129H4196H7725H310H3068H5927H5930H4503H6213H8002H2077H3068H124524"The truth is, we have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, 'What right do you have to worship the LORD, the God of Israel?H6213H1674H1697H559H4279H1121H559H1121H559H3068H430H347825The LORD has placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have no claim to the LORD.' So your descendants may prevent our descendants from worshiping the LORD.H3068H5414H3383H1366H1121H7205H1121H1410H2506H3068H1121H7673H1121H7673H1115H3372H306826"So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,H559H6213H1129H4196H5930H207727but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no claim to the LORD.'H5707H1755H310H5647H5656H3068H6440H5930H2077H8002H1121H559H1121H4279H2506H306828"If they say this, our descendants can reply, 'Look at this copy of the LORD's altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with the LORD.'H559H559H1755H4279H559H7200H8403H4196H3068H1H6213H5930H2077H570729Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD or turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the LORD our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose."H2486H4775H3068H7725H3117H310H3068H1129H4196H5930H4503H2077H4196H3068H430H6440H490830When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of Israel—heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied.H6372H3548H5387H5712H7218H505H3478H8085H1697H1121H7205H1121H1410H1121H4519H1696H3190H586931Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, "Today we know the LORD is among us because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of the LORD."H6372H1121H499H3548H559H1121H7205H1121H1410H1121H4519H3117H3045H3068H8432H4603H4604H3068H227H5337H1121H3478H3027H306832Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the other leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to tell the Israelites what had happened.H6372H1121H499H3548H5387H7725H1121H7205H1121H1410H776H1568H776H3667H1121H3478H7725H1697H772533And all the Israelites were satisfied and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad.H1697H3190H5869H1121H3478H1121H3478H1288H430H559H5927H6635H7843H776H1121H7205H1410H342734The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar "Witness,"

for they said, "It is a witness between us and them that the LORD is our God, too."H1121H7205H1121H1410H7121H4196H5707H3068H430