Joshua 22 - Prayer Tents

22Then Joshua called together the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.H3091H7121H7206H1425H2677H4294H4519 2He said: "You have carried out everything Moses the servant of GOD commanded you, and you have obediently done everything I have commanded you.H559H8104H4872H5650H3068H6680H8085H6963H6680 3All this time and right down to this very day you have not abandoned your brothers; you've shouldered the task laid on you by GOD, your God.H5800H251H7227H3117H3117H8104H4931H4687H3068H430 4And now GOD, your God, has given rest to your brothers just as he promised them. You're now free to go back to your homes, the country of your inheritance that Moses the servant of GOD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.H3068H430H5117H251H1696H6437H3212H168H776H272H4872H5650H3068H5414H5676H3383 5Only this: Be vigilant in keeping the Commandment and The Revelation that Moses the servant of GOD laid on you: Love GOD, your God, walk in all his ways, do what he's commanded, embrace him, serve him with everything you are and have."H3966H8104H6213H4687H8451H4872H5650H3068H6680H157H3068H430H3212H1870H8104H4687H1692H5647H3824H5315 6Then Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way. They went home.H3091H1288H7971H3212H168 7(To the half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had assigned a share in Bashan. To the other half, Joshua assigned land with their brothers west of the Jordan.) When Joshua sent them off to their homes, he blessed them.H2677H7626H4519H4872H5414H1316H2677H5414H3091H5973H251H5676H3383H3220H3091H7971H168H1288 8He said: "Go home. You're going home rich—great herds of cattle, silver and gold, bronze and iron, huge piles of clothing. Share the wealth with your friends and families—all this plunder from your enemies!"H559H559H7725H7227H5233H168H3966H7227H4735H3701H2091H5178H1270H3966H7235H8008H2505H7998H341H251 9The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the People of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to Gilead, the land of their possession, which they had taken under the command of Moses as ordered by GOD.H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H7725H3212H1121H3478H7887H776H3667H3212H776H1568H776H272H270H6310H3068H3027H4872 10They arrived at Geliloth on the Jordan (touching on Canaanite land). There the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar on the banks of the Jordan—a huge altar!H935H1552H3383H776H3667H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H1129H4196H3383H1419H4196H4758 11The People of Israel heard of it: "What's this? The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar facing the land of Canaan at Geliloth on the Jordan, across from the People of Israel!"H1121H3478H8085H559H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H1129H4196H4136H776H3667H1552H3383H5676H1121H3478 12When the People of Israel heard this, the entire congregation mustered at Shiloh to go to war against them.H1121H3478H8085H5712H1121H3478H6950H7887H5927H6635 13They sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (that is, to the land of Gilead).H1121H3478H7971H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H776H1568H6372H1121H499H3548 14Accompanying him were ten chiefs, one chief for each of the ten tribes, each the head of his ancestral family. They represented the military divisions of Israel.H6235H5387H259H259H5387H5387H1004H1H4294H3478H376H7218H1004H1H505H3478 15They went to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh and spoke to them:H935H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H776H1568H1696H559 16"The entire congregation of GOD wants to know: What is this violation against the God of Israel that you have committed, turning your back on GOD and building your own altar—a blatant act of rebellion against GOD?H559H5712H3068H4604H4603H430H3478H7725H3117H310H3068H1129H4196H4775H3117H3068 17Wasn't the crime of Peor enough for us? Why, to this day we aren't rid of it, still living with the fallout of the plague on the congregation of GOD!H5771H6465H4592H2891H3117H5063H5712H3068 18Look at you—turning your back on GOD! If you rebel against GOD today, tomorrow he'll vent his anger on all of us, the entire congregation of Israel.H7725H3117H310H3068H4775H3117H3068H4279H7107H5712H3478 19"If you think the land of your possession isn't holy enough but somehow contaminated, come back over to GOD's possession, where GOD's Dwelling is set up, and take your land there, but don't rebel against GOD. And don't rebel against us by building your own altar apart from the Altar of our GOD.H389H776H272H2931H5674H776H272H3068H3068H4908H7931H270H8432H4775H3068H408H4775H1129H4196H1107H4196H3068H430 20When Achan son of Zerah violated the holy curse, didn't anger fall on the whole congregation of Israel? He wasn't the only one to die for his sin."H5912H1121H2226H4603H4604H2764H7110H1961H5712H3478H376H1478H259H5771 21The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the tribes of Israel:H1121H7205H1121H1410H2677H7626H4519H6030H1696H7218H505H3478 22The God of Gods is GOD, The God of Gods is GOD! "He knows and he'll let Israel know if this is a rebellious betrayal of GOD. And if it is, don't bother saving us.H3068H410H430H3068H410H430H3045H3478H3045H4777H4604H3068H3467H3117 23If we built ourselves an altar in rebellion against GOD, if we did it to present on it Whole-Burnt-Offerings or Grain-Offerings or to enact there sacrificial Peace-Offerings, let GOD decide.H1129H4196H7725H310H3068H5927H5930H4503H6213H8002H2077H3068H1245 24"But that's not it. We did it because we cared. We were anxious lest someday your children should say to our children, 'You're not connected with GOD, the God of Israel!H6213H1674H1697H559H4279H1121H559H1121H559H3068H430H3478 25GOD made the Jordan a boundary between us and you. You Reubenites and Gadites have no part in GOD.' And then your children might cause our children to quit worshiping GOD.H3068H5414H3383H1366H1121H7205H1121H1410H2506H3068H1121H7673H1121H7673H1115H3372H3068 26"So we said to ourselves, 'Let's do something. Let's build an altar—but not for Whole-Burnt-Offerings, not for sacrifices.'H559H6213H1129H4196H5930H2077 27"We built this altar as a witness between us and you and our children coming after us, a witness to the Altar where we worship GOD in his Sacred Dwelling with our Whole-Burnt-Offerings and our sacrifices and our Peace-Offerings. "This way, your children won't be able to say to our children in the future, 'You have no part in GOD.'H5707H1755H310H5647H5656H3068H6440H5930H2077H8002H1121H559H1121H4279H2506H3068 28"We said to ourselves, 'If anyone speaks disparagingly to us or to our children in the future, we'll say: Look at this model of GOD's Altar which our ancestors made. It's not for Whole-Burnt-Offerings, not for sacrifices. It's a witness connecting us with you.'H559H559H1755H4279H559H7200H8403H4196H3068H1H6213H5930H2077H5707 29"Rebelling against or turning our backs on GOD is the last thing on our minds right now. We never dreamed of building an altar for Whole-Burnt-Offerings or Grain-Offerings to rival the Altar of our GOD in front of his Sacred Dwelling."H2486H4775H3068H7725H3117H310H3068H1129H4196H5930H4503H2077H4196H3068H430H6440H4908 30Phinehas the priest, all the heads of the congregation, and the heads of the military divisions of Israel who were also with him heard what the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had to say. They were satisfied.H6372H3548H5387H5712H7218H505H3478H8085H1697H1121H7205H1121H1410H1121H4519H1696H3190H5869 31Priest Phinehas son of Eleazar said to Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Now we're convinced that GOD is present with us since you haven't been disloyal to GOD in this matter. You saved the People of Israel from GOD's discipline."H6372H1121H499H3548H559H1121H7205H1121H1410H1121H4519H3117H3045H3068H8432H4603H4604H3068H227H5337H1121H3478H3027H3068 32Then Priest Phinehas son of Eleazar left the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (from Gilead) and, with the chiefs, returned to the land of Canaan to the People of Israel and gave a full report.H6372H1121H499H3548H5387H7725H1121H7205H1121H1410H776H1568H776H3667H1121H3478H7725H1697H7725 33They were pleased with the report. The People of Israel blessed God—there was no more talk of attacking and destroying the land in which the Reubenites and Gadites were living.H1697H3190H5869H1121H3478H1121H3478H1288H430H559H5927H6635H7843H776H1121H7205H1410H3427 34Reuben and Gad named the altar: A Witness Between Us. GOD Alone Is God.H1121H7205H1121H1410H7121H4196H5707H3068H430