Numbers 32
32
The Tribes Settling East of the Jordan
1Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of #Num. 21:32; Josh. 13:25; 2 Sam. 24:5Jazer and the land of #Deut. 3:13Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 2the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, #Num. 32:36Nimrah, #Josh. 13:17, 26Heshbon, Elealeh, #Num. 32:38Shebam, Nebo, and #Num. 32:38Beon, 4the country #Num. 21:24, 34, 35which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”
6And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? 7Now why will you #Num. 13:27—14:4discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? 8Thus your fathers did #Num. 13:3, 26when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea #Deut. 1:19–25to see the land. 9For #Num. 13:24, 31; Deut. 1:24, 28when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10#Num. 14:11; Deut. 1:34–36So the Lord’s anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying, 11‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, #Num. 14:28, 29; 26:63–65; Deut. 1:35from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because #Num. 14:24, 30they have not wholly followed Me, 12except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, #Num. 14:6–9, 24, 30; Deut. 1:36; Josh. 14:8, 9for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ 13So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them #Num. 14:33–35wander in the wilderness forty years, until #Num. 26:64, 65all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. 14And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the #Num. 11:1; Deut. 1:34fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. 15For if you #Deut. 30:17, 18; Josh. 22:16–18; 2 Chr. 7:19; 15:2turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”
16Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17but #Josh. 4:12, 13we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18#Josh. 22:1–4We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance. 19For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, #Josh. 12:1; 13:8because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”
20Then #Deut. 3:18; Josh. 1:14Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, 21and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, 22and #Deut. 3:20; Josh. 11:23the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward #Josh. 22:4you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and #Deut. 3:12, 15, 16, 18; Josh. 1:15; 13:8, 32; 22:4, 9this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure #Gen. 4:7; 44:16; Josh. 7:1–26; Is. 59:12; (Gal. 6:7)your sin will find you out. 24#Num. 32:16Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.”
25And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26#Josh. 1:14Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead; 27#Josh. 4:12but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, just as my lord says.”
28So Moses gave command #Josh. 1:13concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel. 29And Moses said to them: “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”
31Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do. 32We will cross over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”
33So #Deut. 3:8–17; 29:8; Josh. 12:1–6; 13:8–31; 22:4Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, #Num. 21:24, 33, 35the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country. 34And the children of Gad built #Num. 33:45, 46Dibon and Ataroth and #Deut. 2:36Aroer, 35Atroth and Shophan and #Num. 32:1, 3Jazer and Jogbehah, 36#Num. 32:3Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, #Num. 32:24fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37And the children of Reuben built #Num. 21:27Heshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim, 38#Is. 46:1Nebo and #Ezek. 25:9Baal Meon #Ex. 23:13; Josh. 23:7(their names being changed) and Shibmah; and they gave other names to the cities which they built.
39And the children of #Gen. 50:23; Num. 27:1; 36:1Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40So Moses #Deut. 3:12, 13, 15; Josh. 13:31gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it. 41Also #Deut. 3:14; Josh. 13:30Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its small towns, and called them #Judg. 10:4; 1 Kin. 4:13Havoth Jair. 42Then Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Numbers 32
32
Land East of the Jordan River Is Settled
(Deuteronomy 3.12-22)
1The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned a lot of cattle and sheep, and they saw that the regions of Jazer and Gilead had good pastureland. 2So they went to Moses, Eleazar, and the other leaders of Israel and said, 3-4“The Lord has helped us capture the land around the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. That's good pastureland, and since we own cattle and sheep, 5would you let us stay here east of the Jordan River and have this land as our own?”
6Moses answered:
You mean you'd stay here while the rest of the Israelites go into battle? 7If you did that, it would discourage the others from crossing over into the land the Lord promised them. 8#Nu 13.17-33. This is exactly what happened when I sent your ancestors from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land. 9They went as far as Eshcol Valley, then returned and told the people that we should not enter it. 10#Nu 14.26-35. The Lord became very angry. 11And he said that no one who was 20 years or older when they left Egypt would enter the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not one of those people believed in the Lord's power, 12except Caleb and Joshua.#32.12 Caleb and Joshua: See the note at 14.30. They remained faithful to the Lord, 13but he was so angry with the others that he forced them to wander around in the desert for 40 years. By that time everyone who had sinned against him had died.
14Now you people of Reuben and Gad are doing the same thing and making the Lord even angrier. 15If you reject the Lord, he will once again abandon his people and leave them here in the desert. And you will be to blame!
16The men from Reuben and Gad replied:
Let us build places to keep our sheep and goats, and towns for our wives and children, 17where they can stay and be safe. Then we'll prepare to fight and lead the other tribes into battle. 18We will stay with them until they have settled in their own tribal lands. 19The land on this side of the Jordan River will be ours, so we won't expect to receive any on the other side.
20Moses said:
You promised that you would be ready to fight for the Lord. 21You also agreed to cross the Jordan and stay with the rest of the Israelites, until the Lord forces our enemies out of the land. If you do these things, 22then after the Lord helps Israel capture the land, you can return to your own land. You will no longer have to stay with the others. 23But if you don't keep your promise, you will sin against the Lord and be punished.
24Go ahead and build towns for your wives and children, and places for your sheep and goats. Just be sure to do what you have promised.
25The men from Reuben and Gad answered:
Sir, we will do just what you have said. 26Our wives and children and sheep and cattle will stay here in the towns in Gilead. 27But those of us who are prepared for battle will cross the Jordan and fight for the Lord.
28 #
Js 1.12-15. Then Moses said to Eleazar, Joshua, and the family leaders, 29“Make sure that the tribes of Gad and Reuben prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you. If they do, then after the land is in your control, give them the region of Gilead as their tribal land. 30But if they break their promise, they will receive land on the other side of the Jordan, like the rest of the tribes.”
31The tribes of Gad and Reuben replied, “We are your servants and will do whatever the Lord has commanded. 32We will cross the Jordan River, ready to fight for the Lord in Canaan. But the land we will inherit as our own will be on this side of the river.”
33So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh#32.33 half of Manasseh: Or “East Manasseh.” the territory and towns that King Sihon the Amorite had ruled, as well as the territory and towns that King Og of Bashan had ruled.#32.33 ruled: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 33.
34The tribe of Gad rebuilt the towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35Atroth-Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36Beth-Nimrah, and Beth-Haran. They built walls around them and also built places to keep their sheep and goats.
37The tribe of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38Sibmah, as well as the towns that used to be known as Nebo and Baal-Meon. They renamed all those places.
39The clan of Machir from the tribe of East Manasseh went to the region of Gilead, captured its towns, and forced out the Amorites. 40So Moses gave the Machirites the region of Gilead, and they settled there.
41Jair from the Manasseh tribe captured villages and renamed them “Villages of Jair.”#32.41 Villages of Jair: Or “Havvoth-Jair.”
42Nobah captured the town of Kenath with its villages and renamed it Nobah.
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© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.