Numbers 32
32
1And the sons of Ruben and Gad had many flocks of cattle: and their substance in beasts was infinite. And when they saw the lands of Jazer and Galaad fit for feeding cattle:
2They came to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the multitude, and said:
3Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nemra, Hesebon, and Eleale, and Saban, and Nebo, and Beon:
4The land, which the Lord hath conquered in the sight of the children of Israel, is a very fertile soil for the feeding of beasts: and we thy servants have very much cattle,
5And we pray thee, if we have found favour in thy sight, that thou give it to us thy servants in possession, and make us not pass over the Jordan.
6And Moses answered them: What, shall your brethren go to fight, and will you sit here?
7Why do ye overturn the minds of the children of Israel, that they may not dare to pass into the place which the Lord hath given them?
8Was it not thus your fathers did, when I sent from Cadesbarne to view the land?
9And when they were come as far as the valley of the cluster, having viewed all the country, they overturned the hearts of the children of Israel, that they should not enter into the coasts, which the Lord gave them.
10And he swore in his anger, saying:.
11If these men, that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they would not follow me:
12Except Caleb the son of Jephone the Cenezite, and Josue the son of Nun: these have fulfilled my will.
13And the Lord being angry against Israel, led them about through the desert forty years, until the old generation, that had done evil in his sight, was consumed.
14And, behold, said he, you are risen up instead of your fathers, the increase and offspring of sinful men, to augment the fury of the Lord against Israel.
15For if you will not follow him he will leave the people in the wilderness: and you shall be the cause of the destruction of all.
16But they coming near, said: We will make sheepfolds, and stalls for our cattle, and strong cities for our children.
17And we ourselves will go armed and ready for battle before the children of Israel, until we bring them in unto their places. Our little ones, and all we have, shall be in walled cities, for fear of the ambushes of the inhabitants.
18We will not return into our houses until the children of Israel possess their inheritance.
19Neither will we seek any thing beyond the Jordan, because we have already our possession on the east side thereof.
20And Moses said to them: If you do what you promise, go on well appointed for war before the Lord.
21And let every fighting man pass over the Jordan, until the Lord overthrow his enemies:
22And all the land be brought under him. Then shall you be blameless before the Lord and before Israel: and you shall obtain the countries that you desire, before the Lord.
23But if you do not what you say, no man can doubt but you sin against God. And know ye, that your sin shall overtake you.
24Build therefore cities for your children, and folds and stalls for your sheep and beasts: and accomplish what you have promised.
25And the children of Gad and Ruben said to Moses: We are thy servants, we will do what my lord commandeth.
26We will leave our children, and our wives and sheep and cattle, in the cities of Galaad.
27And we thy servants all well appointed will march on to the war, as thou, my lord, speakest.
28Moses therefore commanded Eleazar the priest, and Josue the son of Nun, and the princes of the families of all the tribes of Israel, and said to them:
29If the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben pass with you over the Jordan, all armed for war before the Lord, and the land be made subject to you: give them Galaad in possession.
30But if they will not pass armed with you into the land of Chanaan: let them receive places to dwell in among you.
31And the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben answered: As the Lord hath spoken to his servants, so will we do.
32We will go armed before the Lord into the land of Chanaan: and we confess that we have already received our possession beyond the Jordan.
33Moses therefore gave to the children of Gad and of Ruben, and to the half tribe of Manasses, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sehon king of the Amorrhites, and the kingdom of Og king of Basan, and their land and the cities thereof round about.
34And the sons of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
35And Etroth, and Sophan, and Jazer, and Jegbaa,
36And Bethnemra, and Betharan: fenced cities, and folds for their cattle.
37But the children of Ruben built Hesebon, and Eleale, and Cariathaim,
38And Nabo, and Baalmeon (their names being changed) and Sabama: giving names to the cities which they had built.
39Moreover the children of Machir, the son of Manasses, went into Galaad, and wasted it, cutting off the Amorrhites, the inhabitants thereof.
40And Moses gave the land of Galaad to Machir the son of Manasses: and he dwelt in it.
41And Jair the son of Manasses went, and took the villages thereof: and he called them Havoth Jair, that is to say, the villages of Jair.
42Nobe also went, and took Canath with the villages thereof: and he called it by his own name, Nobe.
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Numbers 32: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Numbers 32
32
The Transjordan tribes
1The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. 2So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and said, 3‘Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon – 4the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel – are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. 5If we have found favour in your eyes,’ they said, ‘let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.’
6Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, ‘Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? 7Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them? 8This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. 9After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. 10The Lord’s anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: 11“Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – 12not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.” 13The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.
14‘And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. 15If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.’
16Then they came up to him and said, ‘We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. 17But we will arm ourselves for battle#32:17 Septuagint; Hebrew will be quick to arm ourselves and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance. 19We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.’
20Then Moses said to them, ‘If you will do this – if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle 21and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him – 22then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.
23‘But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.’
25The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, ‘We your servants will do as our lord commands. 26Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says.’
28Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes. 29He said to them, ‘If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you, you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession. 30But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.’
31The Gadites and Reubenites answered, ‘Your servants will do what the Lord has said. 32We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed, but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.’
33Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan – the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.
34The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks. 37And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim, 38as well as Nebo and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.
39The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. 41Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair.#32:41 Or them the settlements of Jair 42And Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah after himself.
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