¹ Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle. And when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle,

² the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the rulers of the congregation, saying,

³ Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

⁴ the land which Jehovah smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle.

⁵ And they said, If we have found favor in thy sight, let this land be given to thy servants for a possession. Bring us not over the Jordan.

⁶ And Moses said to the sons of Gad, and to the sons of Reuben, Shall your brothers go to the war, and shall ye sit here?

⁷ And why do ye discourage the heart of the sons of Israel from going over into the land which Jehovah has given them?

⁸ Thus did your fathers when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

⁹ For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the sons of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Jehovah had given them.

¹⁰ And Jehovah's anger was kindled in that day, and he swore, saying,

¹¹ Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me,

¹² except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have wholly followed Jehovah.

¹³ And Jehovah's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander to and fro in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of Jehovah was consumed.

¹⁴ And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of Jehovah toward Israel.

¹⁵ For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness, and ye will destroy all this people.

¹⁶ And they came near to him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones,

¹⁷ but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

¹⁸ We will not return to our houses until the sons of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.

¹⁹ For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward, because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.

²⁰ And Moses said to them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will arm yourselves to go before Jehovah to the war,

²¹ and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Jehovah, until he has driven out his enemies from before him,

²² and the land is subdued before Jehovah, then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless towards Jehovah, and towards Israel, and this land shall be to you for a possession before Jehovah.

²³ But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against Jehovah, and be sure your sin will find you out.

²⁴ Build for you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep, and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth.

²⁵ And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commands.

²⁶ Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead,

²⁷ but thy servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before Jehovah to battle, as my lord says.

²⁸ So Moses gave charge concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel.

²⁹ And Moses said to them, If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man that is armed to battle, before Jehovah, and the land shall be subdued before you, then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession,

³⁰ but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.

³¹ And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying, As Jehovah has said to thy servants, so we will do.

³² We will pass over armed before Jehovah into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance is with us beyond the Jordan.

³³ And Moses gave to them, even to the sons of Gad, and to the sons of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities of it with their borders, even the cities of the land round about.

³⁴ And the sons of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

³⁵ and Atrothshophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,

³⁶ and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep.

³⁷ And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,

³⁸ and Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being changed,) and Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities which they built.

³⁹ And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites that were in it.

⁴⁰ And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it.

⁴¹ And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the towns of it, and called them Havvoth-jair.

⁴² And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages of it, and called it Nobah, after his own name.