Gad and Reuben Inherit Gilead

¹ The descendants¹ of Reuben and the descendants² of Gad had a very large number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold it was a place for livestock.

1. Or “sons”
2. Or “sons”

² The descendants¹ of Gad and the descendants² of Reuben came, and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, saying,

1. Or “sons”
2. Or “sons”

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

⁴ the land that Yahweh struck before the community of Israel, is a land of livestock, and your servants have livestock.”

⁵ They said, “If we have found favor in ⌞your sight⌟,¹ let this land be given to your servants as property; do not lead us across the Jordan.”

1. Literally “your eyes”

⁶ But Moses said to the descendants¹ of Gad and to the descendants² of Reuben, “Will your brothers go to war while you yourselves live here?

1. Or “sons”
2. Or “sons”

⁷ Why are you discouraging the hearts of the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ from crossing into the land that Yahweh gave to them?

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

⁸ This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

⁹ When they went up to the valley¹ of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the ⌞Israelites⌟² so that they did not come to the land that Yahweh gave to them.

1. Or “the wadi”
2. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

¹⁰ So ⌞Yahweh’s anger burned⌟¹ on that day, and he swore an oath, saying,

1. Literally “Yahweh’s nose became hot”

¹¹ ‘The men who went up from Egypt, from ⌞those twenty years old⌟¹ and above, will not see the land that I swore with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because they have not wholly followed me,

1. Literally “a son of twenty years”

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

¹³ And ⌞Yahweh became angry⌟,¹ and he made them wander in the desert forty years until the entire generation who did evil in the ⌞sight of Yahweh⌟² ⌞had died⌟.³

1. Literally “Yahweh’s nose became hot”
2. Literally “eyes of Yahweh”
3. Literally “had completed”

¹⁴ Behold, you stand in the place of your fathers, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more ⌞Yahweh’s fierce anger⌟¹ against Israel.

1. Literally “the fierce anger of Yahweh’s nose”

¹⁵ If you turn from following him, he will again abandon them¹ in the wilderness, and you would have destroyed all these people.”

1. Hebrew “him”

¹⁶ They came near to him and said, “We will build sheep pens here for the flock of our livestock and cities for our little children;

¹⁷ but we ourselves will become armed and ready before the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ until we have brought them to their place, and our little children will live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

¹⁸ We will not return to our houses until the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ each obtain their² inheritance for themselves.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Hebrew “his”

¹⁹ For we will not take possession with them from across the Jordan and beyond because our inheritance has come to us from across the Jordan to the east.”

²⁰ So Moses said to them, “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves ⌞before⌟¹ Yahweh for the war,

1. Literally “in the presence of”

²¹ and everyone of you armed cross the Jordan ⌞before⌟¹ Yahweh until he has driven out his enemies from before him,

1. Literally “in the presence of”

²² and the land is subdued ⌞before⌟¹ Yahweh, then afterward you will return and be free of obligation from Yahweh and from Israel, and this land will be your property ⌞before⌟² Yahweh.

1. Literally “in the presence of”
2. Literally “in the presence of”

²³ But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh, and know that your sin will find you.

²⁴ Build for yourselves cities for your little children and sheep pens for your flocks; what has gone out from your mouth you will do.”

²⁵ So the descendants¹ of Gad and the descendants² of Reuben said to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do just as my lord commands.

1. Or “sons”
2. Or “sons”

²⁶ Our little children, our wives, our livestock, and all of our animals¹ ⌞will remain⌟² in the cities of Gilead,

1. Hebrew “animal”
2. Literally “will be there”

²⁷ but your servants, everyone who is armed for battle, will cross over ⌞before⌟¹ Yahweh to the war, just as my lord says.”

1. Literally “in the presence of”

²⁸ So Moses commanded them, Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the ⌞families⌟¹ of the tribes of the ⌞Israelites⌟.²

1. Literally “fathers”
2. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

²⁹ Moses said to them, “If the descendants¹ of Gad and the descendants² of Reuben, everyone who is armed for the war, cross over the Jordan ⌞before⌟³ Yahweh, and the land is subdued before you, you will give them the land of Gilead as property.

1. Or “sons”
2. Or “sons”
3. Literally “in the presence of”

³⁰ But if they will not cross over with you armed, they will acquire land in your midst in Canaan.”

³¹ The descendants¹ of Gad and the descendants of Reuben answered and said, “What Yahweh has commanded your servants, we will do.

1. Or “sons”

³² We ourselves will cross over armed ⌞before⌟¹ Yahweh to the land of Canaan, and the property of our inheritance will remain with us beyond the Jordan.”

1. Literally “in the presence of”

³³ So Moses gave to them, to the descendants¹ of Gad and the descendants² of Reuben, and to half of the tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh, the kingdom of Sihon the king of Amorites and the kingdom of Og the king of the Bashan, the land with its cities and their territories, the cities of the surrounding land.

1. Or “sons”
2. Or “sons”

³⁴ The descendants¹ of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, and Aroer,

1. Or “sons”

³⁵ and Atroth Shophan, Jazer, and Jogbehah,

³⁶ and Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, the cities of Mibzar, and the sheep pens for flocks.

³⁷ The descendants¹ of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,

1. Or “sons”

³⁸ and Nebo, Baal Meon (their names¹ were changed), and Sibmah, and ⌞they renamed⌟² the cities that they rebuilt.

1. Hebrew “name”
2. Literally “they called to names the names”

³⁹ The descendants¹ of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and they captured it and drove out the Amorites² who were in it.

1. Or “sons”
2. Hebrew “Amorite”

⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to Makir son of Manasseh, and he lived in it.

⁴¹ And Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their unwalled villages, and he called them Havvoth Jair.

⁴² Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah after his own name.