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New Testament
Numbers 32
The Transjordan Tribes
321The descendants of Reuben and Gad had very large flocks and herds of livestock. They saw that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was ideal for livestock. 2The descendants of Gad and Reuben came and spoke to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the tribal chiefs of the community. They said, 3“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon— 4the land which the Lord struck down before the community of Israel—is an ideal land for livestock. We, your servants, have livestock.” 5They continued, “If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not require us to cross the Jordan.”
6Moses said to the descendants of Gad and Reuben, “Do you expect your brothers to go into battle while you live here? 7Why are you disheartening the Israelites from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given to them? 8Your fathers did that same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9They had gone up as far as the Valley of Eshcol and had seen the land. Then they disheartened the Israelites so that they would not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10The Lord's anger burned on that day, and he swore an oath, 11‘Surely none of the men twenty years old and up who came up from Egypt will see the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not followed me completely, 12except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, because they have followed the Lord completely.’ 13The Lord's anger burned against Israel so he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation that had done evil in the Lord's sight was gone.”
14He continued, “See, here you are, a band of sinners standing in your fathers' place, adding still more to the Lord's fierce anger against Israel. 15If you turn away from following him, he will once again leave these people in the wilderness, and you will have destroyed all these people.”
16They approached him and said, “We will build sheep pens here for our livestock and cities for our children, 17but we will be quick to arm ourselves to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their own places. Our children will live in our fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land, 18but we will not return to our houses until the Israelites have each taken possession of their inheritance. 19We certainly will not have any claim to an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us here on the east side of the Jordan, toward the sunrise.”
20Moses said to them, “If you will do what you have said, if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle, 21and if every one of you who is armed will cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven out his enemies before him, 22and until the land has been subdued before the Lord, then after that you may return home. You will be guiltless toward the Lord and Israel. This land will be a possession for you in the presence of the Lord.
23“But if you will not do this, look, you will have sinned against the Lord. Know that your sin will find you out. 24Build cities for your children, and pens for your flocks, but keep the promises that have come out of your mouth.”
25The descendants of Gad and Reuben spoke to Moses: “We, your servants, will do as my lord commands. 26Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will stay here by the cities of Gilead, 27but your servants, every man who is armed for war, will cross over before the Lord for battle, as my lord says.”
28So Moses gave a command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leading fathers of the Israelite tribes. 29Moses said to them, “If the descendants of Gad and Reuben, everyone who is armed for battle, will cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you will give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30But if they are not willing to cross over with you armed, they will have an inheritance among you in the land of Canaan.”
31The descendants of Gad and Reuben answered, “We will do what the Lord has said to us, your servants. 32We will cross over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but the property that comes to us as our inheritance will be east of the Jordan.”
33Moses gave the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to half of the tribe descended from Manasseh, the son of Joseph—the land including its cities with the territories surrounding them. 34The descendants of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities and built sheep pens there. 37The descendants of Reuben built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38Nebo and Baal Meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.
39The descendants of Makir, the son of Manasseh, went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Makir, the descendants of Manasseh, and they lived there. 41Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth Jair.[] 42Nobah went and captured Kenath and its settlements. He renamed it Nobah after himself.
Footnotes
- 32:41 Havvoth Jair means Villages of Jair.