1Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock, and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, it seemed unto them that the place [was] a place for livestock. 2And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke unto Moses and to Eleazar, the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, 3Ataroth and Dibon and Jazer and Nimrah and Heshbon and Elealeh and Shebam and Nebo and Beon, 4the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, [is] a land for livestock, and thy servants have livestock. 5Therefore, they said, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession [and] do not make us pass the Jordan. 6And Moses said unto the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? 7Why do ye discourage the heart of the sons of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them? 8Thus did your fathers when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land. 9For when they went up unto 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 the LORD had given them. 10And the LORD'S anger was kindled the same time, and he swore, saying, 11Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they were not perfect in following me, 12except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua, the son of Nun, for they were perfect in following the LORD. 13And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was consumed. 14And, behold, ye are risen up in the place of your fathers, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel. 15For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave you in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people. 16Then they came near unto him and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our little ones, 17but we ourselves will go arm ourselves and go with diligence before the sons of Israel until we have brought them unto their place, and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18We will not return unto our houses until the sons of Israel have inherited each man his inheritance. 19For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan or forward because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of Jordan eastward. 20Then Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will prepare yourselves to go before the LORD to the war 21and will all pass the Jordan armed before the LORD until he has driven out his enemies from before him 22and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward ye shall return and be guiltless before the LORD and before Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23But if ye will not do so, behold, ye shall have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will catch up with you. 24Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth. 25And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commands. 26Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our beasts, shall be there in the cities of Gilead; 27but thy servants, each one armed for war, will pass before the LORD to battle, as our lord saith. 28So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar, the priest, and Joshua, the son of Nun, and the princes of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 29And Moses said unto them, If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben will pass the Jordan with you, each one armed to battle, before the LORD, after the land shall be subdued before you, then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. 31And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD has said unto thy servants, so will we do. 32We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance on this side of the Jordan [shall be] ours. 33Thus Moses gave unto the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben and unto half the 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, with its cities and borders, [even] the cities of the country round about. 34And the sons of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer 35and Atroth-shophan and Jaazer and Jogbehah 36and Bethnimrah and Bethharan, fenced cities, and also folds for sheep. 37And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim 38and Nebo and Baalmeon (their names being changed) and Shibmah and gave other names unto the cities which they built. 39And the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, went to Gilead and took it and dispossessed the Amorite who [was] in it. 40And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir, the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein. 41Jair, the son of Manasseh also went and took the small towns thereof and called them Havothjair. 42Likewise Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.: