1Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2and said to them: You have kept all that Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you. 3You have not left your brethren these many days, to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of Jehovah your God. 4And now Jehovah your God has given rest to your brethren, as He has promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah has given you on the other side of the Jordan. 5But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the Law which Moses the servant of Jehovah has charged you, to love Jehovah your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 6So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. 7Now to the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half of it Joshua gave a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. And when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8and spoke to them, saying, Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoils of your enemies with your brethren. 9And the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the mouth of Jehovah by the hand of Moses. 10And when they came to the region of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan; an altar of great appearance. 11And the children of Israel heard it said, Behold, the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar across from the land of Canaan, in the regions of the Jordan, at the border of the children of Israel. 12And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them. 13Then the sons of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the sons of Reuben, to the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, 14and with him ten leaders, each one a chief leader of a father’s house of every tribe of Israel; and each one was the head of the house of his father among the thousands of Israel. 15And they came to the sons of Reuben, to the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, 16Thus says the whole congregation of Jehovah: What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following Jehovah, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this day against Jehovah? 17Was the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed to this day, and there was a plague in the congregation of Jehovah, 18but that you must turn away this day from following Jehovah? And it shall be, if you rebel today against Jehovah, that tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of Jehovah, where the tabernacle of Jehovah stands, and take possession among us; but do not rebel against Jehovah, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of Jehovah our God. 20Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And that man was not the only one to die in his iniquity. 21Then the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the thousands of Israel: 22Jehovah, the Mighty God of gods, Jehovah, the Mighty God of gods, He knows, and let Israel itself know; if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against Jehovah, do not save us this day. 23If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following Jehovah, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let Jehovah Himself exact it. 24But we have done it in this manner out of concern, thinking, In time to come your sons may speak to our sons, saying, What have you to do with Jehovah the God of Israel? 25For Jehovah has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad. You have no portion in Jehovah. Thus your sons would make our sons cease to fear Jehovah. 26Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, 27but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of Jehovah before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your sons may not say to our sons in time to come, You have no portion in Jehovah. 28Therefore we thought that it shall be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say, Look at the pattern of the altar of Jehovah which our fathers have made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between you and us. 29Far be it from us that we should rebel against Jehovah, to turn from following Jehovah this day, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of Jehovah our God which is before His tabernacle. 30And when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh had spoken, it pleased them. 31And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh, This day we perceive that Jehovah is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against Jehovah. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of Jehovah. 32And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders, returned from the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33And the thing was good in the eyes of the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God and spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the sons of Reuben and Gad were living. 34And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar, Witness, For it is a witness between us that Jehovah is God.