²⁰Moses answered, “Do what you have said. In the Lord’s presence have all your armed men get ready for battle. ²¹Have them cross the Jordan, and fight until the Lord forces out his enemies ²²and the land is conquered. Then you may come back. You will have fulfilled your military duty to the Lord and Israel. This land will be your own property in the Lord’s presence.

²³“If you don’t do all these things, you will be sinning against the Lord. You can be sure that you will be punished for your sin. ²⁴Build cities for your families and stone fences for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

²⁵Then the tribes of Gad and Reuben said to Moses, “Sir, we will do as you command. ²⁶Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our other animals will stay here in the cities of Gilead. ²⁷But in the Lord’s presence we will all get ready for battle and go with you, as you have said.”

²⁸So Moses gave orders about them to the priest Eleazar, Joshua (son of Nun), and the family heads of the tribes of Israel. ²⁹Moses told them, “If the tribes of Gad and Reuben get ready for battle in the Lord’s presence and cross the Jordan River with you and you conquer the land, give them Gilead as their own property. ³⁰If they don’t get ready for battle and go with you, the land they will take possession of must be in Canaan with yours.”

³¹The tribes of Gad and Reuben answered, “Sir, we will do as the Lord has said. ³²We will enter Canaan as armed troops in the Lord’s presence, but the land we will take possession of is here, east of the Jordan.”

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