Numbers 32:1–27
32 The descendantsa of Reuben and the descendantsb 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. 2 The descendantsc of Gad and the descendantsd of Reuben came, and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, saying, 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⌋,e let this land be given to your servants as property; do not lead us across the Jordan.”
6 But Moses said to the descendantsf of Gad and to the descendantsg of Reuben, “Will your brothers go to war while you yourselves live here? 7 Why are you discouraging the hearts of the ⌊Israelites⌋h from crossing into the land that Yahweh gave to them? 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 valleyi of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the ⌊Israelites⌋j so that they did not come to the land that Yahweh gave to them. 10 So ⌊Yahweh’s anger burned⌋k on that day, and he swore an oath, saying, 11 ‘The men who went up from Egypt, from ⌊those twenty years old⌋l 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, 12 except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, because they followed Yahweh wholly.’ 13 And ⌊Yahweh became angry⌋,m and he made them wander in the desert forty years until the entire generation who did evil in the ⌊sight of Yahweh⌋n ⌊had died⌋.o 14 Behold, you stand in the place of your fathers, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more ⌊Yahweh’s fierce anger⌋p against Israel. 15 If you turn from following him, he will again abandon themq in the wilderness, and you would have destroyed all these people.”
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⌋r 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. 18 We will not return to our houses until the ⌊Israelites⌋s each obtain theirt inheritance for themselves. 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⌋u Yahweh for the war, 21 and everyone of you armed cross the Jordan ⌊before⌋v Yahweh until he has driven out his enemies from before him, 22 and the land is subdued ⌊before⌋w Yahweh, then afterward you will return and be free of obligation from Yahweh and from Israel, and this land will be your property ⌊before⌋x Yahweh. 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 descendantsy of Gad and the descendantsz of Reuben said to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do just as my lord commands. 26 Our little children, our wives, our livestock, and all of our animalsa ⌊will remain⌋b in the cities of Gilead, 27 but your servants, everyone who is armed for battle, will cross over ⌊before⌋c Yahweh to the war, just as my lord says.”