Numbers 32

The Transjordan Tribes

32The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks,^a saw that the lands of Jazer^b and Gilead^c were suitable for livestock.^{d 2}So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community,^e and said, ³“Ataroth,^f Dibon,^g Jazer,^h Nimrah,ⁱ Heshbon,^j Elealeh,^k Sebam,^l Nebo^m and Beonⁿ—⁴the land the Lord subdued^o before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock,^p and your servants have livestock. ⁵If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.^q”

⁶Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? ⁷Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them?^{r 8}This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land.^{s 9}After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol^t and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. ¹⁰The Lord’s anger was aroused^u that day and he swore this oath:^{v 11}‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more^w when they came up out of Egypt^x will see the land I promised on oath^y to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob^z—¹²not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’^{a 13}The Lord’s anger burned against Israel^b and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.^c

¹⁴“And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel.^{d 15}If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.^e”

¹⁶Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens^f here for our livestock^g and cities for our women and children. ¹⁷But we will arm ourselves for battle^a and go ahead of the Israelites^h until we have brought them to their place.ⁱ Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance.^{j 19}We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance^k has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”^l

²⁰Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle^{m 21}and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before himⁿ—²²then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return^o and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession^p before the Lord.^q

²³“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.^{r 24}Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks,^s but do what you have promised.^t”

²⁵The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands.^{u 26}Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead.^{v 27}But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight^w before the Lord, just as our lord says.”

²⁸Then Moses gave orders about them^x to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun^y and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes.^{z 29}He said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you,^a you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession.^{b 30}But if they do not cross over^c with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.^d”

³¹The Gadites and Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the Lord has said.^{e 32}We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed,^f but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.^g”

³³Then Moses gave to the Gadites,^h the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manassehⁱ son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites^j and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan^k—the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.^l

³⁴The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,^{m 35}Atroth Shophan, Jazer,ⁿ Jogbehah,^{o 36}Beth Nimrah^p and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks.^{q 37}And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon,^r Elealeh^s and Kiriathaim,^{t 38}as well as Nebo^u and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah.^v They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.

³⁹The descendants of Makir^w son of Manasseh went to Gilead,^x captured it and drove out the Amorites^y who were there. ⁴⁰So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites,^z the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. ⁴¹Jair,^a a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair.^{bb 42}And Nobah captured Kenath^c and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah^d after himself.^e