11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shilohf to go to war against them.

13 So the Israelites sent Phinehasg son of Eleazar,h the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With him they sent ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.i

15 When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them: 16 “The whole assembly of the Lord says: ‘How could you break faithj with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellionk against him now? 17 Was not the sin of Peorl enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord! 18 And are you now turning away from the Lord?

“ ‘If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole communitym of Israel. 19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord’s land, where the Lord’s tabernaclen stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altaro for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 When Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful in regard to the devoted things,a p did not wrathq come on the whole communityr of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’ ”s