Eastern Tribes Return to Their Lands

22 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them: “You have kept aall that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, band have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 You have not 1left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. 4 And now the Lord your God has given crest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, dwhich Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 But etake 2careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, fto love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 So Joshua gblessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

7 Now to half the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, hbut to the other half of it Joshua gave a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. And indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8 and 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. iDivide the 3spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”

9 So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to jthe country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

An Altar by the Jordan

10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar. 11 Now the children of Israel kheard someone say, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the 4frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of Israel’s side.” 12 And when the children of Israel heard of it, lthe whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.

13 Then the children of Israel msent nPhinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, 14 and with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel; and oeach one was the head of the house of his father among the 5divisions of Israel. 15 Then they came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, 16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord: ‘What ptreachery 6is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, qthat you might rebel this day against the Lord? 17 Is the iniquity rof Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord, 18 but that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow sHe will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19 7Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, twhere the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and take possession among us; but do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the Lord our God. 20 uDid not Achan the son of Zerah 8commit a trespass in the 9accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’ ”

21 Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the 1divisions of Israel: 22 “The Lord vGod of gods, the Lord God of gods, He wknows, and let Israel itself know—if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against the Lord, do not save us this day. 23 If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following the Lord, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the Lord Himself xrequire an account. 24 But in fact we have done it 2for fear, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, “What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? 25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no part in the Lord.” So your descendants would make our descendants cease fearing the Lord.’ 26 Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, 27 but that it may be ya 3witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may zperform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, “You have no part in the Lord.” ’ 28 Therefore we said that it will be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, ‘Here is the replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between you and us.’ 29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn from following the Lord this day, ato build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the Lord our God which is before His tabernacle.”

30 Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the 4divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the Lord is bamong us, because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.”

32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel cblessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.

34 The children of Reuben and the children of 5Gad called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”

Joshua’s Farewell Address

23 Now it came to pass, a long time after the Lord ahad given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua bwas old, advanced in age. 2 And Joshua ccalled for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them:

“I am old, advanced in age. 3 You have seen all that the dLord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the eLord your God is He who has fought for you. 4 See, fI have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. 5 And the Lord your God gwill expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, has the Lord your God promised you. 6 iTherefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, jlest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 and lest you kgo 1among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not lmake mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to mswear by them; you shall not nserve them nor bow down to them, 8 but you shall ohold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. 9 pFor the Lord has 2driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 qOne man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, ras He promised you. 11 sTherefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. 12 Or else, if indeed you do tgo back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and umake marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, 13 know for certain that vthe Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. wBut they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Behold, this day xI 3am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that ynot one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. 15 zTherefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you aall harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 16 4When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the banger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

The Covenant at…