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Now the children of
Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great
multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land
of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold,
the place was a place for cattle;
02 The children of Gad and the children of
Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar
the priest, and unto the princes of the
congregation, saying,
03 Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and
Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and
Nebo, and Beon,
04 Even the country which the Lord smote
before the congregation of Israel, is a land for
cattle, and thy servants have cattle:
05 Wherefore, said they, if we have found
grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto
thy servants for a possession, and bring us not
over Jordan.
06 And Moses said unto the children of Gad
and to the children of Reuben, Shall your
brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?
07 And wherefore discourage ye the heart of
the children of Israel from going over into the
land which the Lord hath given them?
08 Thus did your fathers, when I sent them
from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.
09 For when they went up unto the valley of
Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the
heart of the children of Israel, that they should
not go into the land which the Lord had given
them.
10 And the Lord's anger was kindled the
same time, and he sware, saying,
11 Surely none of the men that came up out
of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall
see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto
Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not
wholly followed me:
12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the
Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they
have wholly followed the Lord.
13 And the Lord's anger was kindled against
Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness
forty years, until all the generation, that had
done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed.
14 And, behold, ye are risen up in your
fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to
augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward
Israel.
15 For if ye turn away from after him, he
will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and
ye shall destroy all this people.
16 And they came near unto him, and said,
We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and
cities for our little ones:
17 But we ourselves will go ready armed
before the children of Israel, until we have
brought them unto their place: and our little
ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of
the inhabitants of the land.
18 We will not return unto our houses,
until the children of Israel have inherited every
man his inheritance.
19 For we will not inherit with them on
yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our
inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan
eastward.
20 And Moses said unto them, If ye will do
this thing, if ye will go armed before the Lord
to war,
21 And will go all of you armed over Jordan
before the Lord, until he hath driven out his
enemies from before him,
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22 And the land be subdued before the Lord:
then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless
before the Lord, and before Israel; and this land
shall be your possession before the Lord.
23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye
have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your
sin will find you out.
24 Build you cities for your little ones,
and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath
proceeded out of your mouth.
25 And the children of Gad and the children
of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants
will do as my lord commandeth.
26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks,
and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities
of Gilead:
27 But thy servants will pass over, every
man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as
my lord saith.
28 So concerning them Moses commanded
Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun,
and the chief fathers of the tribes of the
children of Israel:
29 And Moses said unto them, If the
children of Gad and the children of Reuben will
pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to
battle, before the Lord, and the land shall be
subdued before you; then ye shall give them the
land of Gilead for a possession:
30 But if they will not pass over with you
armed, they shall have possessions among you in
the land of Canaan.
31 And the children of Gad and the children
of Reuben answered, saying, As the Lord hath said
unto thy servants, so will we do.
32 We will pass over armed before the Lord
into the land of Canaan, that the possession of
our inheritance on this side Jordan may be our's.
33 And Moses gave unto them, even to the
children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben,
and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of
Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the
Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan,
the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts,
even the cities of the country round about.
34 And the children of Gad built Dibon, and
Ataroth, and Aroer,
35 And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and
Jogbehah,
36 And Bethnimrah, and Bethharan, fenced
cities: and folds for sheep.
37 And the children of Reuben built
Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim,
38 And Nebo, and Baalmeon, (their names
being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names
unto the cities which they builded.
39 And the children of Machir the son of
Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and
dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.
40 And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the
son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.
41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and
took the small towns thereof, and called them
Havothjair.
42 And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the
villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his
own name.
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