1
Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a very great quantity of cattle; and they saw that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was a very suitable place for cattle.
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So the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came to speak to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the princes of the congregation, and they said,
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Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
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the land which Yehowah conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and your servants have cattle.
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And they said, If we have found favour in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not take us over the Jordan.
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But Moses said to the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?
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Why do you discourage the hearts of the sons of Israel from going over into the land which Yehowah has given them?
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This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land;
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for when they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and saw the land, they discouraged the hearts of the sons of Israel, so that they would not enter the land which Yehowah had given them.
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So the anger of Yehowah flared up that day, and he swore, and said,
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Surely none of the men who have come out of Egypt, of twenty years of age and over, shall see the land which I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not followed me fully-
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except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, who have followed Yehowah fully.
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Then the anger of Yehowah flared up against Israel, and he made them wander in the desert for forty years, till all the generation which had done that evil in the sight of Yehowah was consumed.
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And see, you have risen up in your father's place, a brood of sinful men, to fan the heat of Yehowah's anger towards Israel!
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For if you turn away from following him, he will leave them in the desert once again; so you will destroy all this people.
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Then they came near to him, and said, We will build folds for our cattle here, and cities for our children;
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but we will hasten to take up arms in front of the sons of Israel, till we have brought them into their place; and our children shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
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We will not return to our homes until each of the sons of Israel has come into his inheritance.
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For we will not inherit with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.
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And Moses said to them, If you do this thing, if you will take arms before Yehowah for battle,
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and every one of your armed men will pass over the Jordan before Yehowah, until he has driven out his enemies before him,
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and the land is subdued before Yehowah, then afterwards you shall return, and be free before Yehowah and Israel; and this land shall be a possession for you before Yehowah.
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But if you will not do so, then you have sinned against Yehowah; and be sure your sin will find you out.
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Build for yourselves cities for your children and folds for your flocks; and do as you have promised.
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And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke to Moses, and said, Your servants will do as my lord commands.
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Our children, our wives, our cattle, and all our animals shall stay in the cities of Gilead;
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but your servants will pass over to do battle before Yehowah, every man armed for war, as my lord declares.
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So Moses commanded Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the chief fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel concerning them;
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and Moses said to them, If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every one armed for battle before Yehowah, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession;
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but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.
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And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, and said, We will do as Yehowah has told your servants.
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We will pass over armed before Yehowah into the land of Canaan, so that the possession of our inheritance may become ours on this side of the Jordan.
33
Then Moses gave to the sons of Gad, the sons of Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon the king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og the king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the surrounding countryside.
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And the sons of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
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Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
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Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fortified cities; and folds for their flocks.
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And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
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Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names being changed), and Sibmah; and they gave these names to the cities which they built.
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And the sons of Makhir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.
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And Moses gave Gilead to Makhir the son of Manasseh, and he lived there.
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And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took some towns and called them Havvoth-jair.
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And Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
