1Then Joshua called to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh,
2and said to them: You have kept all that Moses the servant of YHWH commanded (tzivvah) you, and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded (tzivvah) you;
3you have not left your brothers these many days until this day, but have kept the charge (mishmeret) of the commandment (mitzvah) of YHWH your God.
4And now YHWH your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; and now turn and go for yourselves to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of YHWH gave you beyond the Jordan.
5Only take heed greatly to do the commandment (mitzvah) and the Torah, which Moses the servant of YHWH commanded (tzivvah) you, to love YHWH your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments (mitzvah), and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him (avad) with all your heart and with all your soul (nephesh).
6And Joshua blessed them, and sent them away; and they went to their tents.
7And to the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given in Bashan, and to its other half Joshua gave among their brothers beyond the Jordan westward. And also when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them,
8and said to them, saying: With much wealth return to your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with bronze, and with iron, and with very much clothing; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.
9And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned and went from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, in which they had taken possession, according to the mouth of YHWH by the hand of Moses.
10And they came to the regions of the Jordan which are in the land of Canaan, and the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon.
11And the children of Israel heard, saying: Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the front of the land of Canaan, in the regions of the Jordan, at the side of the children of Israel.
12And the children of Israel heard, and the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves at Shiloh, to go up against them to war.
13And the children of Israel sent to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
14and ten princes with him, one prince of a fathers' house for each of the tribes of Israel; and each a man (ish), head of the house of their fathers, they were among the thousands of Israel.
15And they came to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying:
16Thus said the whole congregation of YHWH: What is this treachery that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from after YHWH, in your building for yourselves an altar, to rebel this day against YHWH?
17Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves until this day, and there was the plague upon the congregation of YHWH,
18that you must turn away this day from after YHWH? And it will be, if you rebel today against YHWH, that tomorrow He will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.
19But if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over for yourselves to the land of the possession of YHWH, where the tabernacle (mishkan) of YHWH dwells, and take possession among us; but against YHWH do not rebel, and against us do not rebel, in your building for yourselves an altar besides the altar of YHWH our God.
20Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit treachery in the devoted thing, and wrath was upon all the congregation of Israel? And he was one man (ish); he did not perish alone in his iniquity.
21And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the thousands of Israel:
22God, God, YHWH, God, God, YHWH, He knows, and Israel, he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in treachery against YHWH — do not save us (yasha) this day —
23to build for us an altar to turn away from after YHWH; or if to offer up upon it burnt offering and grain offering, or if to make upon it sacrifices of peace offerings, let YHWH Himself require it;
24and if not out of anxiety over a matter we have done this, saying: Tomorrow your children might speak to our children, saying: What have you to do with YHWH, the God of Israel?
25For YHWH has made the Jordan a border between us and you, children of Reuben and children of Gad; you have no portion in YHWH; so might your children make our children cease from fearing YHWH.
26And we said: Let us now make, for ourselves, to build the altar, not for burnt offering, and not for sacrifice;
27but it is a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may serve (avad) the service (avodah) of YHWH before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children tomorrow: You have no portion in YHWH.
28And we said: And it shall be, when they say to us or to our generations tomorrow, that we shall say: See the pattern of the altar of YHWH, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering, and not for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you.
29Far be it from us, from us, to rebel against YHWH, and to turn away this day from after YHWH, to build an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of YHWH our God which is before His tabernacle (mishkan).
30And Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, and the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, and it was good in their eyes.
31And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh: This day we know that YHWH is in our midst, because you have not committed against YHWH this treachery; now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of YHWH.
32And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them back word.
33And the word was good in the eyes of the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not say to go up against them to war, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad were dwelling.
34And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar — for it is a witness between us that YHWH is God.