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Reubenites and Gadites, who owned a very great number of livestock, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead was good country for livestock. 2 So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community, and said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land the Lord conquered before the community of Israel, is good land for livestock, and your servants own livestock.” 5 They continued, “If we have found favour in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”
6 But Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your brothers go to war while you sit here? 7 Why do you discourage the the Israelites from going over to the land the Lord has given them? 8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9 After they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. 10 Then the Lord’s anger burned that day, and He swore this oath: 11 ‘Because they have not followed Me wholeheartedly, none of the men twenty years old or more who came up from Egypt will see the land I swore on oath to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob— 12 none except for Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, because they did follow the Lord completely’. 13 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation that had done evil in the Lord’s sight was gone.
14 “And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and increasing the Lord’s anger against Israel even more! 15 If you turn back from following Him, He will again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will destroy all of them.”
16 Then they came up to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our women and children. 17 But we will arm ourselves and be ready to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile, our women and children will remain in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has taken possession of his inheritance. 19 But we will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance will across the Jordan to the east.”
20 Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves for battle before the Lord, 21 and if all of your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him— 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord, afterward you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.
23 “But if you do not do this, you will be sinning against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your children, and folds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “Your servants will do as our lord commands. 26 Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will remain there in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants will cross over, every man armed for war before the Lord to do battle, just as our lord says.”
28 So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the family leaders of the Israelite tribes. 29 Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you must give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30 But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must accept their possession among you in the land of Canaan.”
31 The Gadites and Reubenites answered, “As the Lord has spoken to your servants, so we will do. 32 We will cross over before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but we will keep the property of our inheritance across the Jordan.”
33 So Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the whole land including its cities and the territories surrounding them.
34 The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and built sheepfolds for their sheep. 37 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, and Baal-meon (these names were changed), and Sibmah. They gave new names to the cities they rebuilt.
39 The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled there. 41 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages, and he renamed them Havvoth-jair. 42 Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and he renamed it Nobah after his own name.