Joshua 22:15-34

15They came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying, 16“Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the Lord this day, by 1building yourselves an altar, to rebel against the Lord this day? 17Is not 2the iniquity of Peor 3enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the Lord, 18that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? If you rebel against the Lord today, 4He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow. 19If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then 5cross into the land of the possession of the Lord, where the Lord’s tabernacle 6stands, and take possession among us. Only do not rebel against the Lord, or rebel against us by 7building an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the Lord our God. 20Did not 8Achan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’”

21Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the 9families of Israel. 22“The 10Mighty One, God, the Lord, the Mighty One, God, the Lord! 11He knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the Lord do not save us this day! 23If we have built us an altar to turn away from following the Lord, or if to 12offer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the Lord Himself require it. 24But truly we have done this out of concern, 13for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our 14sons, “What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in the Lord.” So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the Lord.’

26“Therefore we said, ‘Let us 15build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; 27rather it shall be 16a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to 17perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.”’ 28Therefore we said, ‘It shall also come about if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it is a witness between us and you.”’ 29Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away from following the Lord this day, by 18building an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the Lord our God which is before His 19tabernacle.”

30So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, even the heads of the 20families of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the 21Lord is in our midst, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the Lord; now you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”

32Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33The word pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel 22blessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. 34The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad 23called the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”