Numbers 32

Reuben and Gad Settle in Gilead

1Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a 1very large number of livestock. So when they saw the land of 2Jazer and the land of Gilead, that 3it was indeed a place suitable for livestock, 2the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3“4Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4the land 5which the Lord 6conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our property; do not take us across the Jordan.”

6But Moses said to the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, “Should your brothers go to war while you remain here? 77And why are you discouraging the 8sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given them? 8This is what your fathers did when I sent them from 9Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9For when they went up to 10the 11Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the 12sons of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10So 13the Lord’s anger burned on that day, and He swore, saying, 11‘14None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, 12except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun; 15for they have followed the Lord fully.’ 1316So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord came to an end. 14Now behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, born of sinful men, to add still more to the burning 17anger of the Lord against Israel. 15For if you 18turn away from following Him, He will once more leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”

16Then they approached him and said, “We will build sheepfolds for our livestock here and cities for our little ones; 1719but we ourselves will be armed, hurrying ahead of the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 1820We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has gained possession of his inheritance. 19But we will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us 21on this side of the Jordan toward the east.”

2022So Moses said to them, “If you will do 23this, if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, 21and all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven His enemies out from Him, 2224and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be 25free of obligation toward the Lord and toward Israel, and this land shall be yours as property before the Lord. 23But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure that 26your sin will find you out. 24Build yourselves cities for your little ones, and sheepfolds for your sheep, and 27do 28what you have promised.”

25Then the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do just as my lord commands. 2629Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall 30remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27while your servants, that is, everyone who is armed for war, 31cross over in the presence of the Lord to battle, just as my lord says.”

28So Moses gave the command regarding them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ households of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 29And Moses said to them, “If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, everyone who is armed for battle, cross with you over the Jordan in the presence of the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as their property; 30but if they do not cross over with you armed, they shall instead be settled among you in the land of Canaan.” 31And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying, “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do. 32We ourselves will cross over armed in the presence of the Lord into the land of Canaan, and the property of our inheritance shall remain with us across the Jordan.”

3332So Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad, the sons of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the land with its cities with their 33territories, the cities of the surrounding land. 34And the sons of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, 34Aroer, 35Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 3635Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and sheepfolds for sheep. 37The sons of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 3836Nebo, and Baal-meon--their names being changed--and Sibmah, and they gave other names to the cities which they built. 39The sons of 37Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40So Moses gave 38Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he lived in it. 41Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its 39towns, and called them 4041Havvoth-jair. 42Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and named it Nobah, after 42his own name.