Numbers 32:3-34

3“1Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4the land 2which the Lord 3conquered 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? 74And why are you discouraging the 5sons 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 6Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9For when they went up to 7the 8Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the 9sons of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10So 10the Lord’s anger burned on that day, and He swore, saying, 11‘11None 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; 12for they have followed the Lord fully.’ 1313So 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 14anger of the Lord against Israel. 15For if you 15turn 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; 1716but 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. 1817We 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 18on this side of the Jordan toward the east.”

2019So Moses said to them, “If you will do 20this, 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, 2221and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be 22free 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 23your sin will find you out. 24Build yourselves cities for your little ones, and sheepfolds for your sheep, and 24do 25what 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. 2626Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall 27remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27while your servants, that is, everyone who is armed for war, 28cross 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.”

3329So 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 30territories, the cities of the surrounding land. 34And the sons of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, 31Aroer,