Joshua 21:43-22:12

Good News Translation

Israel Takes Possession of the Land

⁴³ So the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he had solemnly promised their ancestors he would give them. When they had taken possession of it, they settled down there. ⁴⁴ The Lord gave them peace throughout the land, just as he had promised their ancestors. Not one of all their enemies had been able to stand against them, because the Lord gave the Israelites the victory over all their enemies. ⁴⁵ The Lord kept every one of the promises that he had made to the people of Israel.

Joshua Sends the Eastern Tribes Home

22 Then Joshua called together the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. ^2 (A)He said to them, “You have done everything that Moses the Lord's servant ordered you to do, and you have obeyed all my commands. ³ All this time you have never once deserted the other Israelites. You have been careful to obey the commands of the Lord your God. ⁴ Now, as he promised, the Lord your God has given the other Israelites peace. So go back home to the land which you claimed for your own, the land on the east side of the Jordan, that Moses, the Lord's servant, gave you. ⁵ Make sure you obey the law that Moses commanded you: love the Lord your God, do his will, obey his commandments, be faithful to him, and serve him with all your heart and soul.” ^6-8 Joshua sent them home with his blessing and with these words: “You are going back home very rich, with a lot of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and many clothes. Share with your fellow tribesmen what you took from your enemies.” Then they left for home.

Moses had given land east of the Jordan to one half of the tribe of Manasseh, but to the other half Joshua had given land west of the Jordan, along with the other tribes.

⁹ So the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh went back home. They left the rest of the people of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and started out for their own land, the land of Gilead, which they had taken as the Lord had commanded them through Moses.

The Altar by the Jordan

¹⁰ When the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh arrived at Geliloth, still on the west side^[a] of the Jordan, they built a large, impressive altar there by the river. ¹¹ The rest of the people of Israel were told, “Listen! The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh have built an altar at Geliloth, on our side of the Jordan!” ¹² When the people of Israel heard this, the whole community came together at Shiloh to go to war against the eastern tribes.