Numbers 32:1-33:49

New International Version

The Transjordan Tribes

32 The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks,^(A) saw that the lands of Jazer^(B) and Gilead^(C) were suitable for livestock.^(D) ²So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community,^(E) and said, ³“Ataroth,^(F) Dibon,^(G) Jazer,^(H) Nimrah,^(I) Heshbon,^(J) Elealeh,^(K) Sebam,^(L) Nebo^(M) and Beon^(N)— ⁴the land the Lord subdued^(O) before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock,^(P) and your servants have livestock. ⁵If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.^(Q)”

⁶Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? ⁷Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them?^(R) ⁸This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land.^(S) ⁹After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol^(T) and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. ¹⁰The Lord’s anger was aroused^(U) that day and he swore this oath:^(V) ¹¹‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more^(W) when they came up out of Egypt^(X) will see the land I promised on oath^(Y) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob^(Z)— ¹²not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’^(AA) ¹³The Lord’s anger burned against Israel^(AB) and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.^(AC)

¹⁴“And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel.^(AD) ¹⁵If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.^(AE)”

¹⁶Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens^(AF) here for our livestock^(AG) and cities for our women and children. ¹⁷But we will arm ourselves for battle^[a] and go ahead of the Israelites^(AH) until we have brought them to their place.^(AI) Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance.^(AJ) ¹⁹We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance^(AK) has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”^(AL)

²⁰Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle^(AM) ²¹and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him^(AN)— ²²then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return^(AO) and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession^(AP) before the Lord.^(AQ)

²³“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.^(AR) ²⁴Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks,^(AS) but do what you have promised.^(AT)”

²⁵The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands.^(AU) ²⁶Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead.^(AV) ²⁷But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight^(AW) before the Lord, just as our lord says.”

²⁸Then Moses gave orders about them^(AX) to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun^(AY) and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes.^(AZ) ²⁹He said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you,^(BA) you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession.^(BB) ³⁰But if they do not cross over^(BC) with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.^(BD)”

³¹The Gadites and Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the Lord has said.^(BE) ³²We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed,^(BF) but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.^(BG)”

³³Then Moses gave to the Gadites,^(BH) the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh^(BI) son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites^(BJ) and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan^(BK)—the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.^(BL)

³⁴The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,^(BM) ³⁵Atroth Shophan, Jazer,^(BN) Jogbehah,^(BO) ³⁶Beth Nimrah^(BP) and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks.^(BQ) ³⁷And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon,^(BR) Elealeh^(BS) and Kiriathaim,^(BT) ³⁸as well as Nebo^(BU) and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah.^(BV) They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.

³⁹The descendants of Makir^(BW) son of Manasseh went to Gilead,^(BX) captured it and drove out the Amorites^(BY) who were there. ⁴⁰So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites,^(BZ) the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. ⁴¹Jair,^(CA) a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair.^[b]^(CB) ⁴²And Nobah captured Kenath^(CC) and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah^(CD) after himself.^(CE)

Stages in Israel’s Journey

33 Here are the stages in the journey^(CF) of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt^(CG) by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.^(CH) ²At the Lord’s command Moses recorded^(CI) the stages in their journey^(CJ). This is their journey by stages:

³The Israelites set out^(CK) from Rameses^(CL) on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover.^(CM) They marched out defiantly^(CN) in full view of all the Egyptians, ⁴who were burying all their firstborn,^(CO) whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment^(CP) on their gods.^(CQ)

⁵The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Sukkoth.^(CR)

⁶They left Sukkoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.^(CS)

⁷They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon,^(CT) and camped near Migdol.^(CU)

⁸They left Pi Hahiroth^[c]^(CV) and passed through the sea^(CW) into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah.^(CX)

⁹They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped^(CY) there.

¹⁰They left Elim^(CZ) and camped by the Red Sea.^[d]

¹¹They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.^(DA)

¹²They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

¹³They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.

¹⁴They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.^(DB)

¹⁵They left Rephidim^(DC) and camped in the Desert of Sinai.^(DD)

¹⁶They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.^(DE)

¹⁷They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.^(DF)

¹⁸They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

¹⁹They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.

²⁰They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.^(DG)

²¹They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.

²²They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

²³They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

²⁴They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

²⁵They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

²⁶They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

²⁷They left Tahath and camped at Terah.

²⁸They left Terah and camped at Mithkah.

²⁹They left Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

³⁰They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.^(DH)

³¹They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.^(DI)

³²They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.

³³They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.^(DJ)

³⁴They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

³⁵They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.^(DK)

³⁶They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.^(DL)

³⁷They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor,^(DM) on the border of Edom.^(DN) ³⁸At the Lord’s command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died^(DO) on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year^(DP) after the Israelites came out of Egypt.^(DQ) ³⁹Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰The Canaanite king^(DR) of Arad,^(DS) who lived in the Negev^(DT) of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.

⁴¹They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

⁴²They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

⁴³They left Punon and camped at Oboth.^(DU)

⁴⁴They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.^(DV)

⁴⁵They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.

⁴⁶They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.

⁴⁷They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim,^(DW) near Nebo.^(DX)

⁴⁸They left the mountains of Abarim^(DY) and camped on the plains of Moab^(DZ) by the Jordan^(EA) across from Jericho.^(EB) ⁴⁹There on the plains of Moab they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth^(EC) to Abel Shittim.^(ED)

Footnotes

Numbers 32:17 Septuagint; Hebrew will be quick to arm ourselves
Numbers 32:41 Or them the settlements of Jair
Numbers 33:8 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text left from before Hahiroth
Numbers 33:10 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 11