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32 Les fils de Ruben et les fils de Gad avaient une quantité considérable de troupeaux, et ils virent que le pays de Jaezer et le pays de Galaad étaient un lieu propre pour des troupeaux.

Alors les fils de Gad et les fils de Ruben vinrent auprès de Moïse, du sacrificateur Éléazar et des princes de l'assemblée, et ils leur dirent:

Atharoth, Dibon, Jaezer, Nimra, Hesbon, Élealé, Sebam, Nebo et Beon,

ce pays que l'Éternel a frappé devant l'assemblée d'Israël, est un lieu propre pour des troupeaux, et tes serviteurs ont des troupeaux.

Ils ajoutèrent: Si nous avons trouvé grâce à tes yeux, que la possession de ce pays soit accordée à tes serviteurs, et ne nous fais point passer le Jourdain.

Moïse répondit aux fils de Gad et aux fils de Ruben: Vos frères iront-ils à la guerre, et vous, resterez-vous ici?

Pourquoi voulez-vous décourager les enfants d'Israël de passer dans le pays que l'Éternel leur donne?

Ainsi firent vos pères, quand je les envoyai de Kadès Barnéa pour examiner le pays.

Ils montèrent jusqu'à la vallée d'Eschcol, et, après avoir examiné le pays, ils découragèrent les enfants d'Israël d'aller dans le pays que l'Éternel leur donnait.

10 La colère de l'Éternel s'enflamma ce jour-là, et il jura en disant:

11 Ces hommes qui sont montés d'Égypte, depuis l'âge de vingt ans et au-dessus, ne verront point le pays que j'ai juré de donner à Abraham, à Isaac et à Jacob, car ils n'ont pas suivi pleinement ma voie,

12 excepté Caleb, fils de Jephunné, le Kenizien, et Josué, fils de Nun, qui ont pleinement suivi la voie de l'Éternel.

13 La colère de l'Éternel s'enflamma contre Israël, et il les fit errer dans le désert pendant quarante années, jusqu'à l'anéantissement de toute la génération qui avait fait le mal aux yeux de l'Éternel.

14 Et voici, vous prenez la place de vos pères comme des rejetons d'hommes pécheurs, pour rendre la colère de l'Éternel encore plus ardente contre Israël.

15 Car, si vous vous détournez de lui, il continuera de laisser Israël au désert, et vous causerez la perte de tout ce peuple.

16 Ils s'approchèrent de Moïse, et ils dirent: Nous construirons ici des parcs pour nos troupeaux et des villes pour nos petits enfants;

17 puis nous nous équiperons en hâte pour marcher devant les enfants d'Israël, jusqu'à ce que nous les ayons introduits dans le lieu qui leur est destiné; et nos petits enfants demeureront dans les villes fortes, à cause des habitants du pays.

18 Nous ne retournerons point dans nos maisons avant que les enfants d'Israël aient pris possession chacun de son héritage;

19 et nous ne posséderons rien avec eux de l'autre côté du Jourdain, ni plus loin, puisque nous aurons notre héritage de ce côté-ci du Jourdain, à l'orient.

20 Moïse leur dit: Si vous faites cela, si vous vous armez pour combattre devant l'Éternel,

21 si tous ceux de vous qui s'armeront passent le Jourdain devant l'Éternel jusqu'à ce qu'il ait chassé ses ennemis loin de sa face,

22 et si vous revenez seulement après que le pays aura été soumis devant l'Éternel, -vous serez alors sans reproche vis-à-vis de l'Éternel et vis-à-vis d'Israël, et cette contrée-ci sera votre propriété devant l'Éternel.

23 Mais si vous ne faites pas ainsi, vous péchez contre l'Éternel; sachez que votre péché vous atteindra.

24 Construisez des villes pour vos petits enfants et des parcs pour vos troupeaux, et faites ce que votre bouche a déclaré.

25 Les fils de Gad et les fils de Ruben dirent à Moïse: Tes serviteurs feront ce que mon seigneur ordonne.

26 Nos petits enfants, nos femmes, nos troupeaux et tout notre bétail, resteront dans les villes de Galaad;

27 et tes serviteurs, tous armés pour la guerre, iront combattre devant l'Éternel, comme dit mon seigneur.

28 Moïse donna des ordres à leur sujet au sacrificateur Éléazar, à Josué, fils de Nun, et aux chefs de famille dans les tribus des enfants d'Israël.

29 Il leur dit: Si les fils de Gad et les fils de Ruben passent avec vous le Jourdain, tous armés pour combattre devant l'Éternel, et que le pays soit soumis devant vous, vous leur donnerez en propriété la contrée de Galaad.

30 Mais s'ils ne marchent point en armes avec vous, qu'ils s'établissent au milieu de vous dans le pays de Canaan.

31 Les fils de Gad et les fils de Ruben répondirent: Nous ferons ce que l'Éternel a dit à tes serviteurs.

32 Nous passerons en armes devant l'Éternel au pays de Canaan; mais que nous possédions notre héritage de ce côté-ci du Jourdain.

33 Moïse donna aux fils de Gad et aux fils de Ruben, et à la moitié de la tribu de Manassé, fils de Joseph, le royaume de Sihon, roi des Amoréens, et le royaume d'Og, roi de Basan, le pays avec ses villes, avec les territoires des villes du pays tout alentour.

34 Les fils de Gad bâtirent Dibon, Atharoth, Aroër,

35 Athroth Schophan, Jaezer, Jogbeha,

36 Beth Nimra et Beth Haran, villes fortes, et ils firent des parcs pour les troupeaux.

37 Les fils de Ruben bâtirent Hesbon, Élealé et Kirjathaïm,

38 Nebo et Baal Meon, dont les noms furent changés, et Sibma, et ils donnèrent des noms aux villes qu'ils bâtirent.

39 Les fils de Makir, fils de Manassé, marchèrent contre Galaad, et s'en emparèrent; ils chassèrent les Amoréens qui y étaient.

40 Moïse donna Galaad à Makir, fils de Manassé, qui s'y établit.

41 Jaïr, fils de Manassé, se mit en marche, prit les bourgs, et les appela bourgs de Jaïr.

42 Nobach se mit en marche, prit Kenath avec les villes de son ressort, et l'appela Nobach, d'après son nom.

Reuben and Gad Settle in Gilead

32 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of (A)Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, (B)“Ataroth, (C)Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, (D)Nebo, and Beon, the land (E)that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”

But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? Your fathers did this, (F)when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the Lord had given them. 10 (G)And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, (H)from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give (I)to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, 12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the (J)Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for (K)they have wholly followed the Lord.’ 13 And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them (L)wander in the wilderness forty years, until (M)all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. 14 And behold, you have risen in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel! 15 For if you (N)turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.”

16 Then they came near to him and said, (O)“We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but (P)we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 (Q)We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, (R)because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” 20 So (S)Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war, 21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has (T)driven out his enemies from before him 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and (U)this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and (V)be sure your sin will find you out. 24 (W)Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” 25 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 (X)Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27 (Y)but your servants will pass over, every man who is (Z)armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord orders.”

28 So (AA)Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to (AB)Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them, “If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the Lord, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30 However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” 31 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the Lord has said to your servants, we will do. 32 We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”

33 And (AC)Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. 34 And the people of Gad built (AD)Dibon, (AE)Ataroth, (AF)Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, (AG)Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 (AH)Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, (AI)fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37 And the people of Reuben built (AJ)Heshbon, (AK)Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 (AL)Nebo, and (AM)Baal-meon ((AN)their names were changed), and (AO)Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built. 39 And the sons of (AP)Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 And Moses (AQ)gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. 41 And (AR)Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair.[a] 42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 32:41 Havvoth-jair means the villages of Jair

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) So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community,(E) and said, “Ataroth,(F) Dibon,(G) Jazer,(H) Nimrah,(I) Heshbon,(J) Elealeh,(K) Sebam,(L) Nebo(M) and Beon(N) the land the Lord subdued(O) before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock,(P) and your servants have livestock. If 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)

Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them?(R) This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land.(S) After 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. 10 The 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) 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’(AA) 13 The 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) 15 If 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)

16 Then 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. 17 But 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. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance.(AJ) 19 We 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)

20 Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle(AM) 21 and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him(AN) 22 then 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) 24 Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks,(AS) but do what you have promised.(AT)

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

28 Then 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) 29 He 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) 30 But if they do not cross over(BC) with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.(BD)

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

33 Then 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)

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

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

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 32:17 Septuagint; Hebrew will be quick to arm ourselves
  2. Numbers 32:41 Or them the settlements of Jair