Numbers 32
Revised Geneva Translation
32 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had an exceedingly great multitude of cattle. And they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that it was an apt place for cattle.
2 Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the Priest and to the Princes of the Congregation, saying,
3 “Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,
4 “country which the LORD struck before the Congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle. And your servants have cattle.”
5 “Therefore,” they said, “if we have found grace in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession, and do not bring us over Jordan.”
6 And Moses said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to war and you stay here?
7 “Therefore, now, you discourage the heart of the children of Israel to go over into the land which the LORD has given them?
8 “Your fathers did the same when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.
9 “For when they went up all the way to the river of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they would not go into the land which the LORD had given them.
10 “And the LORD’s wrath was kindled the same day, and He swore, saying,
11 ‘None of the men who came out of Egypt from twenty years old and above shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me,
12 ‘except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua, the son of Nun. For they have constantly followed the LORD.’
13 “And the LORD was very angry with Israel, and made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.
14 “And behold, you have risen up in your father’s place, offspring of sinful men, to increase the fierce wrath of the LORD toward Israel.
15 “For if you turn away from following Him, He will yet again leave them in the wilderness. And you shall destroy all this folk.”
16 And they went near to him, and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our sheep, for our cattle, and cities for our children.
17 “But we ourselves will be ready, armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. But our children shall dwell in the defensed cities, because of the inhabitants of the land.
18 “We will not return to our houses until the children of Israel have inherited, every man his inheritance.
19 “Nor will we inherit with them beyond Jordan and on that side, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side, Jordan, eastward.”
20 And Moses said to them, “If you will do this thing, and go armed before the LORD to war,
21 “and will go — every one of you in harness, over Jordan, before the LORD, until He has cast out His enemies from His sight
22 “and until the land is subdued before the LORD — then you shall return and be innocent toward the LORD, and toward Israel. And 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 be sure that your sin will find you out.
24 “Build cities for your children, and folds for your sheep, and do that which you have spoken.”
25 Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do as my lord commands.
26 “Our children, our wives, our sheep, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead.
27 “But every one of your servants will go to war, armed before the LORD to fight, as my lord says.”
28 So Moses commanded them concerning Eleazar the Priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.
29 And Moses said to them, “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will go with you over Jordan — all armed to fight before the LORD — then, when the land is subdued before you, you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession.
30 “But if they will not go over with you armed, then they shall have their possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”
31 And the children of Gad, and the children of Reuben answered, saying, “As the LORD has said to your servants, so will we do.
32 “We will go armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, so that the possession of our inheritance may be to us on this side of Jordan.”
33 So Moses gave to them — to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben and to half the 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 with its cities and coasts, even the cities of the country all around.
34 Then the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
35 and Atroth, Shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,
36 and Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran (defensed cities), also sheepfolds.
37 And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim,
38 and Nebo, and Baal Meon, and turned their names, and Shibmah, and gave other names to the cities which they built.
39 And the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, went to Gilead and took it, and put out the Amorites who dwelt therein.
40 Then Moses gave Gilead to Machir, the son of Manasseh. And he dwelt therein.
41 And Jair, the son of Manasseh, went and took the small towns thereof and called them Havoth Jair.
42 Also Nobah went and took Kenath, with its villages, and called it Nobah (after his own name).
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