Joshua 22 - The Scriptures 1998

¹ Then Yehoshua called for the Re’uḇ

² and said to them, “You, you have guarded all that Mosheh the servant of יהוה  commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you.

³ “You have not left your brothers these many days, up to this day, but have guarded the Charge, the command of יהוה  your Elohim.

⁴ “And now יהוה  your Elohim has given rest to your brothers, as He promised them. So now, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Mosheh the servant of יהוה  gave you beyond the Yardĕ

⁵ “Only, diligently guard to do the command and the Torah which Mosheh the servant of יהוה  commanded you, to love יהוה  your Elohim, and to walk in all His ways, and to guard His commands, and to cling to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your being.”

⁶ And Yehoshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

⁷ And to half the tribe of Menashsheh Mosheh had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half of it Yehoshua gave land among their brothers beyond the Yardĕ

⁸ and spoke to them, saying, “Return to your tents with great riches, and with very much livestock, and with silver, and with gold, and with bronze, and with iron, and with countless garments. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.”

⁹ And the children of Re’uḇ

¹⁰ And they came to the districts of the Yardĕ

¹¹ And the children of Yisra’ĕ

¹² And when the children of Yisra’ĕ

¹³ So the children of Yisra’ĕ

¹⁴ and ten rulers with him, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Yisra’ĕ

¹⁵ And they came to the children of Re’uḇ

¹⁶ “Thus says all the congregation of יהוה, ‘What is this trespass you have committed against the Elohim of Yisra’ĕ

¹⁷ ‘Is the crookedness of Peʽ

¹⁸ that you turn away today from following יהוה ? And it shall be, if you rebel today against יהוה, that tomorrow He is wroth with all the congregation of Yisra’ĕ

¹⁹ ‘And indeed, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of יהוה, where the Dwelling Place of יהוה  dwells, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against יהוה, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of יהוה  our Elohim.

²⁰ ‘Did not Aḵ

²¹ Then the children of Re’uḇ

²² “Ě

²³ “If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following יהוה, or if to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings on it, or if to make peace offerings on it, let יהוה  Himself require it.

²⁴ “But truly, from fear, for a reason we did this, saying, ‘In time to come your sons might speak to our sons, saying, “What have you to do with יהוה  Elohim of Yisra’ĕ

²⁵ “For יהוה  has made the Yardĕ

²⁶ “So we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for slaughtering,

²⁷ but to be a witness between you and us and our generations after us, to do the service of יהוה  before Him with our burnt offerings, with our slaughterings, and with our peace offerings, that your sons should not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion with יהוה.” ’

²⁸ “So we said that it shall be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say, ‘See the pattern of the altar of יהוה  which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for slaughterings, but it is a witness between you and us.’

²⁹ “Far be it from us to rebel against יהוה, and to turn from following יהוה  this day, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for slaughterings, besides the altar of יהוה  our Elohim which is before His Dwelling Place.”

³⁰ And Pineḥ

³¹ And Pineḥ

³² And Pineḥ

³³ So the matter was good in the eyes of the children of Yisra’ĕ

³⁴ And the children of Re’uḇ