Joshua 22

Joshua Sends the Eastern Tribes Home

1Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses servant of the LORD commanded you and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. 3You have not abandoned your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4Now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as he spoke to them. So now turn and go to your tents, to the land of your possession that Moses servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan. 5Only be very careful to do the commandment and the instruction that Moses servant of the LORD commanded you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to cling to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your life.” 6Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

The Half-Tribe of Manasseh Returns

7Moses had given an inheritance in Bashan to half the tribe of Manasseh, but to the other half Joshua gave an inheritance among their brothers beyond the Jordan westward. When Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them 8and said to them, “Return to your tents with much wealth, with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very much clothing. Divide the plunder of your enemies with your brothers.” 9So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had possessed according to the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

An Altar by the Jordan

10When they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to behold. 11The children of Israel heard it said, “Look, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar opposite the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the children of Israel.” 12When the children of Israel heard it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go up against them for war.

Phinehas Leads a Delegation

13The children of Israel sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, 14and with him ten leaders, one leader from each ancestral house from all the tribes of Israel, each one head of his ancestral house among the thousands of Israel. 15They came to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and spoke with them, saying, 16“Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD: What is this unfaithfulness that you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away this day from following the LORD by building for yourselves an altar, rebelling this day against the LORD? 17Is the guilt of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, though there was a plague upon the congregation of the LORD? 18And you would turn away this day from following the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19But if the land of your possession is unclean, cross over to the land of the possession of the LORD, where the dwelling of the LORD stands, and take a possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not rebel against us by building for yourselves an altar besides the altar of the LORD our God. 20Did not Achan son of Zerah act unfaithfully concerning what was devoted, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone in his guilt.”

The Eastern Tribes Explain the Altar

21Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the thousands of Israel: 22“God, God, the LORD! God, God, the LORD! He knows, and Israel shall know. If it was in rebellion or in unfaithfulness against the LORD, do not save us this day. 23If we built an altar for ourselves to turn away from following the LORD, or if to offer burnt offering or grain offering upon it, or if to offer offerings of well-being upon it, may the LORD himself require it. 24But truly we did this from concern about a matter, saying, ‘In time to come your children may say to our children, “What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no portion in the LORD.” So your children might cause our children to cease fearing the LORD.’ 26Therefore we said, ‘Let us now act for ourselves to build the altar, not for burnt offering and not for sacrifice, 27but so that it may be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices, and our offerings of well-being, so that your children will not say to our children in time to come, “You have no portion in the LORD.”’ 28So we said, ‘If they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we will say, “See the pattern of the altar of the LORD that our ancestors made, not for burnt offering and not for sacrifice, but as a witness between us and you.”’ 29Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD or turn away this day from following the LORD by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice besides the altar of the LORD our God that is before his dwelling.”

The Crisis Is Resolved

30When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes. 31Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this unfaithfulness against the LORD. Now you have delivered the children of Israel from the hand of the LORD.” 32Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33The matter was good in the eyes of the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God. They spoke no more of going up against them for war to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad lived. 34The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”