Chapter 32 Now the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, had a very great
multitude of cattle.
And when they saw the land of Jazar, and the land of Gilead, that, behold,
the place was a place for cattle, the children of Gad, and the children of
Reuben, came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the
princes of the congregation, saying, Atteroth, and Dibon, and Jazar,
and Nimra, and Heshbon, and Eleala, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,
even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel,
is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle.
Wherefore said they, If we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given
unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.
And Moses said unto the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben,
Shall your brethren go to war?
and shall ye sit here?
And wherefore discouraged ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over
into the land which the LORD hath given them?
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Chedesh Barnea, to see the land.
For when they went up into the valley of Eshchor, and saw the land, they
discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the
land which the LORD had given them.
And the LORD's anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying, Surely none of
the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward,
shall see the land which I swear unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob,
because they have not wholly followed me, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh,
the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.
And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the
wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight
of the LORD was consumed.
And behold, ye are risen up in your father's stead an increase of sinful men,
to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.
For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the
wilderness, and ye shall destroy all this people.
And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our
cattle, and cities for our little ones.
But we ourselves will go ready-armed before the children of Israel,
until we have brought them unto their place.
And our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities, because of the inhabitants
of the land.
We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have
inherited every man his inheritance.
For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward,
because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan, eastward.
And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the
LORD to war, and will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath
driven out his enemies from before him, and the land be subdued before the LORD,
then afterward ye shall return and be guiltless before the LORD and before
Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD,
and be sure your sin will find you out.
Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep, and do that
which hath proceeded out of your mouth.
And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying,
Thy servants will do as my LORD commandeth.
Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle shall be there in the
cities of Gilead, but thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war,
before the LORD to battle, as my LORD saith.
So concerning them, Moses commanded Eliezer the priest, and Joshua the son of
Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.
And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will
pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle before the LORD, and the land
shall be subdued before you, then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a
possession.
But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among
you in the land of Canaan.
And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD
hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.
We will pass over, armed before the LORD, into the land of Canaan, that the
possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours.
And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad and to the children of
Reuben, and unto 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 the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country
round about.
And the children of Gad built Diabon, and Ataroth, and Aror, and Atroth,
Shophan, and Jeazer, and Jogbaha, and Bethnimra, and Bethharan, fenced
cities, and folds for sheep.
And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Eliella, and Kirgithaim, and Nebo,
and Baalmeon, their names being changed, and Shibma, and gave other names unto the
cities which they built.
And the children of Makar, the son of Manasseh, went to Gilead, and took it,
and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.
And Moses gave Gilead unto Makar, the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt therein.
And Jeor, the son of Manasseh, went and took the small towns thereof,
and called them Havoth-Jeor.
And Nobah went and took Keneth, and the villages thereof, and called it
Nobah after his own name.