¹ Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

² and said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, and have hearkened unto my voice in all that I commanded you:

³ ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of Jehovah your God.

⁴ And now Jehovah your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he spake unto them: therefore now turn ye, and get you unto your tents, unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan.

⁵ Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

⁶ So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away; and they went unto their tents.

⁷ Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given [inheritance] in Bashan; but unto the other half gave Joshua among their brethren beyond the Jordan westward; moreover when Joshua sent them away unto their tents, he blessed them,

⁸ and spake unto them, saying, Return with much wealth unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.

⁹ And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses.

¹⁰ And when they came unto the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon.

¹¹ And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that pertaineth to the children of Israel.

¹² And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up against them to war.

¹³ And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,

¹⁴ and with him ten princes, one prince of a fathers' house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were every one of them head of their fathers' houses among the thousands of Israel.

¹⁵ And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,

¹⁶ Thus saith the whole congregation of Jehovah, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following Jehovah, in that ye have builded you an altar, to rebel this day against Jehovah?

¹⁷ Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves unto this day, although there came a plague upon the congregation of Jehovah,

¹⁸ that ye must turn away this day from following Jehovah? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to-day against Jehovah, that to-morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.

¹⁹ Howbeit, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of Jehovah, wherein Jehovah's tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against Jehovah, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar besides the altar of Jehovah our God.

²⁰ Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

²¹ Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spake unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,

²² The Mighty One, God, Jehovah, the Mighty One, God, Jehovah, he knoweth; and Israel he shall know: if it be in rebellion, or if in trespass against Jehovah (save thou us not this day,)

²³ that we have built us an altar to turn away from following Jehovah; or if to offer thereon burnt-offering or meal-offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace-offerings thereon, let Jehovah himself require it;

²⁴ and if we have not [rather] out of carefulness done this, [and] of purpose, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel?

²⁵ for Jehovah hath made the Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no portion in Jehovah: so might your children make our children cease from fearing Jehovah.

²⁶ Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice:

²⁷ but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of Jehovah before him with our burnt-offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no portion in Jehovah.

²⁸ Therefore said we, It shall be, when they so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say, Behold the pattern of the altar of Jehovah, which our fathers made, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you.

²⁹ Far be it from us that we should rebel against Jehovah, and turn away this day from following Jehovah, to build an altar for burnt-offering, for meal-offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of Jehovah our God that is before his tabernacle.

³⁰ And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them well.

³¹ And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we know that Jehovah is in the midst of us, because ye have not committed this trespass against Jehovah: now have ye delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of Jehovah.

³² And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.

³³ And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and spake no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and the children of Gad dwelt.

³⁴ And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar [Ed]: For, [said they], it is a witness between us that Jehovah is God.

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

² Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.

³ And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm ye men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Jehovah's vengeance on Midian.

⁴ Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.

⁵ So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

⁶ And Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

⁷ And they warred against Midian, as Jehovah commanded Moses; and they slew every male.

⁸ And they slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

⁹ And the children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.

¹⁰ And all their cities in the places wherein they dwelt, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.

¹¹ And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of beast.

¹² And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and unto Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

¹³ And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.

¹⁴ And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.

¹⁵ And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

¹⁶ Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Jehovah.

¹⁷ Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

¹⁸ But all the women-children, that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

¹⁹ And encamp ye without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, ye and your captives.

²⁰ And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' [hair], and all things made of wood, ye shall purify yourselves.

²¹ And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war that went to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Jehovah hath commanded Moses:

²² howbeit the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

²³ everything that may abide the fire, ye shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make to go through the water.

²⁴ And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean; and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

²⁵ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

²⁶ Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the congregation;

²⁷ and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, that went out to battle, and all the congregation.

²⁸ And levy a tribute unto Jehovah of the men of war that went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, [both] of the persons, and of the oxen, and of the asses, and of the flocks:

²⁹ take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for Jehovah's heave-offering.

³⁰ And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the asses, and of the flocks, [even] of all the cattle, and give them unto the Levites, that keep the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah.

³¹ And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Jehovah commanded Moses.

³² Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,

³³ and threescore and twelve thousand oxen,

³⁴ and threescore and one thousand asses,

³⁵ and thirty and two thousand persons in all, of the women that had not known man by lying with him.

³⁶ And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep:

³⁷ and Jehovah's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.

³⁸ And the oxen were thirty and six thousand; of which Jehovah's tribute was threescore and twelve.

³⁹ And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which Jehovah's tribute was threescore and one.

⁴⁰ And the persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Jehovah's tribute was thirty and two persons.

⁴¹ And Moses gave the tribute, which was Jehovah's heave-offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as Jehovah commanded Moses.

⁴² And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men that warred

⁴³ (now the congregation's half was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand, seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

⁴⁴ and thirty and six thousand oxen,

⁴⁵ and thirty thousand and five hundred asses,

⁴⁶ and sixteen thousand persons),

⁴⁷ even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, that kept the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

⁴⁸ And the officers that were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses;

⁴⁹ and they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war that are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.

⁵⁰ And we have brought Jehovah's oblation, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, ankle-chains, and bracelets, signet-rings, ear-rings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before Jehovah.

⁵¹ And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.

⁵² And all the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to Jehovah, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

⁵³ ([For] the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.)

⁵⁴ And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah.