¹ And multitude of livestock for the sons of Reuben and for the sons of Gad was very numerous; and they saw the land of Jaazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock,

² the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and said to^▵ Moses, and to^▵ Eleazar the priest, and to^▵ the chiefs of the congregation, saying,

³ Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

⁴ the land which Jehovah smote before the congregation of Israel, it^◦ is a land for livestock, and thy servants have livestock;

⁵ and they said, If we have·​·found grace in thine eyes, let this land be given to thy servants for a possession^◦; bring· us not ·across the Jordan.

⁶ And Moses said to^▵ the sons of Gad and to^▵ the sons of Reuben, Shall your brothers go·​·in to battle, and you shall sit here?

⁷ And why do you discourage the heart of the sons of Israel from going·​·across into^▵ the land which Jehovah has given to them?

⁸ Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land,

⁹ and they went·​·up to^◦ the brook of Eshcol, and saw the land; they discouraged the heart of the sons of Israel, that they should not^▵ go·​·in to^▵ the land which Jehovah had given them.

¹⁰ And Jehovah’s anger was·​·fierce in that^◦ day, and He promised, saying,

¹¹ Shall the men^◦ who went·​·up out·​·of Egypt, from a son of twenty years and upward, see the ground which I promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob? for they have not fully followed after Me;

¹² except^▵ Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; for they have fully followed after Jehovah.

¹³ And the anger of Jehovah was·​·fierce against^◦ Israel, and He made them meander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation who had done the evil in the eyes of Jehovah was entirely consumed.

¹⁴ And, behold, you have risen·​·up in your fathers’ stead, a multiplying of men^◦, sinners, to add yet·​·again onto^◦ the fierce anger of Jehovah toward^▵ Israel.

¹⁵ If^▫ you turn·​·back from following after Him, then He will yet again place them in the wilderness; and you shall destroy all this people.

¹⁶ And they approached him, and said, We will build fences of the flock for our livestock here, and cities for our infants;

¹⁷ but we^◦ ourselves will hurry armed^◦ before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to^▵ their place; and our infants shall dwell in the fortified cities on·​·account·​·of^◦ those dwelling·​·in the land.

¹⁸ We will not return to^▵ our houses, until the sons of Israel have inherited each·​·man^◦ his inheritance.

¹⁹ For we will not inherit with^◦ them from the crossing of^◦ the Jordan and beyond; for our inheritance has come to^▵ us from the crossing of the Jordan toward the sunrise.

²⁰ And Moses said to^▵ them, If you will do this thing, if you will go armed^◦ before Jehovah to war,

²¹ and will cross· all of^◦ you armed^◦ ·over the Jordan before Jehovah, until He has dispossessed His enemies from before Him,

²² and the land be subdued before Jehovah; then after this you shall return, and be innocent before Jehovah, and before Israel; and this land shall be to you for a possession^◦ before Jehovah.

²³ But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against^▵ Jehovah; and know that your sin will find you.

²⁴ Build for yourselves cities for your infants, and fences for your flock; and you shall do that which has gone·​·out from your mouth.

²⁵ And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben said to^▵ Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as^◦ my lord commands.

²⁶ Our infants, our wives, our livestock, and all our beasts, shall be there in the cities of Gilead;

²⁷ but thy servants will cross·​·over, every man armed^◦ for the army, before Jehovah for the battle, as^◦ my lord speaks.

²⁸ And as·​·to them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of^◦ the sons of Israel;

²⁹ and Moses said to^▵ them, If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben will cross· with^◦ you ·over the Jordan, every man armed^◦ for the battle, before Jehovah, and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession^◦;

³⁰ but if they will not cross·​·over with^◦ you armed^◦, then they shall have·​·possession^◦ in your midst in the land of Canaan.

³¹ And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying, What Jehovah has spoken to^▵ thy servants, so we will do.

³² We^▵ will cross·​·over armed^◦ before Jehovah into the land of Canaan, and the possession^◦ of our inheritance across the Jordan may be with us.

³³ And Moses gave to them, even to the sons of Gad, and to the sons of Reuben, and to the half 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 her cities in the borders, the cities of the land all around.

³⁴ And the sons of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

³⁵ and Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah,

³⁶ and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fortified cities; and fences for the flock.

³⁷ And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,

³⁸ and Nebo, and Baalmeon, their names being changed^*, and Sibmah; and they called by names the names of the cities which they built.

³⁹ And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to^▫ Gilead, and took^◦ it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.

⁴⁰ And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt in her.

⁴¹ And Jair the son of Manasseh went^◦ and took^◦ her hamlets, and called them Havoth-jair^*.

⁴² And Nobah went^◦ and captured Kenath, and her villages^*, and called her Nobah, after his own name.

¹ But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined.

³ You have multiplied the nation. You have increased their joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

⁴ For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as in the day of Midian.

⁵ For all the armor of the armed man in the noisy battle, and the garments rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

⁶ For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.

⁸ The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it falls on Israel.

⁹ All the people will know, including Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart,

¹⁰ "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with cut stone. The sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."

¹¹ Therefore Yahweh will set up on high against him the adversaries of Rezin, and will stir up his enemies,

¹² The Syrians in front, and the Philistines behind; and they will devour Israel with open mouth. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

¹³ Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them, neither have they sought Yahweh of Armies.

¹⁴ Therefore Yahweh will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day.

¹⁵ The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.

¹⁶ For those who lead this people lead them astray; and those who are led by them are destroyed.

¹⁷ Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is profane and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

¹⁸ For wickedness burns like a fire. It devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.

¹⁹ Through the wrath of Yahweh of Armies, the land is burnt up; and the people are the fuel for the fire. No one spares his brother.

²⁰ One will devour on the right hand, and be hungry; and he will eat on the left hand, and they will not be satisfied. Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm:

²¹ Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.