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 And Deborah, and Barak the son of Abinoam, sang in that^◦ day, saying:

² In exposing they exposed themselves in Israel,
when the people of their free·​·will offered themselves,
bless ye Jehovah!

³ Hear, ye kings;
give·​·ear, ye rulers^◦.
I^▵, even I^▵ will sing to Jehovah;
I will sing·​·psalms to Jehovah, the God of Israel.

⁴ Jehovah, when Thou wentest·​·out from Seir,
when Thou didst march from the field of Edom,
the land quaked, even the heavens dropped·​·down,
even the thick·​·clouds dropped·​·down waters.

⁵ The mountains streamed down from before Jehovah,
this Sinai from before Jehovah the God of Israel.

⁶ In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the paths stopped,
and those who walked on trails went by crooked paths.

⁷ The country·​·roads in Israel stopped,
they stopped,
until I, Deborah, arose,
I arose a mother in Israel.

⁸ They chose new gods;
then there was a fight at the gates;
was there seen a shield or^◦ a lance
among^◦ forty thousand in Israel?

⁹ My heart is toward^◦ the lawgivers of Israel
who offered· themselves ·willingly among^◦ the people.
Bless ye Jehovah!

¹⁰ Ye who ride on white she·​·donkeys,
ye who sit on Middin^*,
and ye who walk on the way, contemplate.

¹¹ From the voice of the archers between the drawings of water;
there shall they commemorate^◦ the just acts of Jehovah,
the just acts of His country·​·roads in Israel,
then the people of Jehovah went·​·down to the gates.

¹² Stir thyself, stir thyself, Deborah,
stir thyself, stir thyself, give·​·word to a song:
Arise, Barak, take·​·captive thy captivity, thou son of Abinoam.

¹³ Then^▵ shall the survivor have·​·dominion for the magnificent of the people;
Jehovah shall have·​·dominion for me among^◦ the mighty.

¹⁴ Out·​·of Ephraim whose root was in Amalek,
after thee, Benjamin among thy peoples;
out·​·of Machir came·​·down thy lawgivers,
and out·​·of Zebulun they who draw the scepter of a scribe,

¹⁵ and my princes in Issachar were with^▵ Deborah;
as was Issachar, so was Barak;
into the valley he was sent on his feet.
In the divisions of Reuben there were great statutes of heart.

¹⁶ Why didst thou sit between the packs
to hear the hissings of the droves?
For the divisions of Reuben
there were great searchings·​·out of the heart.

¹⁷ Gilead inhabited the crossing of the Jordan;
and Dan, why was· he ·afraid of ships?
Asher dwelt by^◦ the coast of the seas,
and inhabited its inlets.

¹⁸ Zebulun was a people that disdained^* his soul to die^*,
and Naphtali on the high places of the field.

¹⁹ The kings came, they fought;
then^▵ fought the kings of Canaan;
In Taanach by^◦ the waters of Megiddo;
they took no^◦ gain of silver.

²⁰ They fought from the heavens,
the stars from their highways fought with Sisera.

²¹ The brook Kishon hurtled·​·at them;
the ancient brook, the brook Kishon.
Tread, O my soul, with strength.

²² Then were the heels of the horse pounded·​·down from the trotting,
the trotting of his stout ones.

²³ Curse ye Meroz, says the angel of Jehovah;
cursing, curse her dwellers;
for they came not to the help of Jehovah,
to the help of Jehovah against^◦ the mighty.

²⁴ Blessed above women be Jael the wife of Cheber the Kenite;
Blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

²⁵ Water he asked, milk she gave;
she offered butter in the dish^◦ of the magnificent.

²⁶ She put·​·forth^◦ her hand to the peg,
and her right·​·hand to what the laborer uses to pound·​·down;
and pounded·​·down upon Sisera,
beat· the peg ·into his head;
it struck^◦ and passed·​·through^◦ his temple.

²⁷ Between her feet he stooped, he fell;
he lay·​·down; Between her feet he stooped, he fell;
where he stooped, he fell devastated.

²⁸ Through the window she gazed and exclaimed,
the mother of Sisera, through the lattice;
Wherefore does his chariot delay^◦ in coming?
Wherefore does the pace^* of his chariot delay?

²⁹ The wise of her princesses answered,
Yea, she^◦ returned her sayings to herself:

³⁰ Have they not found,
and parted the spoil?
a virgin^▵*, two·​·virgins^▵ for the head mighty·​·man;
a spoil of colors?
To Sisera a spoil of colored embroidery,
of colored embroideries
for the necks of the spoil?

³¹ So let all Thine enemies perish, O Jehovah,
but let those who love Him be as the sun going·​·out in its might.
And the land was quiet forty years.