The Transjordan Tribes

32 The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks,^(A) saw that the lands of Jazer^(B) and Gilead^(C) were suitable for livestock.^{(D) 2} So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community,^(E) and said, ³ “Ataroth,^(F) Dibon,^(G) Jazer,^(H) Nimrah,^(I) Heshbon,^(J) Elealeh,^(K) Sebam,^(L) Nebo^(M) and Beon^(N)— ⁴ the land the Lord subdued^(O) before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock,^(P) and your servants have livestock. ⁵ If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.^(Q)”

⁶ Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? ⁷ Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them?^{(R) 8} This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land.^{(S) 9} After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol^(T) and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. ¹⁰ The Lord’s anger was aroused^(U) that day and he swore this oath:^{(V) 11} ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more^(W) when they came up out of Egypt^(X) will see the land I promised on oath^(Y) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob^(Z)— ¹² not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’^{(AA) 13} The Lord’s anger burned against Israel^(AB) and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.^(AC)

¹⁴ “And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel.^{(AD) 15} If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.^(AE)”

¹⁶ Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens^(AF) here for our livestock^(AG) and cities for our women and children. ¹⁷ But we will arm ourselves for battle^[a] and go ahead of the Israelites^(AH) until we have brought them to their place.^(AI) Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance.^{(AJ) 19} We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance^(AK) has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”^(AL)

²⁰ Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle^{(AM) 21} and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him^(AN)— ²² then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return^(AO) and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession^(AP) before the Lord.^(AQ)

²³ “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.^{(AR) 24} Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks,^(AS) but do what you have promised.^(AT)”

²⁵ The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands.^{(AU) 26} Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead.^{(AV) 27} But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight^(AW) before the Lord, just as our lord says.”

²⁸ Then Moses gave orders about them^(AX) to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun^(AY) and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes.^{(AZ) 29} He said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you,^(BA) you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession.^{(BB) 30} But if they do not cross over^(BC) with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.^(BD)”

³¹ The Gadites and Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the Lord has said.^{(BE) 32} We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed,^(BF) but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.^(BG)”

³³ Then Moses gave to the Gadites,^(BH) the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh^(BI) son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites^(BJ) and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan^(BK)—the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.^(BL)

³⁴ The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,^{(BM) 35} Atroth Shophan, Jazer,^(BN) Jogbehah,^{(BO) 36} Beth Nimrah^(BP) and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks.^{(BQ) 37} And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon,^(BR) Elealeh^(BS) and Kiriathaim,^{(BT) 38} as well as Nebo^(BU) and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah.^(BV) They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.

³⁹ The descendants of Makir^(BW) son of Manasseh went to Gilead,^(BX) captured it and drove out the Amorites^(BY) who were there. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites,^(BZ) the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. ⁴¹ Jair,^(CA) a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair.^{[b](CB) 42} And Nobah captured Kenath^(CC) and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah^(CD) after himself.^(CE)

Defeat of Og King of Bashan

3 Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan^(A) with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.^{(B) 2} The Lord said to me, “Do not be afraid^(C) of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”

³ So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down,^(D) leaving no survivors.^{(E) 4} At that time we took all his cities.^(F) There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—the whole region of Argob, Og’s kingdom^(G) in Bashan.^{(H) 5} All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages. ⁶ We completely destroyed^[a] them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying^[b](I) every city—men, women and children. ⁷ But all the livestock^(J) and the plunder from their cities we carried off for ourselves.

⁸ So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites^(K) the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon.^{(L) 9} (Hermon is called Sirion^(M) by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.)^{(N) 10} We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salekah^(O) and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. ¹¹ (Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites.^(P) His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide.^[c] It is still in Rabbah^(Q) of the Ammonites.)

Division of the Land

¹² Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory north of Aroer^(R) by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns. ¹³ The rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh.^(S) (The whole region of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites.^{(T) 14} Jair,^(U) a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites;^(V) it was named^(W) after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair.^[d]) ¹⁵ And I gave Gilead to Makir.^{(X) 16} But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River,^(Y) which is the border of the Ammonites. ¹⁷ Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah,^(Z) from Kinnereth^(AA) to the Sea of the Arabah^(AB) (that is, the Dead Sea^(AC)), below the slopes of Pisgah.

¹⁸ I commanded you at that time: “The Lord your God has given^(AD) you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of the other Israelites.^{(AE) 19} However, your wives,^(AF) your children and your livestock^(AG) (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you, ²⁰ until the Lord gives rest to your fellow Israelites as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.”

¹⁵ This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, according to its clans:

⁷ The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance.^(A) And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them.^(B)”