Joshua:22:1-34
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Then Joshua called the Reubenites ,
and the Gadites ,
and the half tribe of Manasseh ,
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And said unto them ,
Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you ,
and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you :
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Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day ,
but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God .
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And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren ,
as he promised them :
therefore now return ye ,
and get you unto your tents ,
and unto the land of your possession ,
which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan .
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But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law ,
which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you ,
to love the LORD 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 .
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So Joshua blessed them ,
and sent them away :
and they went unto their tents .
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Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan :
but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward .
And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents ,
then he blessed them ,
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And he spake unto them ,
saying ,
Return with much riches 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 .
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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 country of Gilead ,
to the land of their possession ,
whereof they were possessed ,
according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses .
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And when they came unto the borders of Jordan ,
that are 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 Jordan ,
a great altar to see to .
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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 over against the land of Canaan ,
in the borders of Jordan ,
at the passage of the children of Israel .
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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 to war against them .
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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 ,
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And with him ten princes ,
of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel ;
and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel .
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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 ,
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Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD ,
What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel ,
to turn away this day from following the LORD ,
in that ye have builded you an altar ,
that ye might rebel this day against the LORD ?
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Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us ,
from which we are not cleansed until this day ,
although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD ,
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But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD ?
and it will be ,
seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD ,
that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel .
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Notwithstanding ,
if the land of your possession be unclean ,
then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD ,
wherein the LORD '
S tabernacle dwelleth ,
and take possession among us :
but rebel not against the LORD ,
nor rebel against us ,
in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God .
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Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing ,
and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel ?
and that man perished not alone in his iniquity .
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Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered ,
and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel ,
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The LORD God of gods ,
the LORD God of gods ,
he knoweth ,
and Israel he shall know ;
if it be in rebellion ,
or if in transgression against the LORD , (
save us not this day ,)
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That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD ,
or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering ,
or if to offer peace offerings thereon ,
let the LORD himself require it ;
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And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing ,
saying ,
In time to come your children might speak unto our children ,
saying ,
What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel ?
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For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you ,
ye children of Reuben and children of Gad ;
ye have no part in the LORD :
so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD .
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Therefore we said ,
Let us now prepare to build us an altar ,
not for burnt offering ,
nor for sacrifice :
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But that it may be a witness between us ,
and you ,
and our generations after us ,
that we might do the service of the LORD 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 part in the LORD .
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Therefore said we ,
that it shall be ,
when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come ,
that we may say again ,
Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD ,
which our fathers made ,
not for burnt offerings ,
nor for sacrifices ;
but it is a witness between us and you .
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God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD ,
and turn this day from following the LORD ,
to build an altar for burnt offerings ,
for meat offerings ,
or for sacrifices ,
beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle .
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And when Phinehas the priest ,
and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which 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 .
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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 perceive that the LORD is among us ,
because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD :
now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD .
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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 .
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And the thing pleased the children of Israel ;
and the children of Israel blessed God ,
and did not intend to go up against them in battle ,
to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt .
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And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed :
for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God .