Josué 22

Derpå lod Josua Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme kalde til sig

I har ikke svigtet eders Brødre i denne lange Tid; indtil denne Dag har I holdt HERREN eders Guds Bud.

Men nu har HERREN eders Gud skaffet eders Brødre Ro, som han lovede dem; vend derfor nu tilbage til eders Telte i det Land, hvor eders Ejendom ligger, som HERRENs Tjener Moses gav eder hinsides Jordan.

Og Josua velsignede dem og lod dem drage bort, og de begav sig til deres Telte.

Den ene Halvdel af Manasses Stamme havde Moses givet Land i Basan, den anden Halvdel derimod havde Josua givet Land sammen med deres Brødre i Landet vesten for Jordan. Og da Josua lod dem drage hver til sit efter at have velsignet dem,

vendte de tilbage til deres Telte med store Rigdomme, med Kvæg i Mængde, med Sølv og Guld, Kobber og Jern og Klæder i stor Mængde; og det Bytte, de havde taget fra deres Fjender, delte de med deres Brødre.

Så forlod Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme Israeliterne i Silo i Kana'ans Land og vendte tilbage til Gilead, det Land, de havde fået i Eje, hvor de havde nedsat sig i Følge HERRENs Bud ved Moses;'

og da Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme kom til Gelilot ved Jordan i Kana'ans Land, byggede de et Alter der ved Jordan, et stort Alter. der sås viden om.

Men det kom Israeliterne for Øre, at Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme havde bygget et Alter på Grænsen af Kana'ans Land, ved Gelilot ved Jordan, på Israeliternes Side.

Og da Israeliterne hørte det, samledes hele Israeliternes Menighed i Silo for at drage i Kamp imod dem.

Da sendte Israeliterne Pinehas, Præsten Eleazars Søn, til Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme i Gilead

tillige med ti Øverster, een Øverste for hver af alle Israels Stammer; hver af dem var Overhoved for sin Stamme iblandt Israels Tusinder;

og da de kom til Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme i Gilead, talte de således til dem:

Har vi ikke nok i Brøden med Peor, som vi endnu den Dag i Dag ikke har fået os renset for, og for hvis Skyld der kom Plage over Israels Menighed?

Og dog vender I eder i Dag fra HERREN! Når I i Dag er genstridige mod HERREN, vil hans Vrede i Morgen bryde løs over hele Israels Menighed.

Hvis det Land, I har fået i Eje, er urent, så gå over til det Land, der er HERRENs Ejendom, der, hvor HERRENs Bolig står, og nedsæt eder iblandt os; men vær ikke genstridige mod HERREN, ej heller mod os ved at bygge eder et Alter til foruden HERREN vor Guds Alter!

Da svarede Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme overhovederne for Israels Tusinder således:

at vi har bygget os et Alter, gid han så må unddrage os sin Hjælp i Dag! Hvis det er for at bringe Brændofre og Afgrødeofre derpå eller for at bringe Takofre derpå, så straffe HERREN det!

Nej, vi har gjort det af Frygt for det Tilfælde, at eders Børn engang i Fremtiden skulde sige til vore: Hvad har I med HERREN, Israels Gud, at gøre?

HERREN har jo sat Jordan som Grænse imellem os, og eder, Rubeniter og Gaditer; I har ingen Del i HERREN! Og således kunde eders Børn få vore til at høre op med at frygte HERREN.

Derfor tænkte vi: Lad os bygge dette Alter, ikke til Brændoffer eller Slagtoffer,

men for at det kan være Vidne mellem os og eder og mellem vore Efterkommere efter os om, at vi vil forrette HERRENs Tjeneste' for hans Åsyn med vore Brændofre, Slagtofre og Takofre, for at eders Børn ikke engang i Fremtiden skal sige til vore: I har ingen Del i HERREN!

Og vi tænkte: Hvis de i Fremtiden siger således til os og vore Efterkommere, så siger vi: Læg dog Mærke til, hvorledes det HERRENs Alter er bygget, som vore Forfædre rejste, ikke til Brændofre eller Slagtofre, men for at det kunne være Vidne mellem os og eder.

Da Præsten Pinehas og Menighedens Øverster og Overhovederne for Israels Tusinder, som ledsagede ham, hørte de Ord, som Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manassiterne talte, var de tilfredse,

Derpå vendte Pinehas, Præsten Eleazars Søn, og Øversteme tilbage fra Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme i Gilead til Israeliterne i Kana'ans Land og aflagde dem Beretning,

og Israeliterne var tilfredse ved Meddelelsen, og Israeliterne priste Gud og tænkte ikke mere på at drage i Kamp mod dem for at ødelægge det Land, Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme boede i.

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

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:

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.

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.

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.

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

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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. {chief...: Heb. house of the father}

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,

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?

{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,

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.

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.

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.

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,

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,)

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};

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? {In time...: Heb. To morrow}

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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. {pleased...: Heb. was good in their eyes}

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. {now: Heb. then}

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.

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.

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. {Ed: that is, A witness}