1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them, "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 You have not left your brothers these many days to this day, but have performed the duty of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4 Now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as he spoke to them. Therefore now return and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan. 5 Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."

6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away; and they went to their tents. 7 Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given inheritance in Bashan; but Joshua gave to the other half among their brothers beyond the Jordan westward. Moreover when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8 and spoke to them, saying, "Return with much wealth to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the plunder of your enemies with your brothers."

9 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 to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they owned, according to the commandment of the LORD by Moses. 10 When they came to the region near the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a great altar to look at. 11 The children of Israel heard this, "Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar along the border of the land of Canaan, in the region around the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the children of Israel." 12 When the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up against them to war. 13 The children of Israel sent to 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. 14 With him were ten princes, one prince of a fathers’ house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were each head of their fathers’ houses among the thousands of Israel. 15 They came to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, 16 "The whole congregation of the LORD says, ‘What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away today from following the LORD, in that you have built yourselves an altar, to rebel today against the LORD? 17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there came a plague on the congregation of the LORD, 18 that you must turn away today from following the LORD? It will be, since you rebel today against the LORD, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19 However, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of the LORD, in which the LORD’s tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us; but don’t rebel against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building an altar other than the LORD our God’s altar. 20 Didn’t Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? That man didn’t perish alone in his iniquity.’"

21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the heads of the thousands of Israel, 22 "The Mighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD, he knows; and Israel shall know: if it was in rebellion, or if in trespass against the LORD (don’t save us today), 23 that we have built us an altar to turn away from following the LORD; or if to offer burnt offering or meal offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings, let the LORD himself require it.

24 "If we have not out of concern done this, and for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your children might speak to our children, saying, "What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no portion in the LORD."’ So your children might make our children cease from fearing the LORD.

26 "Therefore we said, ‘Let’s now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice; 27 but it will be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings;’ that your children may not tell our children in time to come, ‘You have no portion in the LORD.’

28 "Therefore we said, ‘It shall be, when they tell us or our generations this in time to come, that we shall say, "Behold the pattern of the LORD’s altar, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you."’

29 "Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn away today from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offering, for meal offering, or for sacrifice, besides the LORD our God’s altar that is before his tabernacle!"

30 When Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them well. 31 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this trespass against the LORD. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the LORD’s hand." 32 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, to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again. 33 The thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and spoke no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad lived. 34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar "A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God."

1 Josué convocou as tropas das tribos de Rúben, Gad e da meia-tribo de Manassés e dirigiu-se-lhes deste modo: Vocês fizeram tudo conforme Moisés, o servo do Senhor, vos ordenou e obedeceram a cada mandamento que vos foi transmitido, a cada ordem dada pelo Senhor vosso Deus.

3 Não abandonaram as tribos vossas irmãs, mesmo tendo esta campanha durado tanto tempo.

4 E agora o Senhor nosso Deus deu-nos êxito e por fim o descanso, conforme nos tinha prometido. Por isso agora regressem aos vossos lares, à terra que vos foi dada pelo servo do Senhor, Moisés, no lado de lá do Jordão. Não deixem de obedecer a todos os mandamentos que Moisés vos deu. Amem o Senhor e sigam o seu plano para as vossas vidas. Cheguem-se a ele e sirvam-no com zelo e entusiasmo.

6 Dessa forma Josué os abençoou e os mandou embora. (Eles regressaram à terra que Moisés lhes tinha atribuído, que era, no que respeita à meia-tribo de Manassés, a terra de Basã; a outra meia-tribo recebeu terra igualmente, mas no lado ocidental do Jordão.) Josué pois, ao mandar regressar aquelas tropas, abençoou-as e disse-lhes que repartissem todos os bens que tinham obtido do despojo dos combates com os seus irmãos que tinham ficado do outro lado; bens esses que consistiam em gado, em prata, ouro, bronze, ferro e vestuário. Foi então dessa forma que as tropas de Rúben, de Gad e da meia-tribo de Manassés deixaram o exército de Israel em Silo em Canãa, e atravessaram de novo o Jordão, de volta aos seus lares, à sua terra de Gileade.

10 Mas antes de encetarem essa travessia, enquanto estavam ainda em Canaã, resolveram construir um grande monumento, bem visível a toda a gente, e com a forma de um altar.

11 Quando o resto de Israel ouviu dizer o que eles estavam a fazer, mobilizaram imediatamente um exército em Silo e prepararam-se para combater aquelas tribos irmãs. No entanto mandaram primeiro uma delegação chefiada por Finéias, filho do sacerdote Eleazar. Estes atravessaram o rio e vieram conferenciar com as tribos de Rúben, de Gad e com a meia-tribo de Manassés. Nessa delegação havia dez oficiais superiores de Israel, um de cada uma das dez tribos; cada um destes era chefe dum clã. Quando chegaram à terra de Gileade disseram às outras três tribos:

16 Toda a congregação do Senhor vos pede que lhe façam saber a razão porque estão a pecar contra o Deus de Israel, desviando-se dele e construindo um altar, sinal de rebelião contra o Senhor. Terá sido pouca coisa a rebelião de Peor -da qual ainda hoje não estamos completamente limpos a despreito da praga que nos flagelou- e agora querem cair no mesmo? Vocês sabem bem que se se revoltarem hoje contra o Senhor, amanhã estará contra todos nós. Se precisam desse altar por causa da terra estar impura, então juntem-se a nós no outro lado do rio, onde o Senhor vive connosco no tabernáculo; repartiremos a nossa terra convosco. Mas em todo o caso não se voltem contra o Senhor, construindo outro altar além do único altar verdadeiro do nosso Deus. Não se lembram que quando Acã, o filho de Zera, pecou contra o Senhor, a nação inteira foi castigada, para além desse homem que tinha sido o único que pecou?

21 Foi a seguinte a resposta do povo de Rúben, de Gad e da meia-tribo de Manassés àqueles oficiais:

22 Nós juramos, por Jeová, o Deus dos deuses, que não construímos nenhum altar em rebelião contra o Senhor. Ele sabe bem - e que todo Israel o saiba igualmente - que não construímos um altar para nele realizar sacrifícios, ofertas de cereais ou de paz. Que a maldição do Senhor caia sobre nós se o fizermos. Edificámos isso porque amamos o Senhor, e porque tememos que no futuro os vossos filhos venham a dizer para os nossos: 'Com que direito adoram vocês o Senhor Deus de Israel? O Senhor colocou o rio Jordão como fronteira entre o nosso povo e o vosso! Vocês nada têm que ver com o Senhor.' E assim os vossos descendentes poderiam vir a impedir que os nossos o adorem. Por isso é que decidimos construir este altar como um símbolo, para mostrar aos nossos e aos vossos vindouros que nós, cá deste lado, também adoramos o Senhor, oferecendo-lhe os nossos holocaustos, as nossas ofertas de paz e sacrifícios. Assim, os vossos filhos não poderão vir a dizer para os nossos: 'Nada têm que ver com o Senhor nosso Deus'. No caso de virem a dizer tal coisa, os nossos poderão responder-lhes. 'Vejam só, o altar do Senhor que os nossos pais construíram, de acordo com o modelo do altar de Jeová. Não servirá para oferecer holocaustos ou sacrifícios, mas será apenas um símbolo do relacionamento com Deus, que ambos temos, nós e vós.'

29 Longe de nós pretendermos afastarmos-nos do Senhor ou insurgirmo-nos contra ele, construindo um altar só para nós para oferecermos os nossos holocaustos, ofertas de paz e sacrifícios. Só o altar que está defronte do tabernáculo pode ser usado para isso.

30 Quando Finéias, o sacerdote, e os outros delegados ouviram esta explanação da parte das tribos de Rúben, de Gad e de Manassés, ficaram muito satisfeitos.

31 Finéias replicou-lhes: Continuamos a verificar que o Senhor tem estado no nosso meio; vocês não pecaram contra o Senhor como tínhamos pensado, e conseguiram com o que disseram evitar que vos destruíssemos!

32 Finéais e os outros dez embaixadores regressaram para junto do povo de Israel, contando o seu encontro com os rubenitas e os gaditas em Gileade; todo Israel se alegrou e louvou Deus, não se tendo falado mais de guerra contra Rúben e Gad.

34 O povo destas tribos chamou ao monumento que tinham levantado o Altar do Testemunho - É um testemunho, disseram, entre nós e eles em como Jeová é também o nosso Deus.