1 Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a very great number of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that behold the place was a place for livestock,2 the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,3 Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon,4 the land which Jehovah has struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.5 Therefore they said, If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not cause us to pass over the Jordan.6 And Moses said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben: Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?7 Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Jehovah has given them?8 Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which Jehovah had given them.10 And the anger of Jehovah burned that day, and He swore, saying,11 Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me,12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed Jehovah.13 And the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the eyes of Jehovah was destroyed.14 And behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to add still more to the burning anger of Jehovah against Israel.15 For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you shall have destroyed all this people.16 And they came near to him and said: We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,17 but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.18 We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has received his inheritance.19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.20 And Moses said to them: If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before Jehovah for war,21 and you all cross over the Jordan armed before Jehovah until He has driven out His enemies before Him,22 and the land is subdued before Jehovah, then afterward you may return and be blameless before Jehovah and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before Jehovah.23 But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against Jehovah; and recognize that your sin will find you out.24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.25 And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: Your servants will do as my lord commands.26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock shall be there in the cities of Gilead;27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before Jehovah to battle, just as my lord says.28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.29 And Moses said to them: If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before Jehovah, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession.30 But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.31 And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying: As Jehovah has said to your servants, so we will do.32 We will cross over armed before Jehovah into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.33 And Moses gave to the sons of Gad, 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 its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding land.34 And the sons of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer,35 Atroth-shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah,36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep.37 And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim,38 Nebo and Baal-meon (their names being changed) and Shibmah; and they gave other names to the cities which they built.39 And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.40 And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it.41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured its small towns, and called them Havoth-jair.42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.

1 Forsothe the sones of Ruben and of Gad hadden many beestis, and catel with out noumbre was to hem, in werk beestis. And whanne thei hadden seyn Jazer and Galaad, couenable londis to beestis to be fed,2 thei camen to Moyses and Eleazar, preest, and to the princes of the multitude, and seiden,3 Astaroth, and Dibon, and Jacer, and Nemra, Esebon, and Eleale, and Sabam,4 and Nebo, and Beon, the lond which the Lord smoot in the siyt of the sones of Israel, is of moost plenteuous cuntrey to the pasture of beestis; and we thi seruauntis han ful many beestis;5 and we preyen, if we han founde grace bifor thee, that thou yyue to vs thi seruauntis that cuntrey in to possessioun, and make not vs to passe Jordan.6 To whiche Moises answeride, Whether youre britheren schulen go to batel, and ye schulen sitte here?7 Whi peruerten ye the soulis of Israel, that thei doren not passe in to the place, which the Lord schal yyue to hem?8 Whether youre fadris diden not so, whanne Y sente fro Cades Barne to aspie the lond,9 and whanne thei camen to the valey of Clustre, whanne al the cuntrey was cumpassid, thei peruertiden the herte of the sones of Israel, that thei entriden not in to the coostis, whiche the Lord yaf to hem.10 And the Lord was wrooth, and swoor,11 seiynge, Thes men that stieden fro Egipt, fro twenti yeer and aboue, schulen not se the lond which Y bihiyte vndur an ooth to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and nolden sue me,12 outakun Caleph, Cenezei, the sone of Jephone, and Josue, the sone of Nun; these tweyne filliden my wille.13 And the Lord was wrooth ayens Israel, and ledde hym aboute the deseert bi fourti yeer, til al the generacioun was wastid, that hadde do yuel in the `siyt of the Lord.14 And Moyses seide, Lo! ye encressyngis, and nurreis, `ether nurschid children, of synful men, han ryse for youre fadris, that ye schulden encreesse the strong veniaunce of the Lord ayens Israel.15 That if ye nylen sue the Lord, in `the wildirnesse he schal forsake the puple, and ye schulen be cause of the deeth of alle men.16 And thei neiyiden nyy, and seiden, We schulen make foldis of scheep, and the stablis of beestis, and we schulen make strengthid citees to oure litle children.17 Forsothe we vs silf schulen be armed `to defence, and schulen be gird `with armeris to asailyng, and schulen go to batel bifor the sones of Israel, til we bryngen hem in to her places; oure litle children and what euer thing we moun haue, schulen be in strengthid cytees, for the tresouns of the dwelleris.18 We schulen not turne ayen in to oure housis, til the sones of Israel welden her eritage;19 and we schulen not axe ony thing ouer Jordan, for we han now oure possessioun in the eest coost therof.20 To whiche Moises seide, If ye doen that, that ye biheten, be ye maad redi, and go ye to batel bifor the Lord;21 and ech man fiytere be armed, and passe Jordan, til the Lord distrye hise enemyes,22 and al the lond be maad suget to hym; thanne ye schulen be giltles anentis God, and anentis Israel, and ye schulen holde the cuntreys, whiche ye wolen, bifor the Lord.23 But if ye doon not that, that ye seien, it is not doute to ony man, that ne ye synnen ayens God; and wite ye, that youre synne schal take you.24 Therfor bilde ye citees to youre litle children, and foldis and stablis to scheep, and to beestis; and fille ye that, that ye bihiyten.25 And the sones of Gad and of Ruben seiden to Moises, We ben thi seruauntis; we schulen do that, that oure lord comaundith.26 We schulen leeue oure litle children, and wymmen, and scheep, and beestis in the citees of Galaad;27 forsothe alle we thi seruauntis schulen go redi to batel, as thou, lord, spekist.28 Therfor Moyses comaundide to Eleazar, preest, and to Josue, the sone of Nun, and to the princes of meynees, bi the lynagis of Israel, and seide to hem,29 If the sones of Gad, and the sones of Ruben goen alle armed with you, to batel bifor the Lord, and the lond be maad suget to you, yyue ye to hem Galaad in to possessioun;30 but if thei nylen passe with you in to the lond of Chanaan, take thei places to dwelle among you.31 And the sones of Gad and the sones of Ruben answeriden, As the Lord spak to hise seruauntis, so we schulen do;32 we schulen go armed bifor the Lord, in to the lond of Chanaan, and we knowlechen, that we han take now possessioun ouer Jordan.33 And so Moises yaf to the sones of Gad and of Ruben, and to half the lynage of Manasses, sone of Joseph, the rewme of Seon, kyng of Ammorey, and the rewme of Og, kyng of Basan, and `the lond of hem, with her citees, bi cumpas.34 Therfor the sones of Gad bildiden Dibon, and Astaroth, and Aroer,35 and Roth-Sophan, and Jazer, and Jebaa,36 and Beeth-Nemra, and Betharan, strengid citees; and foldis to her beestis.37 Forsothe the sones of Ruben bildiden Esebon, and Eleale, and Cariathiarym, and Nabo,38 and Balmeon, whanne the names weren turned, and thei bildiden Sabama; and puttiden names to the citees, whiche thei hadden bildid.39 Forsothe the sones of Machir, sone of Manasses, yeden in to Galaad, and distrieden it, and killiden Ammorei, enhabitere therof.40 Therfor Moises yaf the lond of Galaad to Machir, sone of Manasses, which Machir dwellide ther ynne.41 Forsothe Jair, the sone of Manasses, yede, and occupiede the townes therof, whiche he clepide Anochiair, that is, the townes of Jair.42 Also Nobe yede, and took Canath, with hise townes, and clepide it, bi his name, Nobe.