The Tribes East of the Jordan
(Deuteronomy 3:12–22; Joshua 13:8–14)

1Now the sons of Ruben and of Gad had many herds, and their substance in cattle was inestimable. And when they had seen that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for feeding animals, 2they went to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the multitude, and they said: 3“Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon, 4the land, which the Lord has struck in the sight of the sons of Israel, is a very fertile region for pasturing animals. And we, your servants, have very many cattle. 5And so we beseech you, if we have found favor before you, that you give it to us, your subjects, as a possession, and that you not cause us cross the Jordan.”

6And Moses answered them: “Should your brothers go to battle, while you sit here? 7Why do you subvert the minds of the sons of Israel, so that they might not dare to cross into the place which the Lord will give to them? 8Did not your fathers act in the same way, when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land? 9And when they had gone all the way to the Valley of the Cluster of Grapes, having viewed the entire region, they subverted the hearts of the sons of Israel, so that they would not enter into the parts that the Lord gave to them. 10And being angry, the Lord swore an oath, saying: 11‘These men, who ascended out of Egypt, from twenty years and above, will not see the land, which I have promised under an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For they were not willing to follow me, 12except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; these have fulfilled my will.’ 13And the Lord, being angry against Israel, led them in a course through the desert for forty years, until the entire generation, which had done evil in his sight, was consumed. 14And behold,” he said, “you have risen up in the place of your fathers, the offshoots and the nurslings of sinful men, in order to augment the fury of the Lord against Israel. 15But if you are not willing to follow him, he will leave the people behind in the wilderness, and you will have been the cause of all our deaths.”

16But approaching closer, they said: “We will manufacture sheep pens and cattle stalls, as well as fortified cities, for our little ones. 17But we ourselves will continue on, armed and girded for battle, before the sons of Israel, until we lead them to their places. Our little ones, and whatever we may be able to have, shall be in walled cities, because of the treachery of the inhabitants. 18We will not return to our houses, even until the sons of Israel may possess their inheritance. 19Neither will we seek anything across the Jordan, because we already have our possession on its eastern side.”

20And Moses said to them: “If you accomplish what you have promised, you may go out, equipped for battle, before the Lord. 21And let every fighting man cross over the Jordan, until the Lord overthrows his enemies, 22and all the land is subjected to him. Then you will be guiltless with the Lord and with Israel, and you will obtain the regions which you desire before the Lord. 23But if you do not do what you have said, no one could doubt that you will have sinned against God. And know this: your sin shall overtake you. 24Therefore, build cities for your little ones, and pens and stables for your sheep and cattle; and fulfill what you have promised.”

25And the sons of Gad and of Ruben said to Moses: “We are your servants, we shall do what you, our ruler, orders. 26We will leave behind our little ones, and our wives, and the sheep and cattle, in the cities of Gilead. 27And we, your servants, all well-equipped, will go forth to battle, just as you, our ruler, has spoken.”

28Therefore, Moses instructed Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the princes of the families throughout the tribes of Israel, and he said to them: 29“If the sons of Gad and the sons of Ruben cross over the Jordan with you, all armed for war before the Lord, and if the land becomes subject to you, give them Gilead as a possession. 30But if they are not willing to cross with you, armed, into the land of Canaan, then let them receive places among you for their dwellings.” 31And the sons of Gad and the sons of Ruben responded: “Just as the Lord has spoken to his servants, so shall we do. 32We will go forth, armed, before the Lord into the land of Canaan; and we acknowledge that we have already received our possession across the Jordan.”

33And so, Moses gave to the sons of Gad and of Ruben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, and their land with its surrounding cities. 34Therefore, the sons of Gad built up Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, 35and Atroth and Shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah, 36and Beth-Nimrah, and Beth-Haran, as fortified cities with pens for their cattle. 37Yet truly, the sons of Ruben built up Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, 38and Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names having been changed) and Sibmah, appointing names for the cities which they had built. 39Moreover, the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, continued on within Gilead, and they devastated it, putting to death its inhabitant, the Amorite. 40Therefore, Moses gave the land of Gilead to Machir, the son of Manasseh, and he lived in it. 41But Jair, the son of Manasseh, went out and occupied its villages, which he called Havoth Jair, that is, the Villages of Jair. 42Likewise, Nobah went forth and captured Kenath with its villages. And he called it by his own name, Nobah.