1Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad possessed much cattle, exceedingly many; and they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and, behold, the region was a place fit for folds of cattle.
2And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spake to Mosheh and to Elazar the priest, and to the heads of the congregation, saying:
3Maklelta and Malbasta and the Priests of Beth-Nemrin, and Beth-Hesh-bena, and Baale Debaba, and Seath, (the sepulchre of Mosheh,) and Beon,
4The land which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a country fitted for cattle folds, and thy servants have cattle.
5And they said, If we have found grace in thine eyes, let this land be given to thy servants for a possession, and let us not go over the Jordan.
6But Mosheh said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, Shall your brethren go in to fight, and you sit down here?
7And why turn you away the heart of the sons of Israel from going over to the land which the Lord hath given to them?
8Thus did your fathers when I sent them from Rekem Giah to survey the land.
9They went up to the stream of Ethkela, and saw the land, and subverted the heart of the sons of Israel, that they might not go in unto the land that the Lord had given to them;
10And the Lord’s anger was kindled that day, and He sware, saying:
11If the men who have come out of Mizraim, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I covenanted to Abraham, to Izhak, and to Jakob; for they have not been wholly after my fear.
12Only Kaleb bar Jephuneh, the Kenezite, and Jehoshua bar Nun, for they have been wholly after the fear of the Lord.
13And the Lord’s anger was strong against Israel, and he made them linger in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that did wickedly before the Lord had been consumed.
14And, behold, you have risen up after your fathers, the disciples of the men of sin, to add yet to the fierce displeasure of the Lord against Israel.
15For if you turn again from (following) after His service, He will yet make you remain in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.
16And they came near to him, and said: We will build here sheepfolds for our cattle and cities for our families;
17And we will go forth eagerly, armed, before the sons of Israel, to bring them into their place; and our families shall abide in cities defenced against the inhabitants of the land:
18Nor will we return to our homes till the sons of Israel shall possess every man his inheritance.
19For we will not inherit with them over the Jordan and beyond; for we receive our possession on the eastward side of the Jordan.
20And Mosheh said to them: If you will do this; if you will go armed before the people of the Lord to war,
21and (a host) of you all armed will pass the Jordan before the people of the Lord, until He shall have driven out the enemy before Him,
22And the land have been subdued before the Lord’s people, then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless before the Lord and with Israel, and this land shall be to you for an inheritance before the Lord.
23But if you do it not, behold, you have sinned before the Lord; and know, that your sin will find you.
24Build you cities for your families, and folds for your sheep, and do that which hath come from your mouth.
25And the tribe of the Beni Gad and of the Beni Reuben spake to Mosheh, saying: Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.
26Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle shall be here in the cities of Gilead;
27But thy servants, a host all armed, will pass over before the people of the Lord to war, as our lord speaketh.
28And Mosheh commanded concerning them Elazar the priest, and Jehoshua bar Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the Beni Israel.
29And Mosheh said to them, If the sons of Gad and of Reuben pass over the Jordan with you, all armed for war, before the Lord’s people, and the land be subdued before you, then shall you give them the land of Gilead for a possession.
30But if they go not over armed with you, they shall inherit among you in the land of Kenaan.
31But the sons of Gad and of Reuben answered, saying: As the Lord hath spoken to thy servants, so will we do.
32We will pass over armed before the people of the Lord into the land of Kenaan, that the possession of our inheritance may be on the other side Jordan.
33And Mosheh gave to them, to the sons of Gad, and to the sons of Reuben, and to the half tribe of Menasheh bar Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amoraah, and the kingdom of Og the king of Mathanan, the land with the cities thereof in the coasts, (even) the cities of the country round about.
34And the sons of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
35and Ataroth Shophan, and Jazer, and Jagbeha,
36and Beth-nimra, and Beth-haran, fenced cities and sheepfolds.
37And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elhala, and Kirjathaim,
38And Nebo, and Baal Meon, changing their names, and Sibama; and they called by their names the names of the cities which they built.
39And the sons of Makir bar Menasheh went unto Gilead, and subdued it, and cast out the Amoraah who were in it.
40And Mosheh gave Gilead to Makir bar Menasheh, and he dwelt therein.
41And Jair bar Menasheh went and subdued their villages, and called them the villages of Jair.
42And Nobach went and subdued Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobach after his name.
