Yahusha Ba'Nun (Joshua) — 22

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

1 Then Yahusha Ba'Nun called together the tribes of Rauban, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manassah. 

2 He told them, “You have done as Musha, the servant of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, commanded you, and you have obeyed every order I have given you. 

3 During all this time you have not deserted the other tribes. You have been careful to obey the commands of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH right up to the present day. 

4 And now 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH has given the other tribes rest, as He promised them. So go back home to the land that Musha, the servant of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, gave you as your possession on the east side of the Yurdan River. 

5 But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Musha gave to you. Love 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, walk in all his ways, obey his commandments, hold firmly to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.” 

6 So Yahusha Ba'Nun Baraked them and sent them away, and they went home.

7 Musha had given the land of Bashan, east of the Yurdan River, to the half-tribe of Manassah. (The other half of the tribe was given land west of the Yurdan.) As Yahusha sent them away and Baraked them, 

8 he said to them, “Go back to your homes with the great wealth you have taken from your enemies, the vast herds of livestock, the silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and the large supply of clothing. Share the plunder with your relatives.”

9 So the men of Rauban, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manassah left the rest of Yashar'AL at Shiluh in the land of Canaan. They started the journey back to their own land of Gilaad, the territory that belonged to them according to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s command through Musha.

The Eastern Tribes Build an Altar

10 But while they were still in Canaan, and when they came to a place called Galiluth near the Yurdan River, the men of Rauban, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manassah stopped to build a large and imposing altar.

11 The rest of Yashar'AL heard that the people of Rauban, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manassah had built an altar at Galiluth at the edge of the land of Canaan, on the west side of the Yurdan River. 

12 So the whole community of Yashar'AL gathered at Shiluh and prepared to go to war against them. 

13 First, however, they sent a delegation led by Phinahas son of Alaazar, the Kuhan, to talk with the tribes of Rauban, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manassah. 

14 In this delegation were ten leaders of Yashar'AL, one from each of the ten tribes, and each the head of his family within the clans of Yashar'AL.

15 When they arrived in the land of Gilaad, they said to the tribes of Rauban, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manassah, 

16 “The whole community of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  demands to know why you are betraying the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL. How could you turn away from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH and build an altar for yourselves in rebellion against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH? 

17 Was our sin at Paur not enough? To this day we are not fully cleansed of it, even after the plague that struck the entire community of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. 

18 And yet today you are turning away from following 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. If you rebel against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH today, He will be angry with all of us tomorrow.

19 “If you need the altar because the land you possess is defiled, then join us in land where the Tabernacle of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH is situated, and share our land with us. But do not rebel against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH or against us by building an altar other than the one true altar of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH our 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH. 

20 The divine anger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH fell on the entire community of Yashar'AL when Achan, a member of the clan of Zarah, sinned by stealing the things set apart for  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, Achan was not the only one who died because of his sin.”

21 Then the people of Rauben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manassah answered the heads of the clans of Yashar'AL: 

22 “For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  is the only  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH! 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, is the only 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH!! 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH knows the truth, and may Yashar'AL know it, too! We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day. 

23 If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or Shalum offerings, may 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH himself punish us.

24 “The truth is, we have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, ‘What right do you have to worship 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL? 

25 For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has placed the Yurdan River as a barrier between our people and you people of Rauban and Gad. You have no claim to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.’ So your descendants may prevent our descendants from worshiping 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.

26 “So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, 

27 but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and Shalum offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no claim to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.’

28 “If they say this, our descendants can reply, ‘Look at this copy of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.’ 

29 Far be it from us to rebel against  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH or turn away from Him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH our 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose.”

30 When Phinahas the Kuhan and the leaders of the community the heads of the clans of Yashar'AL heard this from the tribes of Rauban, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied. 

31 Phinahas son of Alaazar, the Kuhan, replied to them, “Today we know 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH is among us because you have not committed this treachery against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Yashar'AL from being destroyed by the hand of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.”

32 Then Phinahas son of Alaazar, the Kuhan, and the other leaders left the tribes of Rauban and Gad in Gilaad and returned to the land of Canaan to tell the Yasharalym what had happened. 

33 And all the Yasharalym were satisfied and Yadah 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH and spoke no more of war against Rauban and Gad.

34 The people of Rauban and Gad named the altar “Witness,” for they said, “It is a witness between us and them that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH is our 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, too.”