Numbers 32

Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that behold, the place was a place for cattle; ²the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Musa, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying, ³Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon, ⁴the land which Allah struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle; and your servants have cattle. ⁵They said, If we have found favour in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; do not bring us over the Jordan. ⁶Musa said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brothers go to the war, and shall you sit here? ⁷Why discourage you the heart of Bani-Israel from going over into the land which Allah has given them? ⁸Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. ⁹For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of Bani-Israel, that they should not go into the land which Allah had given them. ¹⁰Allah's anger was kindled in that day, and he swore, saying, ¹¹Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Ibrahim, to Ishaq, and to Yaqub; because they have not wholly followed me: ¹²save Qalib Ibn Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Yusha bin Nun; because they have wholly followed Allah. ¹³Allah's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander back and forth in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, who had done evil in the sight of Allah, was consumed. ¹⁴Behold, you are risen up in your fathers' place, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of Allah toward Israel. ¹⁵For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all this people. ¹⁶They came near to him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: ¹⁷but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before Bani-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. ¹⁸We will not return to our houses, until Bani-Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. ¹⁹For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward. ²⁰Musa said to them, If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before Allah to the war, ²¹and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Allah, until he has driven out his enemies from before him, ²²and the land is subdued before Allah; then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless towards Allah, and towards Israel; and this land shall be to you for a possession before Allah. ²³But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Allah; and be sure your sin will find you out. ²⁴Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth. ²⁵The children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Musa, saying, Your servants will do as my lord commands. ²⁶Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead; ²⁷but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before Allah to battle, as my lord says. ²⁸So Musa gave charge concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Yusha bin Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of Bani-Israel. ²⁹Musa said to them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle, before Allah, and the land shall be subdued before you; then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession: ³⁰but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. ³¹The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As Allah has said to your servants, so will we do. ³²We will pass over armed before Allah into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan. ³³Musa gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh Ibn Yusuf, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to its cities with their borders, even the cities of the land all around. ³⁴The children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, ³⁵and Atrothshophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah, ³⁶and Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep. ³⁷The children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, ³⁸and Nebo, and Baal Meon, (their names being changed,) and Sibmah: and they gave other names to the cities which they built. ³⁹The children of Machir Ibn Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were therein. ⁴⁰Musa gave Gilead to Machir Ibn Manasseh; and he lived therein. ⁴¹Jair Ibn Manasseh went and took its towns, and called them Havvoth Jair. ⁴²Nobah went and took Kenath, and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.