Yusha 22
Then Yusha called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2and said to them, You have kept all that Musa the servant of Allah commanded you, and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you: 3you have not left your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of Allah your God. 4Now Allah your God has given rest to your brothers, as he spoke to them: therefore now turn and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Musa the servant of Allah gave you beyond the Jordan. 5Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the Taurat which Musa the servant of Allah commanded you, to love Allah your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave to him, and to worship him with all your heart and with all your soul. 6So Yusha blessed them, and sent them away; and they went to their tents. 7Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Musa had given inheritance in Bashan; but to the other half gave Yusha among their brothers beyond the Jordan westward; moreover when Yusha sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8and spoke to them, saying, Return with much wealth to your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with bronze, and with iron, and with very much clothing: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers. 9The children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from Bani-Israel out of Shiloh in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the commandment of Allah by Musa. 10When they came to the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look on. 11Bani-Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that pertains to Bani-Israel. 12When Bani-Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of Bani-Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up against them to war. 13Bani-Israel sent to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas Ibn Eleazar the priest, 14and with him ten princes, one prince of a fathers' house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were everyone of them head of their fathers' houses among the thousands of Israel. 15They came to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, 16Thus says the whole congregation of Allah, What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following Allah, in that you have built you an altar, to rebel this day against Allah? 17Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there came a plague on the congregation of Allah, 18that you must turn away this day from following Allah? It will be, seeing you rebel today against Allah, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19However, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of Allah, in which Allah's tent dwells, and take possession among us: but do not rebel against Allah, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar besides the altar of Allah our God. 20Didn't Achan Ibn Zerah commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? That man did not perish alone in his iniquity. 21Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the heads of the thousands of Israel, 22The Mighty One, God, Allah, the Mighty One, God, Allah, he knows; and Israel he shall know: if it be in rebellion, or if in trespass against Allah (do not save us this day,) 23that we have built us an altar to turn away from following Allah; or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meal-offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace-offerings thereon, let Allah himself require it; 24and if we have not rather out of carefulness done this, and of purpose, saying, In time to come your children might speak to our children, saying, What have you to do with Allah, the God of Israel? 25for Allah has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad; you have no portion in Allah: so might your children make our children cease from fearing Allah. 26Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: 27but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of Allah before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offerings; that your children may not tell our children in time to come, You have no portion in Allah. 28Therefore said we, It shall be, when they so tell us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say, Behold the pattern of the altar of Allah, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you. 29Far be it from us that we should rebel against Allah, and turn away this day from following Allah, to build an altar for burnt-offering, for meal-offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of Allah our God that is before his tent. 30When Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them well. 31Phinehas Ibn Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we know that Allah is in the midst of us, because you have not committed this trespass against Allah: now have you delivered Bani-Israel out of the hand of Allah. 32Phinehas Ibn Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to Bani-Israel, and brought them word again. 33The thing pleased Bani-Israel; and Bani-Israel blessed God, and spoke no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad lived. 34The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Witness: For, they said, it is a witness between us that Allah is God.