Nogle israelitter bosætter sig øst for Jordanfloden
1Rubens og Gads stammer havde masser af kvæg, og da de opdagede, hvor velegnet Jazers og Gileads land var til kvægavl,2henvendte deres ledere sig til Moses og præsten Eleazar og de øvrige stammeledere og sagde:3-4„Herren har hjulpet sit folk med at erobre hele området omkring byerne Atarot, Dibon, Jazer, Nimra, Heshbon, Elale, Sebam, Nebo og Beon. Dette område er særdeles velegnet til kvægavl.5Derfor vi vil gerne bede om at få tildelt det område som vores ejendom, så vi kan slå os ned her frem for at tage over på den anden side af Jordanfloden.”6„Skal de andre stammer så gå i krig alene?” spurgte Moses.7„Det vil tage modet fra resten af folket, så vi risikerer, at de går glip af det land, Herren har lovet dem.8Var det ikke netop det, der skete for jeres fædre, dengang jeg sendte spioner fra Kadesh-Barnea ind i landet?9Kom spionerne ikke tilbage fra Eshkoldalen og tog modet fra folket, så de ikke nåede ind i det land, Herren havde lovet dem?10-11Ved den lejlighed blev Herren så vred over deres vantro, at han svor på, at ikke en eneste over 20 år af alle dem, der havde været med fra begyndelsen, da de forlod Egypten, skulle få det land at se, han havde lovet Abraham, Isak og Jakob.12Kun Kaleb og Josva var undtaget, for de havde fuld tillid til Herren, og de opfordrede folket til at gå ind og tage landet i besiddelse.13Efter den episode lod Herren os strejfe omkring i ørkenen i 40 år, indtil den oprørske generation var uddød i ørkenen som følge af deres synd.14Og nu kommer I og vil gøre det samme igen. Hvis I nu også nægter at adlyde Herren, vil han i sin vrede straffe Israels folk endnu værre.15Hvis I svigter, vil folket få forlænget opholdet i ørkenen, og på den måde bringer I ulykke over hele folket.”16„Nej, nej,” svarede de, „vi har kun tænkt os at lave indhegninger og bygge byer, så vi kan efterlade vores kvæg og vores familier her,17mens vi selv ruster os til krig og går i spidsen for Israels folk ind i landet, så vi kan sikre os, at de når deres bestemmelsessted, hvor de kan slå sig ned i fred og ro. Men forinden må vi bygge befæstede byer til vores familier for at sikre os, at de ikke bliver udplyndret af de øvrige indbyggere i området.18Når det er gjort, vil vi følge med folket og ikke vende tilbage, før alle Israels stammer har taget deres land i besiddelse.19Det eneste, vi siger, er, at vi vil foretrække at bo på den østlige side af Jordanfloden i stedet for på den vestlige side.”20„Godt,” svarede Moses, „hvis I vil holde jeres ord og ruste jer til krig,21-22kan I overtage området øst for Jordanfloden på den betingelse, at I ikke vender tilbage, før Herren har jaget fjenderne bort, og folket har indtaget landet. Først da har I opfyldt jeres forpligtelser over for Herren og folket, så Herren kan give jer det område, I er interesseret i.23Men hvis I løber fra jeres ord, har I syndet imod Herren selv—og da skal I få konsekvensen af jeres synd at mærke.24Gå bare i gang med at lave indhegninger til jeres kvæg og bygge byer til jeres familier, sådan som I foreslår.”25„Vi vil gøre nøjagtig, som du siger,” svarede Gads og Rubens stammeledere.26„Vi vil efterlade vores børn, koner, kvæg og øvrige husdyr i byerne her i Gilead,27men alle våbenføre mænd iblandt os følger med over på den anden side af Jordanfloden for at kæmpe i krigen for Herren, sådan som du har befalet.”28Moses bekendtgjorde denne afgørelse for Eleazar, Josva og stammelederne.29„Hvis alle våbenføre mænd fra Gads og Rubens stammer hjælper med til at erobre landet på den anden side af Jordanfloden,” sagde han, „skal Gileads land bagefter tilfalde dem.30Men hvis de kryber udenom, skal de have jord side om side med de øvrige stammer i Kana’an.”31Gads og Rubens stammeledere bekræftede Moses’ ord. „Vi vil gøre, som Herren har befalet,” erklærede de.32„Alle våbenføre mænd følger med til Kana’an og deltager i krigen for Herren, og vi overtager så ejendomsretten til området øst for Jordanfloden.”33Derpå overdrog Moses officielt amoritterkongen Sihons område og kong Og af Bashans område med de tilhørende byer til Gads, Rubens og det halve af Manasses stammer.34Gads stamme genopbyggede følgende byer: Dibon, Atarot, Aroer,35Atarot-Shofan, Jazer, Jogbeha,36Bet-Nimra og Bet-Haran. De var alle befæstede byer med indhegnede græsgange udenom.37Rubens stamme genopbyggede følgende byer: Heshbon, Elale, Kirjatajim,38Nebo, Ba’al-Meon og Sibma. De gav mange af byerne nye navne.39Makirs slægt af Manasses stamme tog op til Gilead, erobrede landet og jog amoritterne bort.40Derfor gav Moses Gilead til makiritterne, som bosatte sig der.41Jair-slægten fra Manasses stamme erobrede en lang række byer i Gilead, hvorefter de gav området navneforandring til Jairs landsbyer.42En mand ved navn Noba erobrede med sin hærstyrke byen Kenat og de omkringliggende landsbyer og opkaldte området efter sig selv.
1Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. (4.Mos 21,32; 4.Mos 32,3; 4.Mos 32,35)2So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation,3“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, (4.Mos 21,30; 4.Mos 32,34; 4.Mos 32,38; 4.Mos 33,47; 5.Mos 32,49; 1.Krøn 5,8; Es 15,2; Es 46,1; Jer 48,1; Jer 48,22)4the land that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” (4.Mos 21,24; 4.Mos 21,34; 4.Mos 32,33)5And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”6But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?7Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them?8Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. (4.Mos 13,3; 4.Mos 13,21; 5.Mos 1,22)9For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the Lord had given them.10And the Lord’s anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, (5.Mos 1,34)11‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, (1.Mos 50,24; 4.Mos 14,29)12none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ (4.Mos 14,24; 5.Mos 1,36; Josva 14,6; Josva 14,8; Josva 15,17)13And the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. (4.Mos 14,33; 4.Mos 26,64)14And behold, you have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel!15For if you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.” (5.Mos 30,17; Josva 22,16; Josva 22,18; 2.Krøn 7,19; 2.Krøn 15,2)16Then they came near to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, (4.Mos 32,24)17but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. (Josva 4,12)18We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. (Josva 22,4)19For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” (4.Mos 32,33; Josva 12,1; Josva 13,8)20So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war, (5.Mos 3,18; Josva 1,13; Josva 4,12)21and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him (4.Mos 33,52)22and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. (5.Mos 3,12; 5.Mos 3,15; 5.Mos 3,18; Josva 1,15; Josva 13,8; Josva 13,32; Josva 22,4; Josva 22,9)23But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. (1.Mos 44,16; Es 59,12)24Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” (4.Mos 32,16; 4.Mos 32,34)25And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands.26Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, (Josva 1,14)27but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord orders.” (4.Mos 31,5; Josva 4,12)28So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. (4.Mos 27,18; Josva 1,13)29And Moses said to them, “If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the Lord, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession.30However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”31And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the Lord has said to your servants, we will do.32We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”33And Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. (5.Mos 3,12; 5.Mos 29,8; Josva 12,6; Josva 13,8; Josva 22,4)34And the people of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, (4.Mos 32,3; 5.Mos 2,36)35Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, (4.Mos 21,32; 4.Mos 32,1)36Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. (4.Mos 32,3; 4.Mos 32,17)37And the people of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, (4.Mos 21,27; 4.Mos 32,3; 4.Mos 32,34)38Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built. (2.Mos 23,13; 4.Mos 32,3; 4.Mos 32,36; Josva 13,17; Josva 23,7; Jer 48,23)39And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. (1.Mos 50,23; 1.Krøn 7,14)40And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. (5.Mos 3,13; 5.Mos 3,15; Josva 13,31; Josva 17,1)41And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair.[1] (5.Mos 3,14; 1.Krøn 2,21)42And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.