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Numbers 32

New International Reader’s Version



1 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had very large herds and flocks. They looked at the lands of Jazer and Gilead. They saw that those lands were just right for livestock. 2 So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest. They also came to the leaders of the community. They said, 3 ‘We have seen the cities of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah and Heshbon. We’ve seen Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon. 4 All of them are in the land the LORD has brought under Israel’s control. This land is just right for livestock. And we have livestock. 5 We hope you are pleased with us,’ they continued. ‘If you are, please give us this land. Then it will belong to us. But don’t make us go across the River Jordan.’ 6 Moses spoke to the people of Gad and Reuben. He said, ‘Should the rest of us go to war while you stay here? 7 The LORD has given the land of Canaan to the Israelites. So why would you want to keep them from going over into it? 8 That’s what your fathers did. I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to check out the land. 9 They went up to the Valley of Eshkol and looked at the land. Then they talked the Israelites out of entering the land the LORD had given them. 10 The LORD’s anger was stirred up that day. So he made a promise. He said, 11 “Not one of those who were 20 years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land. They have not followed me with their whole heart. I promised to give the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 12 But not one of the people who came up out of Egypt will see the land except Caleb and Joshua. Caleb is the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite. And Joshua is the son of Nun. They will see the land. They followed the LORD with their whole heart.” 13 The LORD became very angry with Israel. He made them wander around in the desert for 40 years. They wandered until all the people who had done evil in his sight had died. 14 ‘Now here you are, you bunch of sinners! You have taken the place of your fathers. And you are making the LORD even angrier with Israel. 15 What if you turn away from following him? Then he’ll leave all these people in the desert again. And it will be your fault when they are destroyed.’ 16 Then they came up to Moses. They said, ‘We would like to build pens here for our livestock. We would also like to build cities for our women and children. 17 But we will prepare ourselves for battle. We’re even ready to go ahead of the Israelites. We’ll march out with them until we’ve brought them to their place. While we’re gone, our women and children will live in cities that have high walls around them. That will keep them safe from the people living in this land. 18 We won’t return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their share of the land. 19 We won’t receive any share with them on the west side of the River Jordan. We’ve already received our share here on the east side.’ 20 Then Moses said to them, ‘Do what you have promised to do. Get ready to fight for the LORD. 21 Prepare yourselves and go across the River Jordan. Fight for the LORD until he has driven out his enemies in front of him. 22 When the land is under the LORD’s control, you can come back here. Your duty to the LORD and Israel will be over. Then the LORD will give you this land as your own. 23 ‘But what if you fail to do your duty? Then you will be sinning against the LORD. And you may be sure that your sin will be discovered. It will be brought out into the open. 24 So build up cities for your women and children. Make sheepfolds for your flocks. But do what you have promised to do.’ 25 The people of Gad and Reuben spoke to Moses. They said, ‘We will do just as you command. 26 Our children and wives will remain here in the cities of Gilead. So will our flocks and herds. 27 But we will prepare ourselves for battle. We’ll go across the River Jordan and fight for the LORD. We will do just as you have said.’ 28 Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest. He gave the same orders to Joshua, the son of Nun. He also spoke to the family leaders of the Israelite tribes. 29 He said, ‘The men of Gad and Reuben must get ready for battle. They must go across the River Jordan with you. They must help you fight for the LORD. They must stay with you until the land has been brought under your control. If they do, you must give them the land of Gilead as their own. 30 But what if they don’t get ready for battle? What if they don’t go across the Jordan with you? Then they must accept a share with you in Canaan.’ 31 The people of Gad and Reuben gave their answer. They said, ‘We will do what the LORD has said. 32 We’ll get ready for battle. We’ll go across the Jordan into Canaan. We’ll fight for the LORD there. But the property we receive will be on this side of the River Jordan.’ 33 Then Moses gave their land to them. He gave it to the tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Manasseh was Joseph’s son. One part of that land had belonged to the kingdom of Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. The other part had belonged to the kingdom of Og. He was the king of Bashan. Moses gave that whole land to those two and a half tribes. It included its cities and the territory around them. 34 The people of Gad built up the cities of Dibon, Ataroth and Aroer. 35 They built up Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran. They built a high wall around each of those cities. They also built sheepfolds for their flocks. 37 The people of Reuben built up Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim. 38 They also built up Nebo, Baal Meon and Sibmah. They gave new names to the cities they had built up. 39 The people of Makir, the son of Manasseh, went to the land of Gilead. They captured it. They drove out the Amorites living there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the people of Makir, the son of Manasseh. And they settled there. 41 Jair was from the family line of Manasseh. Jair captured Gilead’s settlements. He called them Havvoth Jair. 42 Nobah captured Kenath and the settlements around it. He named it after himself. 

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Numbers 32

English Standard Version



1 Now 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. (Nu 21:32; Nu 32:3; Nu 32:35) 2 So 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, (Nu 21:30; Nu 32:34; Nu 32:38; Nu 33:47; De 32:49; 1Ch 5:8; Isa 15:2; Isa 46:1; Jer 48:1; Jer 48:22) 4 the land that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” (Nu 21:24; Nu 21:34; Nu 32:33) 5 And 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.” 6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? 7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? 8 Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. (Nu 13:3; Nu 13:21; De 1:22) 9 For 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. 10 And the Lord’s anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, (De 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, (Ge 50:24; Nu 14:29) 12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ (Nu 14:24; De 1:36; Jos 14:6; Jos 14:8; Jos 15:17) 13 And 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. (Nu 14:33; Nu 26:64) 14 And 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! 15 For if you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.” (De 30:17; Jos 22:16; Jos 22:18; 2Ch 7:19; 2Ch 15:2) 16 Then they came near to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, (Nu 32:24) 17 but 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. (Jos 4:12) 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. (Jos 22:4) 19 For 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.” (Nu 32:33; Jos 12:1; Jos 13:8) 20 So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war, (De 3:18; Jos 1:13; Jos 4:12) 21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him (Nu 33:52) 22 and 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. (De 3:12; De 3:15; De 3:18; Jos 1:15; Jos 13:8; Jos 13:32; Jos 22:4; Jos 22:9) 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. (Ge 44:16; Isa 59:12) 24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” (Nu 32:16; Nu 32:34) 25 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, (Jos 1:14) 27 but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord orders.” (Nu 31:5; Jos 4:12) 28 So 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. (Nu 27:18; Jos 1:13) 29 And 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. 30 However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” 31 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the Lord has said to your servants, we will do. 32 We 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.” 33 And 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. (De 3:12; De 29:8; Jos 12:6; Jos 13:8; Jos 22:4) 34 And the people of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, (Nu 32:3; De 2:36) 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, (Nu 21:32; Nu 32:1) 36 Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. (Nu 32:3; Nu 32:17) 37 And the people of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, (Nu 21:27; Nu 32:3; Nu 32:34) 38 Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built. (Ex 23:13; Nu 32:3; Nu 32:36; Jos 13:17; Jos 23:7; Jer 48:23) 39 And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. (Ge 50:23; 1Ch 7:14) 40 And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. (De 3:13; De 3:15; Jos 13:31; Jos 17:1) 41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair.[1] (De 3:14; 1Ch 2:21) 42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name. 

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