1 Then Joshua called together the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
2 and told them, "You have done everything Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have obeyed me in all I commanded you.
3 For a long time now, right up to today, you have not abandoned your brothers, but have faithfully carried out the charge the LORD your God gave you.
4 Now the LORD your God has given your brothers rest, as he promised them. So turn back now and go home to your tents in the land that is your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you across the Jordan.
5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, keep his commandments, hold fast to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul."
6 Then Joshua blessed them and sent them off, and they went home to their tents.
7 To one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua had given land with their brothers on the west side of the Jordan. When Joshua sent them home to their tents, he blessed them
8 and said, "Go back to your tents with great riches: large herds of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and a great amount of clothing. Share with your brothers the spoil taken from your enemies."
9 So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the children of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and headed home to the land of Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired at the LORD's command through Moses.
10 When they reached the region of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there beside the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.
11 The children of Israel received word: "The children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar facing the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the children of Israel."
12 When the children of Israel heard this, the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.
13 So the children of Israel sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead.
14 With him went ten leaders, one for each family from all the tribes of Israel, each of them head of his family among the thousands of Israel.
15 They went to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them,
16 "This is what the whole congregation of the LORD says: 'What is this breach of faith you have committed against the God of Israel? How could you turn away from the LORD today by building yourselves an altar in rebellion against the LORD today?
17 Was the sin of Peor not enough for us? To this day we have not purified ourselves from it, even though a plague struck the congregation of the LORD.
18 And now you are turning away from the LORD today! If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.
19 If the land you possess is unclean, come over to the land the LORD possesses, where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and take a possession among us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves besides the altar of the LORD our God.
20 When Achan son of Zerah broke faith regarding the devoted things, did not wrath fall on the whole congregation of Israel? And he was not the only one who died for his sin.'"
21 The children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the thousands of Israel,
22 "The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows, and may Israel also know! If this was rebellion or a breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today.
23 If we built ourselves an altar to turn away from the LORD, or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings on it, or to present sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account.
24 No! We did it out of concern that in the future your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?
25 The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no share in the LORD.' In this way your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.
26 That is why we said, 'Let us get to work and build an altar, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.
27 Instead it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations after us, that we will carry out the worship of the LORD in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, "You have no share in the LORD."'
28 We also said, 'If they ever say this to us or to our descendants, we will answer, "Look at this replica of the LORD's altar that our fathers built, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you."'
29 Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands in front of his tabernacle!"
30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him, heard what the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh had to say, they were satisfied.
31 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the LORD. You have rescued the children of Israel from the LORD's hand."
32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders came back from meeting with the children of Reuben and the children of Gad in the land of Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and gave them their report.
33 The children of Israel were pleased with the report, and the children of Israel blessed God. They said no more about going to war against them to devastate the land where the children of Reuben and the children of Gad lived.
34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad gave the altar this name: "It is a witness between us that the LORD is God."