Joshua 22 Then Iosua called vnto the Rubenites, the Gaddites and to the halfe trybe of Manasses,

Great⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Then Iosua called vnto the Rubenites, the Gaddites and to the halfe trybe of Manasses, ² and sayde vnto them: ye haue kept all that Moses the seruaunt of the Lorde commaunded you, and haue obeyed my voyce in all that I commaunded you: ³ ye haue not lefte youre brethren of a long ceason vnto this daye, but haue kept the commaundement of the Lorde youre God. ⁴ And now that the Lorde hath geuen rest vnto youre brethren as he promysed them, therfore retourne ye, and go vnto youre tentes, & vnto the lande of youre possession, which Moses the seruaunt of the Lorde gaue you on the other syde Iordan. ⁵ But in any wise take diligent hede, and do the commaundement and lawe, whych Moses the seruaunt of the Lorde charged you: that ye loue the Lorde youre God, and walke in all hys wayes, and kepe hys commaundementes, and cleaue vnto him, and serue him with all youre hertes, & all youre soules. ⁶ And so Iosua blessed them and sent them awaye. And they went vnto theyr tentes. ⁷ Unto the one halfe of the trybe of Manasses Moses gaue possession in Basan: & vnto the other halfe therof gaue Iosua amonge their brethren on this syde Iordan westwarde. And Iosua sent them awaye also vnto their tentes, and blessed them, ⁸ and sayd vnto them: retourne with moche ryches vnto youre tentes, and with a great multitude of catell, with syluer and golde, with brasse, and yron, and with moch rayment and deuide the spoyle of youre enemyes with youre brethren. ⁹ And the children of Ruben, the children of Gad, and halfe the trybe of Manasses, returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Silo (which is in the lande of Canaan) to go vnto the contreye of Giliad, to the lande of their possession, which they had opteyned, according to the worde of the Lorde by the hande of Moses. ¹⁰ And when they came vnto the place of Geliloth besyde Iordan (that is in the lande of Canaan) there the children of Ruben, the children of Gad and the halfe trybe of Manasses, buylt an altare faste by Iordan, and that a great altare to se to. ¹¹ Which when the children of Israel hearde of, they sayd: beholde, the children of Ruben, the children of Gad, and the halfe trybe of Manasses haue buylt an altare in the forefronte of the lande of Canaan euen in Geliloth besyde Iordan on the syde of the children of Israell. ¹² And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregacion of the children of Israell gathered them together to Silo, to make batell agaynst them. ¹³ And the children of Israell sent vnto the children of Ruben, and to the children of Gad, and to the halfe trybe of Manasses, into the lande of Gilead, Phinehes the sonne of Eleazar the preaste, ¹⁴ & wyth him ten Lordes, of euery chefe house a Lord, thorow out all the tribes of Israell, which were heades of their fathers housholdes among the thousandes of Israel. ¹⁵ And they went vnto the children of Ruben, and to the children of Gad, & to the children of the halfe trybe of Manasses, vnto the lande of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying. ¹⁶ Thus saye the hole congregacion of the Lorde what transgression is this that ye haue transgressed agaynst the God of Israell, to turne awaye this daye from the Lord in that ye haue bylded you an altare, for to rebelle this daye against the Lorde? ¹⁷ Is the wicked deade of Peor to lyttell for vs, wherof we are not yet cleansed vnto thys daye, and for the which there was in the congregacion of the people a plage of the Lord? ¹⁸ Ye also are turned awaye thys daye from the Lorde. And seynge ye rebelle to daye agaynst the Lorde, it wil come to passe, that tomorow he shall be wroth wt all the congregacion of Israel. ¹⁹ Notwithstandyng yf ye thinke, that the lande of youre possession is vncleane, then come ouer vnto the lande of the possession of the Lorde, where in the Lordes tabernacle dwelleth, & take possession amonge vs. But transgresse not agaynst the Lorde, nor prouoke vs, to buylde you anye other aulter, saue the aulter of the Lorde oure God. ²⁰ Dyd not Acan the sonne of Zareth trespase in the excommunicate thing, & wrath fell on all the cogregacion of Israel, which notwithstandinge that he was but one man, yet he alone perisshed not for his wickednesse? ²¹ Then the children of Ruben & the children of Gad, and halfe the trybe of Manasses answered, and sayde vnto the heades ouer the thousandes of Israel. ²² The God of goddes, the Lorde, God of goddes, euen the Lord he knoweth, & Israel also shall knowe. If it be to rebelle, or to transgresse agaynst the Lorde, then thou Lorde saue vs not thys daye. ²³ Or elles if we haue bylt vs an aulter to turne from folowing the Lorde, or to offer theron burnt offryng or meatoffringe, or to offer peace offringes theron: let the Lorde require it. ²⁴ And yf we haue not rather done it of a carefulnes & of a sure occasion, sayenge: In tyme to come your children might saye vnto oures: what haue ye to do with the Lorde God of Israel? ²⁵ the Lorde hath made Iordan a border betwene vs and you (ye children of Ruben and of Gad) ye haue no parte therfore in the Lorde: and so shall youre children make oure children ceasse from fearinge the Lorde. ²⁶ Therfore we sayd: We wil make vs an aulter, not for burntofferinge, nor for sacrifice, ²⁷ but for a witnesse betwene vs and you, and oure generacyons after vs, that we shulde serue the Lorde, with oure offeringes, sacrifices and peace offeringes before him: and that youre children shulde not saye to oures in time to come: ye haue no parte in the Lorde. ²⁸ Therfore sayde we, that if they shulde so saye to vs or to oure generacions in tyme to come, that we wolde saye agayne: Beholde the fassion of the aulter of the Lorde, which oure fathers made, nether for burntofferynges nor sacrifices, but for a witnesse betwene vs and you. ²⁹ God forbyd, that we shuld rebell agaynst the Lorde, and turne thys daye from after him, & buyld any other aulter for burntofferinges, oblacions, or sacrifices, saue the altare of the Lord oure God, that is before his tabernacle. ³⁰ And when Phinehes the Preaste, and the Lordes of the congregacion and heades ouer the thousandes of Israell which were with him, hearde these wordes that the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad and the children of Manasses spake, they were well content. ³¹ And Phinehes the sonne of Eleazar the preaste sayde vnto the children of Ruben, and to the children of Gad, & to the children of Manasses: this daye we perceaue, that the Lord is among vs, because ye haue not done this trespase agaynst the Lorde: Now ye haue rydde the children of Israell out of the hande of the Lorde. ³² And Phinehes the sonne of Eleazar the Preaste wt the Lordes, retourned from the children of Ruben, and from the children of Gad out of the lande of Gilead vnto the lande of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them this worde agayne. ³³ And the sayeng pleased the children of Israel, and they blessed God, and dyd not entende to go agaynst them in batell, & to destroye the lande which the children of Ruben and Gad dwelt in. ³⁴ And the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad called the aulter: Oure witnesse, that the Lorde is God.