Numbers 32

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Now the Reubenites and Gadites had a very large number of livestock. Noticing that the land of Jazer and of Gilead was grazing country,	1 Now the sons of Ruben and of Gad had many herds, and their substance in cattle was inestimable. And when they had seen that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for feeding animals,
2 they came to Moses and the priest Eleazar and to the princes of the community and said,	2 they went to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the multitude, and they said:
3 "The region of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Baal-meon,	3 “Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon,
4 which the LORD has laid low before the community of Israel, is grazing country. Now, since your servants have livestock,"	4 the land, which the Lord has struck in the sight of the sons of Israel, is a very fertile region for pasturing animals. And we, your servants, have very many cattle.
5 they continued, "if we find favor with you, let this land be given to your servants as their property. Do not make us cross the Jordan."	5 And so we beseech you, if we have found favor before you, that you give it to us, your subjects, as a possession, and that you not cause us cross the Jordan.”
6 But Moses answered the Gadites and Reubenites: "Are your kinsmen, then, to engage in war, while you remain here?	6 And Moses answered them: “Should your brothers go to battle, while you sit here?
7 Why do you wish to discourage the Israelites from crossing to the land the LORD has given them?	7 Why do you subvert the minds of the sons of Israel, so that they might not dare to cross into the place which the Lord will give to them?
8 That is just what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to reconnoiter the land.	8 Did not your fathers act in the same way, when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land?
9 They went up to the Wadi Eshcol and reconnoitered the land, then so discouraged the Israelites that they would not enter the land the LORD had given them.	9 And when they had gone all the way to the Valley of the Cluster of Grapes, having viewed the entire region, they subverted the hearts of the sons of Israel, so that they would not enter into the parts that the Lord gave to them.
10 At that time the wrath of the LORD flared up, and he swore,	10 And being angry, the Lord swore an oath, saying:
11 'Because they have not followed me unreservedly, none of these men of twenty years or more who have come up from Egypt shall ever see this country I promised under oath to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,	11 ‘These men, who ascended out of Egypt, from twenty years and above, will not see the land, which I have promised under an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For they were not willing to follow me,
12 except the Kenizzite Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun, who have followed the LORD unreservedly.'	12 except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; these have fulfilled my will.’
13 So in his anger with the Israelites the LORD made them wander in the desert forty years, until the whole generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD had died out.	13 And the Lord, being angry against Israel, led them in a course through the desert for forty years, until the entire generation, which had done evil in his sight, was consumed.
14 And now here you are, a brood of sinners, rising up in your fathers' place to add still more to the LORD'S blazing wrath against the Israelites.	14 And behold,” he said, “you have risen up in the place of your fathers, the offshoots and the nurslings of sinful men, in order to augment the fury of the Lord against Israel.
15 If you turn away from following him, he will make them stay still longer in the desert, and so you will bring about the ruin of this whole nation."	15 But if you are not willing to follow him, he will leave the people behind in the wilderness, and you will have been the cause of all our deaths.”
16 But they were insistent with him: "We wish only to build sheepfolds here for our flocks, and towns for our families;	16 But approaching closer, they said: “We will manufacture sheep pens and cattle stalls, as well as fortified cities, for our little ones.
17 but we ourselves will march as troops in the van of the Israelites, until we have led them to their destination. Meanwhile our families can remain here in the fortified towns, safe from attack by the natives.	17 But we ourselves will continue on, armed and girded for battle, before the sons of Israel, until we lead them to their places. Our little ones, and whatever we may be able to have, shall be in walled cities, because of the treachery of the inhabitants.
18 We will not return to our homes until every one of the Israelites has taken possession of his heritage,	18 We will not return to our houses, even until the sons of Israel may possess their inheritance.
19 and will not claim any heritage with them once we cross the Jordan, so long as we receive a heritage for ourselves on this eastern side of the Jordan."	19 Neither will we seek anything across the Jordan, because we already have our possession on its eastern side.”
20 Moses said to them in reply: "If you keep your word to march as troops in the LORD'S vanguard	20 And Moses said to them: “If you accomplish what you have promised, you may go out, equipped for battle, before the Lord.
21 and to cross the Jordan in full force before the LORD until he has driven his enemies out of his way	21 And let every fighting man cross over the Jordan, until the Lord overthrows his enemies,
22 and the land is subdued before him, then you may return here, quit of every obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and this region shall be your possession before the LORD.	22 and all the land is subjected to him. Then you will be guiltless with the Lord and with Israel, and you will obtain the regions which you desire before the Lord.
23 But if you do not do this, you will sin against the LORD, and you can be sure that you will not escape the consequences of your sin.	23 But if you do not do what you have said, no one could doubt that you will have sinned against God. And know this: your sin shall overtake you.
24 Build the towns, then, for your families, and the folds for your flocks, but also fulfill your express promise."	24 Therefore, build cities for your little ones, and pens and stables for your sheep and cattle; and fulfill what you have promised.”
25 The Gadites and Reubenites answered Moses, "Your servants will do as you command, my lord.	25 And the sons of Gad and of Ruben said to Moses: “We are your servants, we shall do what you, our ruler, orders.
26 While our wives and children, our herds and other livestock remain in the towns of Gilead,	26 We will leave behind our little ones, and our wives, and the sheep and cattle, in the cities of Gilead.
27 all your servants will go across as armed troops to battle before the LORD, just as your lordship says."	27 And we, your servants, all well-equipped, will go forth to battle, just as you, our ruler, has spoken.”
28 Moses, therefore, gave this order in their regard to the priest Eleazar, to Joshua, son of Nun, and to the heads of the ancestral tribes of the Israelites:	28 Therefore, Moses instructed Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the princes of the families throughout the tribes of Israel, and he said to them:
29 "If all the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you as combat troops before the LORD, you shall give them Gilead as their property when the land has been subdued before you.	29 “If the sons of Gad and the sons of Ruben cross over the Jordan with you, all armed for war before the Lord, and if the land becomes subject to you, give them Gilead as a possession.
30 But if they will not go across with you as combat troops before the LORD, you shall bring their wives and children and livestock across before you into Canaan, and they shall have their property with you in the land of Canaan."	30 But if they are not willing to cross with you, armed, into the land of Canaan, then let them receive places among you for their dwellings.”
31 To this the Gadites and Reubenites replied, "We will do what the LORD has commanded us, your servants.	31 And the sons of Gad and the sons of Ruben responded: “Just as the Lord has spoken to his servants, so shall we do.
32 We ourselves will go across into the land of Canaan as troops before the LORD, but we will retain our hereditary property on this side of the Jordan."	32 We will go forth, armed, before the Lord into the land of Canaan; and we acknowledge that we have already received our possession across the Jordan.”
33 So Moses gave them (the Gadites and Reubenites, as well as half the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan,) the land with its towns and the districts that surrounded them.	33 And so, Moses gave to the sons of Gad and of Ruben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, and their land with its surrounding cities.
34 The Gadites rebuilt the fortified towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,	34 Therefore, the sons of Gad built up Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,	35 and Atroth and Shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,
36 Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, and they built sheepfolds.	36 and Beth-Nimrah, and Beth-Haran, as fortified cities with pens for their cattle.
37 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,	37 Yet truly, the sons of Ruben built up Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,
38 Nebo, Baal-meon (names to be changed!), and Sibmah. These towns, which they rebuilt, they called by their old names.	38 and Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names having been changed) and Sibmah, appointing names for the cities which they had built.
39 The descendants of Machir, son of Manasseh, invaded Gilead and captured it, driving out the Amorites who were there.	39 Moreover, the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, continued on within Gilead, and they devastated it, putting to death its inhabitant, the Amorite.
40 (Moses gave Gilead to Machir, son of Manasseh, and he settled there.)	40 Therefore, Moses gave the land of Gilead to Machir, the son of Manasseh, and he lived in it.
41 Jair, a Manassehite clan, campaigned against the tent villages, captured them and called them Havvoth-jair.	41 But Jair, the son of Manasseh, went out and occupied its villages, which he called Havoth Jair, that is, the Villages of Jair.
42 Nobah also campaigned against Kenath, captured it with its dependencies and called it Nobah after his own name.	42 Likewise, Nobah went forth and captured Kenath with its villages. And he called it by his own name, Nobah.