Thematic Bible: Assisted in building the altar of witness which offended the other tribes
Thematic Bible
The tribe of Reuben » Assisted in building the altar of witness which offended the other tribes
And when they came to the borders of Jordan in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar of grand appearance there by Jordan. And the sons of Israel heard, Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar opposite the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the sons of Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at Shiloh to go to war against them. read more.
And the sons of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, and with him ten rulers, a ruler from each of the chief houses throughout all the tribes of Israel. And each one was a head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel. And they came to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying, So says all the congregation of Jehovah: What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away today from following Jehovah, in that you have built an altar for you so that you might rebel this day against Jehovah? Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not been made clean until today? Yea, a plague came on the congregation of Jehovah! But must you turn away today from following Jehovah? It shall be, you rebel today against Jehovah, and tomorrow He will be angry with all the congregation of Israel. But surely if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over to the land of the possession of Jehovah in which Jehovah's tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against Jehovah, nor rebel against us in building an altar for yourselves besides the altar of Jehovah our God. Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a sin in the cursed thing, and did not wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity. And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the thousands of Israel, Jehovah, the God of gods, Jehovah, the God of gods shall know, and Israel shall know if it is in rebellion or in transgression against Jehovah (you shall not save us alive today), that we have built us an altar to turn from following Jehovah. Or if we have built an altar to offer on it burnt offering or food offering, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let Jehovah Himself require it. And if we have not done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your sons might speak to our sons, saying, What have you to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel? For Jehovah has made Jordan a border between us and you, sons of Reuben and sons of Gad. You have no part in Jehovah. And your sons shall make our sons stop fearing Jehovah. And we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, but it shall be a witness between us and you, and our generations after us, so that we might do the service of Jehovah before Him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings; so that your sons may not say to our sons in time to come, You have no part in Jehovah. And we said that when they should say so to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, Behold the pattern of the altar of Jehovah which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, but it is a witness between us and you. Far be it from us that we should rebel against Jehovah and turn this day from following Jehovah, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for food offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of Jehovah our God that is before His tabernacle!
And the sons of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, and with him ten rulers, a ruler from each of the chief houses throughout all the tribes of Israel. And each one was a head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel. And they came to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying, So says all the congregation of Jehovah: What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away today from following Jehovah, in that you have built an altar for you so that you might rebel this day against Jehovah? Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not been made clean until today? Yea, a plague came on the congregation of Jehovah! But must you turn away today from following Jehovah? It shall be, you rebel today against Jehovah, and tomorrow He will be angry with all the congregation of Israel. But surely if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over to the land of the possession of Jehovah in which Jehovah's tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against Jehovah, nor rebel against us in building an altar for yourselves besides the altar of Jehovah our God. Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a sin in the cursed thing, and did not wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity. And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the thousands of Israel, Jehovah, the God of gods, Jehovah, the God of gods shall know, and Israel shall know if it is in rebellion or in transgression against Jehovah (you shall not save us alive today), that we have built us an altar to turn from following Jehovah. Or if we have built an altar to offer on it burnt offering or food offering, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let Jehovah Himself require it. And if we have not done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your sons might speak to our sons, saying, What have you to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel? For Jehovah has made Jordan a border between us and you, sons of Reuben and sons of Gad. You have no part in Jehovah. And your sons shall make our sons stop fearing Jehovah. And we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, but it shall be a witness between us and you, and our generations after us, so that we might do the service of Jehovah before Him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings; so that your sons may not say to our sons in time to come, You have no part in Jehovah. And we said that when they should say so to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, Behold the pattern of the altar of Jehovah which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, but it is a witness between us and you. Far be it from us that we should rebel against Jehovah and turn this day from following Jehovah, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for food offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of Jehovah our God that is before His tabernacle!