Numbers 32:16-32 - The Offer Of The Reubenites And Gadites

¹⁶ Then they approached him and said, “We want to build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our dependents. ¹⁷ But we will arm ourselves and be ready to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place. Meanwhile, our dependents will remain in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has taken possession of his inheritance. ¹⁹ Yet we will not have an inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance will be across the Jordan to the east.”

²⁰ Moses replied to them, “If you do this—if you arm yourselves for battle before the Lord, ²¹ and every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven His enemies from His presence, ²² and the land is subdued before the Lord—afterward you may return and be free from obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the Lord. ²³ But if you don’t do this, you will certainly sin against the Lord; be sure your sin will catch up with you. ²⁴ Build cities for your dependents and folds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

²⁵ The Gadites and Reubenites answered Moses, “Your servants will do just as my lord commands. ²⁶ Our little children, wives, livestock, and all our animals will remain here in the cities of Gilead, ²⁷ but your servants are equipped for war before the Lord and will go across to the battle as my lord orders.”

²⁸ So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the family leaders of the Israelite tribes. ²⁹ Moses told them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, every man in battle formation before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession. ³⁰ But if they don’t go across with you in battle formation, they must accept land in Canaan with you.”

³¹ The Gadites and Reubenites replied, “What the Lord has spoken to your servants is what we will do. ³² We will cross over in battle formation before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but we will keep our hereditary possession across the Jordan.”