Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



"But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you!



"But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you!


Heaven will reveal his iniquity, while the earth will rise up against him.

Though malice disguises itself with deception, its evil will be exposed publicly.

There is nothing covered up that won't be exposed and nothing secret that won't be made known.


Then they approached him and said, "Here's where we're going to build corrals for our cattle and cities for our families, but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we've brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land, but we won't return to our homes until every Israeli has taken possession of each of their inheritances, read more.
since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward." "If you do this," Moses replied to them, "that is, if you equip yourselves for war in the LORD's presence and every one of your armed soldiers crosses over the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD until he has dispossessed his enemies ahead of him and subjugated the land before him, then afterwards when you return, you'll be able to stand blameless before the LORD and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the LORD. "But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you! So after you've built cities for your families and corrals for your cattle, be sure to keep your promises." Then the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben spoke up. "Your servants will do exactly what our master has commanded." They said. "Our children, wives, flocks, and all our cattle will be settled in the cities of Gilead, but every soldier that we've equipped for battle will cross the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD, as our master has spoken." So Moses instructed Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua, and the officers of the ancestral tribes of the Israelis, telling them, "If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who've been equipped for battle in the LORD's presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession. But if the armed men don't cross over with you, then they won't have any possession in the land of Canaan." "We'll do just what the LORD told your servants," the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben responded. "We are to cross over in battle array in the LORD's presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River."

Just as Moses had directed, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, dressed in battle regalia, in full view of the other Israelis. About 40,000 soldiers equipped to do battle in the LORD's presence crossed over to the desert plains of Jericho.

Later, Joshua called together the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh and told them, "You have done everything that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have listened to me in everything that I commanded you. You haven't abandoned your relatives these past days to the present, and you have met the obligation contained in the commands of the LORD your God. read more.
Now the LORD has given peace to your relatives, just as he told them. Therefore, proceed to your tents to the land that is yours to possess that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you east of the Jordan River. Only be very careful to keep the commands and the Law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you that is, to love the LORD your God, to follow in all of his ways, to keep his commands, to stay close to him, and to serve him with all your heart and soul." That's how Joshua blessed them. Then he sent them on their way and they returned to their tents. Now Moses had made an allotment in Bashan to one half-tribe of Manasseh, but Joshua made an allotment west of the Jordan River to the other half-tribe of their relatives. So when Joshua sent them on their way back to their tents, he also blessed them by saying "Return to your tents with great wealth, plenty of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and lots of clothing. Divide the spoil from your enemies among your relatives."


Now, the descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad happened to be joint owners of a very large herd of cattle. When they observed that Jazer and Gilead were good grazing lands for cattle, the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said, "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon read more.
the land that the LORD defeated in the sight of the community of Israel is perfect for cattle and your servants have cattle. If we've found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our possession instead of us crossing the Jordan River." "Will your relatives have to go to war while you remain here?" Moses asked the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben in response. "Why would you discourage the Israelis from crossing over to the land that the LORD has given them? That's what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelis from entering the land that the LORD had given them. That's why the LORD's anger flared up that day and he promised by an oath that "Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly, except Jephunneh's son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun's son Joshua. They've wholeheartedly followed the LORD.' "The LORD's anger had flared up against Israel so that he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that whole generation, who committed evil in the eyes of the LORD, had died. And now, look! You're acting just like your ancestors, like a brood of sinful men, who are provoking the fierce anger of the LORD against the Israelis one step at a time. If you stop following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness. You'll end up destroying this entire people." Then they approached him and said, "Here's where we're going to build corrals for our cattle and cities for our families, but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we've brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land, but we won't return to our homes until every Israeli has taken possession of each of their inheritances, since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward." "If you do this," Moses replied to them, "that is, if you equip yourselves for war in the LORD's presence and every one of your armed soldiers crosses over the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD until he has dispossessed his enemies ahead of him and subjugated the land before him, then afterwards when you return, you'll be able to stand blameless before the LORD and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the LORD. "But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you! So after you've built cities for your families and corrals for your cattle, be sure to keep your promises." Then the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben spoke up. "Your servants will do exactly what our master has commanded." They said. "Our children, wives, flocks, and all our cattle will be settled in the cities of Gilead, but every soldier that we've equipped for battle will cross the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD, as our master has spoken." So Moses instructed Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua, and the officers of the ancestral tribes of the Israelis, telling them, "If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who've been equipped for battle in the LORD's presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession. But if the armed men don't cross over with you, then they won't have any possession in the land of Canaan." "We'll do just what the LORD told your servants," the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben responded. "We are to cross over in battle array in the LORD's presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River." So Moses gave to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the whole land with its cities, and even the territories surrounding it.


Now, the descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad happened to be joint owners of a very large herd of cattle. When they observed that Jazer and Gilead were good grazing lands for cattle, the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said, "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon read more.
the land that the LORD defeated in the sight of the community of Israel is perfect for cattle and your servants have cattle. If we've found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our possession instead of us crossing the Jordan River." "Will your relatives have to go to war while you remain here?" Moses asked the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben in response. "Why would you discourage the Israelis from crossing over to the land that the LORD has given them? That's what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelis from entering the land that the LORD had given them. That's why the LORD's anger flared up that day and he promised by an oath that "Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly, except Jephunneh's son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun's son Joshua. They've wholeheartedly followed the LORD.' "The LORD's anger had flared up against Israel so that he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that whole generation, who committed evil in the eyes of the LORD, had died. And now, look! You're acting just like your ancestors, like a brood of sinful men, who are provoking the fierce anger of the LORD against the Israelis one step at a time. If you stop following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness. You'll end up destroying this entire people." Then they approached him and said, "Here's where we're going to build corrals for our cattle and cities for our families, but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we've brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land, but we won't return to our homes until every Israeli has taken possession of each of their inheritances, since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward." "If you do this," Moses replied to them, "that is, if you equip yourselves for war in the LORD's presence and every one of your armed soldiers crosses over the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD until he has dispossessed his enemies ahead of him and subjugated the land before him, then afterwards when you return, you'll be able to stand blameless before the LORD and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the LORD. "But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you! So after you've built cities for your families and corrals for your cattle, be sure to keep your promises." Then the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben spoke up. "Your servants will do exactly what our master has commanded." They said. "Our children, wives, flocks, and all our cattle will be settled in the cities of Gilead, but every soldier that we've equipped for battle will cross the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD, as our master has spoken." So Moses instructed Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua, and the officers of the ancestral tribes of the Israelis, telling them, "If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who've been equipped for battle in the LORD's presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession. But if the armed men don't cross over with you, then they won't have any possession in the land of Canaan." "We'll do just what the LORD told your servants," the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben responded. "We are to cross over in battle array in the LORD's presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River." So Moses gave to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the whole land with its cities, and even the territories surrounding it.

When the Israelis heard about it, they announced, "Look here, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have constructed an altar in Canaan's frontier district of the Jordan River, on the side apportioned to the Israelis." When the Israelis heard that announcement, the entire community of the Israelis gathered together at Shiloh in preparation for war. Then the Israelis sent a delegation to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead. They sent Eleazar's son Phinehas the priest, read more.
and ten officials with him (one for each of the tribal families of Israel, each one of them a family leader among the tribes of Israel). They approached the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and told them: "This is what the entire community of the LORD has to say: "What is this treacherous act by which you have acted deceitfully against the God of Israel by turning away from following the LORD today, and by building yourselves an altar today, so you can rebel against the LORD? Isn't the evil that happened at Peor enough for us, from which we have yet to be completely cleansed even to this point, and because of which a plague came upon the community of the LORD? Now then, are you turning away from following the LORD today? If you rebel against the LORD today, by tomorrow he will be angry with the entire community of Israel. If the land of your inheritance remains unclean, then cross back over into the land that the LORD possesses, and receive an inheritance among us. Don't rebel against the LORD and against us by constructing an altar for yourselves besides the altar of the LORD our God. Didn't Zerah's son Achan act treacherously with respect to the things banned by God, and as a result God became angry at the entire community of Israel? And that man was not the only one to die because of his iniquity.'" The descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the officials of the tribes of Israel, "The God of gods, the LORD, the God of gods, the LORD is the one who knows! And may Israel itself be aware that if this was an act of rebellion or an act of treachery against the LORD, may he not deliver us today! If we have built an altar for ourselves intended to turn us away from following the LORD, or to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or peace offerings on it, may the LORD himself demand an accounting from us! But we did this because we were concerned for a reason, since we thought, "Sometime in the future your descendants may say to our descendants, "What do you have in common with the LORD, the God of Israel? The LORD has established the Jordan River to be a territorial border between us and you. Descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad have no allotment from the LORD." So your descendants may cause our descendants to stop fearing the LORD.' "That's why we said, "Let's build an altar for ourselves, not for burnt offerings or sacrifice, but instead it will serve as a reminder between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to serve the LORD with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. That way your descendants will not say to our descendants in the future, "You have no allotment from the LORD."' "That's also why we said, "It may be if they say these things to us and to our descendants in the future, so we will respond, "Look at this replica of the altar of the LORD that our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifice, but rather as a reminder between us and you. May we never rebel against the LORD today by building an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifice to replace the altar of the LORD our God which stands before his Tent."'" When Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the community, and the heads of the families of Israel who were with him heard what the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the descendants of Manasseh said, they were pleased. So Eleazar's son Phinehas the priest replied to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the descendants of Manasseh, "Today we've demonstrated that the LORD is among us, because you have not acted treacherously against the LORD. Now you have delivered the Israelis from the anger of the LORD."


Now, the descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad happened to be joint owners of a very large herd of cattle. When they observed that Jazer and Gilead were good grazing lands for cattle, the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said, "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon read more.
the land that the LORD defeated in the sight of the community of Israel is perfect for cattle and your servants have cattle. If we've found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our possession instead of us crossing the Jordan River." "Will your relatives have to go to war while you remain here?" Moses asked the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben in response. "Why would you discourage the Israelis from crossing over to the land that the LORD has given them? That's what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelis from entering the land that the LORD had given them. That's why the LORD's anger flared up that day and he promised by an oath that "Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly, except Jephunneh's son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun's son Joshua. They've wholeheartedly followed the LORD.' "The LORD's anger had flared up against Israel so that he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that whole generation, who committed evil in the eyes of the LORD, had died. And now, look! You're acting just like your ancestors, like a brood of sinful men, who are provoking the fierce anger of the LORD against the Israelis one step at a time. If you stop following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness. You'll end up destroying this entire people." Then they approached him and said, "Here's where we're going to build corrals for our cattle and cities for our families, but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we've brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land, but we won't return to our homes until every Israeli has taken possession of each of their inheritances, since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward." "If you do this," Moses replied to them, "that is, if you equip yourselves for war in the LORD's presence and every one of your armed soldiers crosses over the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD until he has dispossessed his enemies ahead of him and subjugated the land before him, then afterwards when you return, you'll be able to stand blameless before the LORD and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the LORD. "But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you! So after you've built cities for your families and corrals for your cattle, be sure to keep your promises." Then the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben spoke up. "Your servants will do exactly what our master has commanded." They said. "Our children, wives, flocks, and all our cattle will be settled in the cities of Gilead, but every soldier that we've equipped for battle will cross the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD, as our master has spoken." So Moses instructed Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua, and the officers of the ancestral tribes of the Israelis, telling them, "If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who've been equipped for battle in the LORD's presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession. But if the armed men don't cross over with you, then they won't have any possession in the land of Canaan." "We'll do just what the LORD told your servants," the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben responded. "We are to cross over in battle array in the LORD's presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River." So Moses gave to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the whole land with its cities, and even the territories surrounding it.


Now, the descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad happened to be joint owners of a very large herd of cattle. When they observed that Jazer and Gilead were good grazing lands for cattle, the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said, "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon read more.
the land that the LORD defeated in the sight of the community of Israel is perfect for cattle and your servants have cattle. If we've found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our possession instead of us crossing the Jordan River." "Will your relatives have to go to war while you remain here?" Moses asked the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben in response. "Why would you discourage the Israelis from crossing over to the land that the LORD has given them? That's what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelis from entering the land that the LORD had given them. That's why the LORD's anger flared up that day and he promised by an oath that "Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly, except Jephunneh's son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun's son Joshua. They've wholeheartedly followed the LORD.' "The LORD's anger had flared up against Israel so that he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that whole generation, who committed evil in the eyes of the LORD, had died. And now, look! You're acting just like your ancestors, like a brood of sinful men, who are provoking the fierce anger of the LORD against the Israelis one step at a time. If you stop following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness. You'll end up destroying this entire people." Then they approached him and said, "Here's where we're going to build corrals for our cattle and cities for our families, but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we've brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land, but we won't return to our homes until every Israeli has taken possession of each of their inheritances, since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward." "If you do this," Moses replied to them, "that is, if you equip yourselves for war in the LORD's presence and every one of your armed soldiers crosses over the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD until he has dispossessed his enemies ahead of him and subjugated the land before him, then afterwards when you return, you'll be able to stand blameless before the LORD and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the LORD. "But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you! So after you've built cities for your families and corrals for your cattle, be sure to keep your promises." Then the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben spoke up. "Your servants will do exactly what our master has commanded." They said. "Our children, wives, flocks, and all our cattle will be settled in the cities of Gilead, but every soldier that we've equipped for battle will cross the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD, as our master has spoken." So Moses instructed Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua, and the officers of the ancestral tribes of the Israelis, telling them, "If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who've been equipped for battle in the LORD's presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession. But if the armed men don't cross over with you, then they won't have any possession in the land of Canaan." "We'll do just what the LORD told your servants," the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben responded. "We are to cross over in battle array in the LORD's presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River." So Moses gave to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the whole land with its cities, and even the territories surrounding it.

"Then I commanded you at that time, "The Lord your God gave you this land as a possession. Those equipped for battle every man a warrior will cross before your fellow Israelis. However, your women, children, and livestock and I know you have many may reside in your towns that I gave you until the LORD grants rest to your fellow Israelis like you. When they take possession of the territory that the LORD your God is about to give them on the other side of the Jordan River, then each of you may return to the territory that I've allotted for you.'


"But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you!


He told the woman, "I'll greatly increase the pain of your labor during childbirth. It will be painful for you to bear children, "since your trust is turning toward your husband, and he will dominate you." He told the man, "Because you have listened to what your wife said, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat from it,' cursed is the ground because of you. You'll eat from it through pain-filled labor for the rest of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you'll eat the plants from the meadows. read more.
You will eat food by the sweat of your brow until you're buried in the ground, because you were taken from it. You're made from dust and you'll return to dust."

"How often do the wicked have their lights put out? Does calamity ever fall on them? Will God in his anger ever apportion their destruction?

The LORD saw that human evil was growing more and more throughout the earth, with every inclination of people's thoughts becoming only evil on a continuous basis. Then the LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and he was deeply grieved about that. So the LORD said, "I will annihilate these human beings whom I've created from the earth, including people, animals, crawling things, and flying creatures, because I'm grieving that I made them."

"But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you!

He graciously loves thousands, and forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. But he does not leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of the ancestors on their children, and on their children's children to the third and fourth generation."



"But if some person acts with a high hand, whether a native-born or a resident alien, he blasphemes God, and that person is to be eliminated from among his people. Because he has despised the law of the LORD and has broken his commands, that person is certainly to be eliminated. His iniquity will remain on him."

If you do what is appropriate, you'll be accepted, won't you? But if you don't do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near your doorway, turning toward you. Now as for you, will you take dominion over it?"

The LORD also said, "How great is the disapproval of Sodom and Gomorrah! Their sin is so very serious!

because we're going to destroy it. Their outcry has come to the attention of the LORD, so he sent us here to destroy it!"

The LORD told Moses, "Whoever sins against me, I'll blot him out of my book. Now, go, and lead the people where I told you, and now my angel will go before you, but on the day when I do punish, I'll punish them for their sin."

"But if you won't listen to me and obey all these commands, and if you refuse my statutes, loathe my ordinances, and fail to carry out all of my commands, thereby breaching my covenant, then I will certainly do this to you: I'll appoint sudden terror to infect you like tuberculosis and fever. Your eyes will fail and your life will waste away. You'll plant in vain, because your enemies will consume what you plant. read more.
I'll set my face against you so that you'll be defeated before your enemies. Those who hate you will have dominion over you and you'll keep fleeing even when no one is pursuing you. "If, despite all of this, you still don't listen to me, then I'll punish you seven times more on account of your sins. I'll break your mighty pride. I'll make the heavens to be like iron and the ground like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your land won't yield its produce and the trees of the land won't yield their fruit. "If you live life contrary to me and remain unwilling to listen to me, then I'll add to your wounds seven times more on account of your sins.

For forty years I loathed that generation, so I said, "They are a people whose hearts continuously err, and they have not understood my ways." So in my anger I declared an oath: "They are not to enter my place of rest."

"This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: "You have seen the disaster that I brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah. Look, they're in ruins today, with no one living in them, because of the wickedness that they did, provoking me to anger by continuing to offer sacrifices and worship other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors had known.

"But they didn't listen or pay attention by turning from their wickedness and not offering sacrifices to other gods. My wrath and my anger were poured out, and they burned in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem so that they have become a ruin and a desolate place, as is the case today.'



"But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you!


Heaven will reveal his iniquity, while the earth will rise up against him.

Though malice disguises itself with deception, its evil will be exposed publicly.

There is nothing covered up that won't be exposed and nothing secret that won't be made known.


"But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you!


"Then I commanded you at that time, "The Lord your God gave you this land as a possession. Those equipped for battle every man a warrior will cross before your fellow Israelis. However, your women, children, and livestock and I know you have many may reside in your towns that I gave you until the LORD grants rest to your fellow Israelis like you. When they take possession of the territory that the LORD your God is about to give them on the other side of the Jordan River, then each of you may return to the territory that I've allotted for you.'

"Will your relatives have to go to war while you remain here?" Moses asked the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben in response. "Why would you discourage the Israelis from crossing over to the land that the LORD has given them? That's what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. read more.
When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelis from entering the land that the LORD had given them. That's why the LORD's anger flared up that day and he promised by an oath that "Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly, except Jephunneh's son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun's son Joshua. They've wholeheartedly followed the LORD.' "The LORD's anger had flared up against Israel so that he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that whole generation, who committed evil in the eyes of the LORD, had died. And now, look! You're acting just like your ancestors, like a brood of sinful men, who are provoking the fierce anger of the LORD against the Israelis one step at a time. If you stop following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness. You'll end up destroying this entire people." Then they approached him and said, "Here's where we're going to build corrals for our cattle and cities for our families, but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we've brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land, but we won't return to our homes until every Israeli has taken possession of each of their inheritances, since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward." "If you do this," Moses replied to them, "that is, if you equip yourselves for war in the LORD's presence and every one of your armed soldiers crosses over the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD until he has dispossessed his enemies ahead of him and subjugated the land before him, then afterwards when you return, you'll be able to stand blameless before the LORD and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the LORD. "But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you! So after you've built cities for your families and corrals for your cattle, be sure to keep your promises." Then the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben spoke up. "Your servants will do exactly what our master has commanded." They said. "Our children, wives, flocks, and all our cattle will be settled in the cities of Gilead, but every soldier that we've equipped for battle will cross the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD, as our master has spoken." So Moses instructed Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua, and the officers of the ancestral tribes of the Israelis, telling them, "If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who've been equipped for battle in the LORD's presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession. But if the armed men don't cross over with you, then they won't have any possession in the land of Canaan." "We'll do just what the LORD told your servants," the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben responded. "We are to cross over in battle array in the LORD's presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River."


Now, the descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad happened to be joint owners of a very large herd of cattle. When they observed that Jazer and Gilead were good grazing lands for cattle, the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said, "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon read more.
the land that the LORD defeated in the sight of the community of Israel is perfect for cattle and your servants have cattle. If we've found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our possession instead of us crossing the Jordan River." "Will your relatives have to go to war while you remain here?" Moses asked the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben in response. "Why would you discourage the Israelis from crossing over to the land that the LORD has given them? That's what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelis from entering the land that the LORD had given them. That's why the LORD's anger flared up that day and he promised by an oath that "Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly, except Jephunneh's son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun's son Joshua. They've wholeheartedly followed the LORD.' "The LORD's anger had flared up against Israel so that he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that whole generation, who committed evil in the eyes of the LORD, had died. And now, look! You're acting just like your ancestors, like a brood of sinful men, who are provoking the fierce anger of the LORD against the Israelis one step at a time. If you stop following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness. You'll end up destroying this entire people." Then they approached him and said, "Here's where we're going to build corrals for our cattle and cities for our families, but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we've brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land, but we won't return to our homes until every Israeli has taken possession of each of their inheritances, since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward." "If you do this," Moses replied to them, "that is, if you equip yourselves for war in the LORD's presence and every one of your armed soldiers crosses over the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD until he has dispossessed his enemies ahead of him and subjugated the land before him, then afterwards when you return, you'll be able to stand blameless before the LORD and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the LORD. "But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the LORD. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you! So after you've built cities for your families and corrals for your cattle, be sure to keep your promises." Then the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben spoke up. "Your servants will do exactly what our master has commanded." They said. "Our children, wives, flocks, and all our cattle will be settled in the cities of Gilead, but every soldier that we've equipped for battle will cross the Jordan River in the presence of the LORD, as our master has spoken." So Moses instructed Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua, and the officers of the ancestral tribes of the Israelis, telling them, "If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who've been equipped for battle in the LORD's presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession. But if the armed men don't cross over with you, then they won't have any possession in the land of Canaan." "We'll do just what the LORD told your servants," the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben responded. "We are to cross over in battle array in the LORD's presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River." So Moses gave to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the whole land with its cities, and even the territories surrounding it.

When the Israelis heard about it, they announced, "Look here, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have constructed an altar in Canaan's frontier district of the Jordan River, on the side apportioned to the Israelis." When the Israelis heard that announcement, the entire community of the Israelis gathered together at Shiloh in preparation for war. Then the Israelis sent a delegation to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead. They sent Eleazar's son Phinehas the priest, read more.
and ten officials with him (one for each of the tribal families of Israel, each one of them a family leader among the tribes of Israel). They approached the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and told them: "This is what the entire community of the LORD has to say: "What is this treacherous act by which you have acted deceitfully against the God of Israel by turning away from following the LORD today, and by building yourselves an altar today, so you can rebel against the LORD? Isn't the evil that happened at Peor enough for us, from which we have yet to be completely cleansed even to this point, and because of which a plague came upon the community of the LORD? Now then, are you turning away from following the LORD today? If you rebel against the LORD today, by tomorrow he will be angry with the entire community of Israel. If the land of your inheritance remains unclean, then cross back over into the land that the LORD possesses, and receive an inheritance among us. Don't rebel against the LORD and against us by constructing an altar for yourselves besides the altar of the LORD our God. Didn't Zerah's son Achan act treacherously with respect to the things banned by God, and as a result God became angry at the entire community of Israel? And that man was not the only one to die because of his iniquity.'" The descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the officials of the tribes of Israel, "The God of gods, the LORD, the God of gods, the LORD is the one who knows! And may Israel itself be aware that if this was an act of rebellion or an act of treachery against the LORD, may he not deliver us today! If we have built an altar for ourselves intended to turn us away from following the LORD, or to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or peace offerings on it, may the LORD himself demand an accounting from us! But we did this because we were concerned for a reason, since we thought, "Sometime in the future your descendants may say to our descendants, "What do you have in common with the LORD, the God of Israel? The LORD has established the Jordan River to be a territorial border between us and you. Descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad have no allotment from the LORD." So your descendants may cause our descendants to stop fearing the LORD.' "That's why we said, "Let's build an altar for ourselves, not for burnt offerings or sacrifice, but instead it will serve as a reminder between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to serve the LORD with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. That way your descendants will not say to our descendants in the future, "You have no allotment from the LORD."' "That's also why we said, "It may be if they say these things to us and to our descendants in the future, so we will respond, "Look at this replica of the altar of the LORD that our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifice, but rather as a reminder between us and you. May we never rebel against the LORD today by building an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifice to replace the altar of the LORD our God which stands before his Tent."'" When Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the community, and the heads of the families of Israel who were with him heard what the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the descendants of Manasseh said, they were pleased. So Eleazar's son Phinehas the priest replied to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the descendants of Manasseh, "Today we've demonstrated that the LORD is among us, because you have not acted treacherously against the LORD. Now you have delivered the Israelis from the anger of the LORD."