1Then Joshua called for the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh.
2He told them, “You have obeyed everything Moses, the servant of Yahweh, commanded you, and you have listened to me in everything I commanded you.
3You have not abandoned your relatives all these many days, even until today, but have done what Yahweh your God commanded you.
4Now Yahweh your God has given your relatives peace, just as he told them he would. So now, go back to your homes, to the land you inherited, which Moses, the servant of Yahweh, gave you east of the Jordan River.
5But be very careful to obey the command and the law that Moses, the servant of Yahweh, gave you: to love Yahweh your God, to live according to all his ways, to keep his commands, to remain loyal to him, and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”
6So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes.
7Moses had given land to one half of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, and Joshua gave land to the other half among their relatives west of the Jordan River. When Joshua sent them away to their homes, he blessed them.
8He told them, “Return to your homes with much wealth—with a lot of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and many clothes. Share the plunder you took from your enemies with your relatives.”
9The people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned. They left the people of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to their own land of Gilead, which they possessed, as Yahweh had commanded through Moses.
10When they came to the Jordan region, which is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built a large, impressive altar there by the Jordan.
11The people of Israel heard this report: “Look, the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of Canaan, in the Jordan region, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel.”
12When the people of Israel heard about it, the entire community of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.
13The people of Israel sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to the people of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead.
14With him were ten leaders, one leader from each family group of the tribes of Israel; each of them was the head of his family group among the thousands of Israel.
15They came to the people of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and spoke with them, saying,
16“This is what the entire community of Yahweh says: ‘What is this betrayal you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from Yahweh today by building yourselves an altar, and rebelling against Yahweh today?
17Was the sin of Peor not enough for us? We have not purified ourselves from it even to this day, even though a plague struck the community of Yahweh.
18Are you going to turn away from following Yahweh today? If you rebel against Yahweh today, tomorrow he will be angry with the entire community of Israel.
19However, if the land you possess is unclean, then cross over to the land Yahweh possesses, where Yahweh's special tent is, and take possession among us. But don't rebel against Yahweh or against us by building an altar other than the altar of Yahweh our God.
20Remember Achan, son of Zerah? He committed a sin with the things set apart for God's destruction, and anger fell on all the community of Israel. He wasn't the only one who died for his sin.
21Then the people of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh responded to the leaders of the thousands of Israel,
22"The Mighty God, Yahweh! The Mighty God, Yahweh! He knows, and Israel will know: if we acted in rebellion, or if we sinned against Yahweh (do not spare us today!),
23if we built an altar to turn away from following Yahweh, or to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or peace offerings, then may Yahweh himself punish us.
24We have not done this out of concern, and for a specific reason. We said, 'In the future, your children might say to our children, "What do you have to do with Yahweh, the God of Israel?"
25Because Yahweh has made the Jordan River a border between us and you, people of Reuben and Gad. You have no share in Yahweh."' In this way, your children might cause our children to stop respecting Yahweh.
26Therefore we said, 'Let's prepare now to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,'
27but it will be a witness between us and you, and between our future generations, that we may perform the service of Yahweh before him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings. This is so that your children cannot say to our children in the future, 'You have no share in Yahweh.'
28Therefore we said, 'It will happen that when they tell us or our future generations this, we will say, "Look at the model of Yahweh's altar that our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you."'
29"It is unthinkable that we would rebel against Yahweh and turn away from following Yahweh today to build an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, other than the altar of Yahweh our God, which is in front of his special tent!"
30When Phinehas the priest, and the community leaders who were with him, the heads of the thousands of Israel, heard what the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, they were pleased.
31Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, said to the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Today we know that Yahweh is among us because you have not committed this sin against Yahweh. Now you have saved the people of Israel from Yahweh's punishment."
32Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders returned from the people of Reuben and Gad in the land of Gilead to the people of Israel in the land of Canaan and reported everything to them.
33The people of Israel were pleased with the report. The people of Israel praised God and no longer talked about going to war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and Gad lived.
34The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar "A Witness Between Us that Yahweh is God."