Joshua 22 (FBV)

1 Then Joshua summoned the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 2 He told them, “You have done everything that Moses, the servant of the Lord, told you to do, and you have followed all the commands I gave you. 3 You have never abandoned your brothers all this time, right up to the present day. You have carefully followed what the Lord your God ordered you to do. 4 Now that the Lord your God has given peace to your brothers, as he promised, go back home to your land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 But make sure you keep the commandments and the law as Moses instructed you. Love the Lord your God, follow all his ways, keep his commandments, stay close to him, and serve him with your whole being.” 6 Joshua blessed them, sent them on their way, and they went home. 7 Moses had given to the half-tribe of Manasseh the land of Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua had given land west of the Jordan. Joshua blessed them and sent them home. 8 He told them, “Take all the wealth you have gained back home: the great herds of livestock, the things made of gold, silver, copper, and iron, the huge quantity of clothes. Share all this plunder with your brothers.” 9 So the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the rest of the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and went home to their land in Gilead that they had received at the Lord's command through Moses. 10 When they approached the Jordan region, still in the land of Canaan, the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built a large and impressive altar beside the Jordan River. 11 The Israelites were told, “Look, the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the Jordan region of the land of Canaan, on the side belonging to the Israelites.” 12 The Israelites gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them. 13 Before they did so, they sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead. 14 Ten leaders went with him, one from each of the ten tribes of Israel, and each the head of his family. 15 After they arrived they told the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 16 “This is what all of the Lord's people say, ‘What is this disloyal act you have committed against the God of Israel by building an altar for yourselves? How could you turn away from him now in such rebellion? 17 Wasn't our sin at Peor enough? Even now we're still not clean from the plague that attacked the Lord's people. 18 So why are you turning away from the Lord now? If you rebel against the Lord today, he will be angry with all of us tomorrow! 19 But if you think your land is tainted then come over to the land of the Lord where the Tabernacle of the Lord is located and share some of our land with us. Just don't rebel against the Lord, or against us, by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 When Achan, son of Zerah, acted disloyally in taking consecrated things, didn't the whole of Israel suffer punishment? He wasn't the only one who died because of his sin!’” 21 Then the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the Israelite leaders, 22 “The Lord is God of gods, the Lord is God of gods, and he knows! May Israel also know! If we're in rebellion against God or being disloyal to him then kill us right now! 23 If our action of building an altar was to turn away from the Lord, or to use the altar to make burnt offerings or grain offerings or friendship offerings, then may the Lord punish us. 24 We did this because we were worried that in the future your descendants might say to ours, ‘What have you got to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 The Lord put a border—the Jordan River—between us and you, descendants of Reuben and Gad. You don't belong to the Lord.’ So your descendants might stop our descendants from worshipping the Lord. 26 So we said to ourselves, ‘Let's build an altar, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifices, 27 but as a witness between us and you, and for the generations that come after us, that we will come to worship the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and friendship offerings.’ Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours in the future, ‘You don't belong to the Lord.’ 28 If they were to do so in the future, our descendants could reply, ‘Look at this copy of the Lord's altar which our forefathers made, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’ 29 We would never think to rebel against the Lord or to turn away from him now by building an altar to make burnt offerings or grain offerings or sacrifices. The only altar of the Lord our God is the one that stands in front of his Tabernacle.” 30 When Phinehas and the Israelite leaders heard this from the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh they were delighted. 31 Phinehas replied to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is with us because you have not acted disloyally in doing this. Now you have saved the Israelites from being punished by the Lord.” 32 Then Phinehas and the Israelite leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to explain the situation to the Israelites. 33 The Israelites were pleased with the report and God blessed them. They didn't talk about going to war any more to destroy the land where the tribes of Reuben and Gad were living. 34 The tribes of Reuben and Gad called the altar, “Witness,” because they said, “It is a witness between us that the Lord is also our God.”

In Other Versions

Joshua 22 in the ANGEFD

Joshua 22 in the ANTPNG2D

Joshua 22 in the AS21

Joshua 22 in the BAGH

Joshua 22 in the BBPNG

Joshua 22 in the BBT1E

Joshua 22 in the BDS

Joshua 22 in the BEV

Joshua 22 in the BHAD

Joshua 22 in the BIB

Joshua 22 in the BLPT

Joshua 22 in the BNT

Joshua 22 in the BNTABOOT

Joshua 22 in the BNTLV

Joshua 22 in the BOATCB

Joshua 22 in the BOATCB2

Joshua 22 in the BOBCV

Joshua 22 in the BOCNT

Joshua 22 in the BOECS

Joshua 22 in the BOGWICC

Joshua 22 in the BOHCB

Joshua 22 in the BOHCV

Joshua 22 in the BOHLNT

Joshua 22 in the BOHNTLTAL

Joshua 22 in the BOICB

Joshua 22 in the BOILNTAP

Joshua 22 in the BOITCV

Joshua 22 in the BOKCV

Joshua 22 in the BOKCV2

Joshua 22 in the BOKHWOG

Joshua 22 in the BOKSSV

Joshua 22 in the BOLCB

Joshua 22 in the BOLCB2

Joshua 22 in the BOMCV

Joshua 22 in the BONAV

Joshua 22 in the BONCB

Joshua 22 in the BONLT

Joshua 22 in the BONUT2

Joshua 22 in the BOPLNT

Joshua 22 in the BOSCB

Joshua 22 in the BOSNC

Joshua 22 in the BOTLNT

Joshua 22 in the BOVCB

Joshua 22 in the BOYCB

Joshua 22 in the BPBB

Joshua 22 in the BPH

Joshua 22 in the BSB

Joshua 22 in the CCB

Joshua 22 in the CUV

Joshua 22 in the CUVS

Joshua 22 in the DBT

Joshua 22 in the DGDNT

Joshua 22 in the DHNT

Joshua 22 in the DNT

Joshua 22 in the ELBE

Joshua 22 in the EMTV

Joshua 22 in the ESV

Joshua 22 in the FEB

Joshua 22 in the GGMNT

Joshua 22 in the GNT

Joshua 22 in the HARY

Joshua 22 in the HNT

Joshua 22 in the IRVA

Joshua 22 in the IRVB

Joshua 22 in the IRVG

Joshua 22 in the IRVH

Joshua 22 in the IRVK

Joshua 22 in the IRVM

Joshua 22 in the IRVM2

Joshua 22 in the IRVO

Joshua 22 in the IRVP

Joshua 22 in the IRVT

Joshua 22 in the IRVT2

Joshua 22 in the IRVU

Joshua 22 in the ISVN

Joshua 22 in the JSNT

Joshua 22 in the KAPI

Joshua 22 in the KBT1ETNIK

Joshua 22 in the KBV

Joshua 22 in the KJV

Joshua 22 in the KNFD

Joshua 22 in the LBA

Joshua 22 in the LBLA

Joshua 22 in the LNT

Joshua 22 in the LSV

Joshua 22 in the MAAL

Joshua 22 in the MBV

Joshua 22 in the MBV2

Joshua 22 in the MHNT

Joshua 22 in the MKNFD

Joshua 22 in the MNG

Joshua 22 in the MNT

Joshua 22 in the MNT2

Joshua 22 in the MRS1T

Joshua 22 in the NAA

Joshua 22 in the NASB

Joshua 22 in the NBLA

Joshua 22 in the NBS

Joshua 22 in the NBVTP

Joshua 22 in the NET2

Joshua 22 in the NIV11

Joshua 22 in the NNT

Joshua 22 in the NNT2

Joshua 22 in the NNT3

Joshua 22 in the PDDPT

Joshua 22 in the PFNT

Joshua 22 in the RMNT

Joshua 22 in the SBIAS

Joshua 22 in the SBIBS

Joshua 22 in the SBIBS2

Joshua 22 in the SBICS

Joshua 22 in the SBIDS

Joshua 22 in the SBIGS

Joshua 22 in the SBIHS

Joshua 22 in the SBIIS

Joshua 22 in the SBIIS2

Joshua 22 in the SBIIS3

Joshua 22 in the SBIKS

Joshua 22 in the SBIKS2

Joshua 22 in the SBIMS

Joshua 22 in the SBIOS

Joshua 22 in the SBIPS

Joshua 22 in the SBISS

Joshua 22 in the SBITS

Joshua 22 in the SBITS2

Joshua 22 in the SBITS3

Joshua 22 in the SBITS4

Joshua 22 in the SBIUS

Joshua 22 in the SBIVS

Joshua 22 in the SBT

Joshua 22 in the SBT1E

Joshua 22 in the SCHL

Joshua 22 in the SNT

Joshua 22 in the SUSU

Joshua 22 in the SUSU2

Joshua 22 in the SYNO

Joshua 22 in the TBIAOTANT

Joshua 22 in the TBT1E

Joshua 22 in the TBT1E2

Joshua 22 in the TFTIP

Joshua 22 in the TFTU

Joshua 22 in the TGNTATF3T

Joshua 22 in the THAI

Joshua 22 in the TNFD

Joshua 22 in the TNT

Joshua 22 in the TNTIK

Joshua 22 in the TNTIL

Joshua 22 in the TNTIN

Joshua 22 in the TNTIP

Joshua 22 in the TNTIZ

Joshua 22 in the TOMA

Joshua 22 in the TTENT

Joshua 22 in the UBG

Joshua 22 in the UGV

Joshua 22 in the UGV2

Joshua 22 in the UGV3

Joshua 22 in the VBL

Joshua 22 in the VDCC

Joshua 22 in the YALU

Joshua 22 in the YAPE

Joshua 22 in the YBVTP

Joshua 22 in the ZBP