1Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; 2The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, 3Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,32.3 Nimrah: also called, Beth-nimrah32.3 Shebam: also called, Shibmah32.3 Beon: also called, Baal-meon 4Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: 5Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.
6¶ And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? 7And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?32.7 discourage: Heb. break 8Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them. 10And the LORD’s anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying, 11Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:32.11 wholly…: Heb. fulfilled after me 12Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD. 13And the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. 14And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel. 15For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.
16¶ And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: 17But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. 19For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward.
20¶ And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war, 21And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, 22And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. 24Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth. 25And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. 26Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: 27But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith.
28So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel: 29And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession: 30But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. 31And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do. 32We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours. 33And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about.
34¶ And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, 35And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah,32.35 Jaazer: also called, Jazer 36And Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fenced cities: and folds for sheep.32.36 Beth-nimrah: also called, Nimrah 37And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim, 38And Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded.32.38 gave…: Heb. they called by names the names of the cities 39And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it. 40And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein. 41And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havoth-jair. 42And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
約旦河東的支派
1呂便和迦得的子孫有許多牲畜，他們見雅謝和基列適於放牧， 2就來見摩西、以利亞撒祭司和會眾的首領，說： 3「亞大錄、底本、雅謝、寧拉、希實本、以利亞利、示班、尼波和比穩—— 4這些耶和華為以色列會眾攻取的地方適於放牧，而僕人們有許多牲畜。 5如果你們恩待我們，請將這些地方賜給我們作產業，別讓我們過約旦河了。」
6摩西對他們說：「難道你們要坐在這裡，讓其他同胞去打仗嗎？ 7你們為何使以色列人軍心動搖，不敢進入耶和華所賜之地？ 8從前我在加低斯·巴尼亞派你們的祖先去打探那地方的時候，他們就是這樣。 9他們到以實各谷打探那地方，回來後竟動搖軍心，使以色列人不敢進入耶和華所賜之地。 10那天耶和華發怒，起誓說， 11『從埃及出來、二十歲以上的人都看不到我起誓要賜給亞伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的土地，因為他們沒有全心全意地跟從我； 12只有基尼洗族耶孚尼的兒子迦勒和嫩的兒子約書亞可以看到，因為他們全心全意地跟從我。』 13耶和華向以色列人發怒，使他們在曠野漂泊了四十年，直到在耶和華面前作惡的那一代都死了。
14「現在，你們這群罪人的後代竟然重蹈前人的覆轍，加劇耶和華的怒氣。 15如果你們離棄祂，祂必再次把以色列人丟棄在曠野，這樣你們就毀了整個民族。」
16他們上前對摩西說：「我們要在這裡為牲畜建圍欄，為家眷築城邑， 17讓他們留在堅固的城內，免受當地居民的威脅。然後我們必拿起兵器率先上陣，直到幫其他以色列同胞奪取他們的土地。 18在其他同胞佔領各自的產業之前，我們決不回家。 19但我們不會跟他們在約旦河西岸分土地，我們只想要約旦河東岸之地作產業。」 20摩西說：「如果你們信守承諾，拿起兵器在耶和華面前出戰， 21你們全軍就要在耶和華面前渡過約旦河，直到祂趕走祂面前的仇敵， 22征服那地方。之後，你們才可以回家，才算在耶和華和以色列人面前盡了自己的責任，這地方就在耶和華面前歸給你們作產業。 23但如果你們不守承諾，就是得罪耶和華，必難逃懲罰。 24你們現在去為家人築城邑，為牛羊建圍欄吧，但別忘了信守承諾。」 25迦得和呂便的子孫對摩西說：「僕人們一定遵命而行。 26我們的妻子、孩子、牛羊等牲畜都會留在基列的各城。 27僕人當中所有能上陣打仗的人都會照你的吩咐在耶和華面前過河作戰。」
28於是，摩西對以利亞撒祭司、嫩的兒子約書亞和以色列各支派的族長說： 29「如果迦得和呂便子孫中所有能上陣打仗的人，在耶和華面前跟你們一同過河作戰，你們征服那片土地以後就要把基列給他們作產業。 30如果他們不帶著兵器跟你們一起過河作戰，就只能在迦南與你們同分產業。」 31迦得和呂便的子孫再次說：「凡耶和華所吩咐的，僕人們一定照辦。 32我們一定帶著兵器在耶和華面前過河，前往迦南，但我們要擁有約旦河東之地作產業。」
33摩西就把亞摩利王西宏和巴珊王噩的國土及周圍的城邑都給了迦得的子孫、呂便的子孫和約瑟兒子瑪拿西的半個支派。 34迦得的子孫重建了底本、亞他錄、亞羅珥、 35亞他錄·朔反、雅謝、約比哈、 36伯·寧拉和伯·哈蘭，使之成為堅固的城池，並建了羊圈。 37呂便的子孫重建了希實本、以利亞利、基列亭、 38尼波、巴力·免和西比瑪。他們為重建的城邑起了新名字，如尼波和巴力·免。 39瑪拿西之子瑪吉的子孫佔領了基列，趕走了那裡的亞摩利人。 40摩西就把基列賜給瑪拿西的兒子瑪吉，作他的居所。 41瑪拿西的子孫雅珥佔領了基列的村莊，將它們改名為哈倭特·雅珥。 42挪巴佔領了基納及其周圍的村莊，就按自己的名字稱基納為挪巴。
