The Eastern Tribes Return Home
1Joshua sent for the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. 2He said to them, “You have done everything that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded. You have also obeyed everything I commanded. 3For a long time now you haven’t deserted the other Israelites. Instead, you have done what the Lord your God sent you to do. You have obeyed him right up to this day. 4Now the Lord your God has given the other tribes peace and rest. That’s what he promised to do. So return to your homes. They are in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you. It’s on the east side of the Jordan River. 5Be very careful to obey the law that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you. He commanded you to love the Lord your God. He told you to live exactly as the Lord wants you to. He told you to obey the Lord’s commands. He told you to remain faithful to the Lord. And he told you to serve the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul.”
6Joshua gave the eastern tribes his blessing. Then he sent them home. So they went. 7Moses had given land in Bashan to half of the tribe of Manasseh. Joshua had given land to the other half of the tribe. He had given it to them along with the other tribes on the west side of the Jordan River. When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them. 8He said, “Return to your homes. Take your great wealth with you. Return with your large herds of livestock. Take your silver, gold, bronze and iron with you. Return with all the extra clothes you acquired. Divide up the things you have taken from your enemies. Share them with your people.”
9So the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh went home. They left the other Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan. They returned to Gilead. That was their own land. They had acquired it according to the Lord’s command through Moses.
10The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh came to Geliloth. It was near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. They built a large altar there by the Jordan. 11The rest of the Israelites heard that the eastern tribes had built the altar. They heard that it had been built on the border of Canaan at Geliloth. It was near the Jordan River on the west side. 12So the whole community of Israel gathered together at Shiloh. They decided to go to war against the eastern tribes.
13The Israelites sent Phinehas the priest to the land of Gilead. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. They sent him to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. 14They sent ten of their leaders with him. There was one from each of the tribes of Israel. Each man was the leader of a family group among the larger family groups of Israel.
15Those leaders went to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Those tribes were in the land of Gilead. The leaders said to them, 16“We’re speaking for the Lord’s whole community. How could you disobey the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord? How could you disobey him by building an altar for yourselves? 17Don’t you remember how we sinned at Peor? The Lord struck us with a plague because of what we did. Up to this day we’re still suffering because of that sin. 18Are you turning away from the Lord now?
“Suppose you disobey the Lord today. If you do, he’ll be angry with the whole community of Israel tomorrow. 19If your own land is ‘unclean,’ come over to the Lord’s land. It’s where his holy tent stands. Share our land with us. But don’t disobey the Lord. Don’t turn against us by building an altar for yourselves. Don’t build any altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20Remember what happened to Achan, the son of Zerah. Achan wasn’t faithful to the Lord. He took the things that had been set apart to the Lord in a special way to be destroyed. Didn’t the whole community of Israel experience the Lord’s anger? Achan wasn’t the only one who died because of his sin.”
21Then the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh replied. They answered the leaders of the family groups of Israel. 22They said, “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And we want Israel to know! Have we opposed the Lord? Have we refused to obey him? If we have, don’t spare us today. 23Have we built our own altar so we can turn away from the Lord? Have we built it to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it? Have we built it to sacrifice friendship offerings on it? If we have, may the Lord himself hold us accountable.
24“No! We built it because we were afraid. Someday your children might speak to our children. We were afraid they might say, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord? What do you have to do with the God of Israel? 25The Lord has made the Jordan River a border between us and you. You people of Reuben! You people of Gad! You don’t have anything to do with the Lord.’ If your children say that, they might cause our children to stop worshiping the Lord.
26“That’s why we said to ourselves, ‘Let’s get ready and build an altar. But let’s not build it to offer burnt offerings or sacrifices on it.’ 27So just the opposite is true. The altar will be a witness between us and you. It will be a witness between our children and yours after us. It will also be a witness that we will worship the Lord at his sacred tent. We’ll worship him there with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and friendship offerings. Then in days to come your children won’t be able to say to ours, ‘You don’t have anything to do with the Lord.’
28“So we said to ourselves, ‘Suppose they say that to us sometime. Or suppose they say it to our children after us. Then we’ll answer, “Look at this altar. It’s exactly like the Lord’s altar. Our people built it. They didn’t build it to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices on it. Instead, they built it to be a witness between us and you.” ’
29“We would never refuse to obey the Lord. We would never turn away from him now. We wouldn’t build an altar to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices on it. We wouldn’t use any altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. That altar stands in front of his holy tent.”
30Phinehas the priest heard what the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say. The leaders of the family groups of the community of Israel heard it too. All of them were pleased with what they heard. 31Phinehas the priest spoke to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. He said, “Today we know that the Lord is with us. That’s because you have been faithful to him in this matter. Now you have saved the Israelites from the Lord’s anger against them.”
32Then Phinehas the priest, the son of Eleazar, returned to Canaan. So did the leaders. All of them went back from their meeting with the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead. They brought a report back to the Israelites. 33The people were glad to hear the report. They praised God. They didn’t talk anymore about going to war against the eastern tribes. And they didn’t talk anymore about destroying the country where the tribes of Reuben and Gad lived.
34The tribes of Reuben and Gad gave the altar a name. They called it A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God.
1Awo Yoswa n’ayita Abalewubeeni n’Abagaadi n’ekitundu eky’ekika kya Manase, 222:2 Kbl 32:25n’abagamba nti, “Mwekuumye ne mukola byonna Musa omuweereza wa Mukama Katonda bye yabalagira. 3Ebbanga lyonna n’okutuusa leero temulekeredde baganda bammwe, mubadde beegendereza okukuuma ekiragiro kya Mukama Katonda wammwe. 422:4 a Kbl 32:22; Ma 3:20 b Kbl 32:18; Yos 1:13-15Era kaakano Mukama Katonda wammwe awadde baganda bammwe emirembe nga bwe yabasuubiza. Noolwekyo muddeeyo mu maka gammwe mu nsi Musa omuweereza wa Mukama gye yabawa ku luuyi luli olulala olwa Yoludaani. 522:5 a Is 43:22 b Ma 5:29 c Ma 6:6, 17Wabula mwegendereze okukuumanga ebiragiro era n’amateeka Musa omuweereza wa Mukama bye yabalagira: okwagalanga Mukama Katonda wammwe, okutambuliranga mu makubo ge gonna, okukuumanga ebiragiro bye, n’okumunywererangako era n’okumuweerezanga n’omutima gwammwe gwonna era n’emmeeme yammwe yonna.” 622:6 Kuv 39:43Yoswa n’alyoka abasabira omukisa n’abasiibula ne baddayo mu maka gaabwe.
Ekyoto ku Yoludaani
722:7 a Kbl 32:33; Yos 12:5 b Yos 17:2, 5Ekitundu ekimu eky’ekika kya Manase, Musa yali akigabidde ettaka mu Basani, n’ekitundu ekirala eky’ekika kya Manase ne baganda baabwe, Yoswa n’akiwa ettaka ku luuyi olw’ebugwanjuba bwa Yoludaani. Yoswa n’abawa omukisa n’abasiibula baddeyo ewaabwe. 822:8 a Ma 20:14 b Kbl 31:27 c Lub 49:27; 1Sa 30:16; Is 9:3N’abagamba nti, “Ente nnyingi, ne ffeeza, ne zaabu, n’ekikomo, n’ekyuma, era n’engoye nnyingi bye munyaze ku balabe bammwe; mubigabaane ne baganda bammwe.”
922:9 Kbl 32:26, 29Awo Abalewubeeni n’abaana ba Gaadi n’ekitundu eky’ekika kya Manase nga bava mu baana ba Isirayiri mu Siiro ekiri mu nsi ya Kanani ne baddayo mu nsi yaabwe, mu Gireyaadi, gye baali bagabanye bo bennyini ng’ekiragiro kya Mukama Katonda bwe kyali okuyita mu Musa. 10Era bwe baatuuka mu kitundu ekiriraanye Yoludaani mu nsi ya Kanani, abaana ba Lewubeeni n’abaana ba Gaadi n’ekitundu eky’ekika kya Manase, ne bazimba awo ekyoto, ekinene ddala. 11Wabula abantu ba Isirayiri bwe baawulira nti bazimbye ekyoto ku Yoludaani ku luuyi lwa Isirayiri, 1222:12 Yos 18:1ekibiina kyonna ekya Isirayiri ne bakuŋŋaana e Siiro beetegekere olutalo babalumbe.
1322:13 a Kbl 25:7 b Kbl 3:32; Yos 24:33Awo abaana ba Isirayiri ne batuma Finekaasi omwana wa Eriyazaali kabona eri Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi, n’ekitundu ky’ekika kya Manase mu nsi ya Gireyaadi. 1422:14 Kbl 1:4Ne batumirako abakungu kkumi, omu omu omukulu w’ennyumba mu buli kika kya Isirayiri.
15Bwe bajja eri Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi, n’ekibiina kyonna ekya Manase mu nsi ya Gireyaadi ne babagamba nti, 1622:16 a Ma 13:14 b Ma 12:13-14“Ekibiina kyonna ekya Mukama bwe kiti bwe kigamba, ‘Muyinza mutya okukyama bwe muti okuva ku Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri? Muyinza mutya okuva ku Mukama ne mwezimbira ekyoto ne mumujeemera awo? 1722:17 Kbl 25:1-9Ekibi kya Peoli tekyatumala, ate nga n’okwerongoosa tubadde tetunnaba kwerongoosa kwemalako kibi ekyo, wadde kawumpuli yagwa ku kibiina kya Mukama Katonda, 1822:18 Lv 10:6; Kbl 16:22ate mmwe ne mulekeraawo okugoberera Mukama Katonda? Bwe munaajeemera Mukama leero, enkya ajja kunyiigira eggwanga lyonna erya Isirayiri. 19Obanga ensi gye mututte sinnongoofu, mujje eno eri ensi ya Mukama, weema ya Mukama gy’eri, tugabane eno gye tuli; kye mutasaana kukola kwe kujeemera Mukama, oba okutufuula ffe abajeemu nga mwezimbira ekyoto ekitali kya Mukama Katonda waffe. 2022:20 a Yos 7:1 b Zab 7:11 c Yos 7:5Akani mutabani wa Zeera teyajeema bwe yatoola ku bintu Mukama bye yali yeerobozza, ekiruyi kya Mukama ne kijjira ekibiina kyonna ekya Isirayiri? Si ye yekka eyazikirira olw’ekibi kye.’ ”
21Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi, n’ekitundu ky’ekika kya Manase ne balyoka baddamu abakulu b’ebika bya Isirayiri nti, 2222:22 a Ma 10:17 b Zab 50:1 c 1Bk 8:39; Yob 10:7; Zab 44:21; Yer 17:10“Mukama Katonda ow’Amaanyi, Mukama ow’Amaanyi! Ye amanyi, era Isirayiri akimanye! Bwe kiba nga kyabadde mu kwediima oba kujeemera Mukama, temutusonyiwa leero. 2322:23 a Yer 41:5 b Ma 12:11; 18:19; 1Sa 20:16Bwe tuba nga ekyatuzimbya ekyoto kwe kuva ku Mukama, tukiweereko ekiweebwayo ekyokebwa oba ekiweebwayo ekyobutta oba ssaddaaka ez’ebiweebwayo olw’emirembe, Mukama Katonda yennyini atuvunaane. 24Nedda, twakikola mu kutya nti mu mirembe egijja abaana baffe balitubuuza nti, ‘Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri mumumanyiiko ki? 25Kubanga Mukama yakola Yoludaani okubeera ensalo wakati wammwe naffe mmwe Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi, temulina mugabo eri Mukama Katonda.’ Noolwekyo abaana bammwe bayinza okugaana abaana baffe okusinza Mukama Katonda.
26“Kyetwava tugamba nti, ‘Leka tuzimbe kaakano ekyoto ekitali kya kukozesa ku biweebwayo ebyokebwa, wadde ssaddaaka,’ 2722:27 a Lub 21:30; Yos 24:27 b Ma 12:6naye kibeere akabonero ak’obujulizi wakati waffe nammwe, era ne wakati we mirembe egirituddirira nti tugenda mu maaso ga Mukama Katonda ne tumusinza n’ebiweebwayo byaffe ebyokebwa ne ssaddaaka era n’ebiweebwayo olw’emirembe si kulwa nga abaana bammwe bagamba abaana baffe mu biseera ebijja nti, ‘Temulina mugabo gwonna eri Mukama Katonda.’ 28Kyetwava tugamba nti, ‘Bwe balitugamba batyo oba okugamba abaana baffe abaliddawo, tulibaddamu nti, “Mulabe ekifaananyi kye kyoto kya Mukama Katonda, bakitaffe kye baakola, si lwa biweebwayo ebyokebwa wadde ssaddaaka, naye okubeera omujulirwa wakati waffe nammwe.” ’ 2922:29 a Yos 24:16 b Ma 12:13-14Kikafuuwe ffe okujeemera Mukama era n’okumuvaako leero ne tutamugoberera nga tuzimba ekyoto eky’ebiweebwayo ebyokebwa, oba ebiweebwayo eby’empeke, oba ssaddaaka, ekitali kyoto kya Mukama Katonda waffe ekiri mu maaso ga Ssanduuko y’Endagaano ye!”
Ekyoto Kikkirizibwa
30Finekaasi kabona, n’abakulu b’ebibiina by’ebika bya Isirayiri abaali naye bwe baawulira ebigambo Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi n’aba Manase bye bayogera, ne bibasanyusa nnyo. 3122:31 Lv 26:11-12; 2By 15:2Finekaasi mutabani wa Eriyazaali kabona n’agamba Abalewubeeni n’Abagaadi n’abaana ba Manase nti, “Leero tutegedde nti Mukama ali wakati mu ffe, kubanga temukoze kivve kino eri Mukama Katonda, kaakano abantu ba Isirayiri mubawonyezza omukono gwa Mukama Katonda.” 32Awo Finekaasi mutabani wa Eriyazaali kabona, n’abakulu b’ebika ne bava eri Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi mu nsi ye Kanani, ne baddayo eri abantu ba Isirayiri ne bababuulira ebibaddeyo. 3322:33 1By 29:20; Dan 2:19; Luk 2:28Bye baayogera ne bisanyusa abantu ba Isirayiri ne bagulumiza Katonda ne bataddayo kwogera ku bya lutalo kubalumba, bazikirize ensi Abalewubeeni, n’Abagaadi gye baali basenze.
3422:34 Lub 21:30Abalewubeeni n’Abagaadi ne batuuma ekyoto erinnya Mujulizi, ne bagamba nti, “Kubanga mujulizi eri ffe nti Mukama ye Katonda.”
