Reuben and Gad Ask for Gilead
1 Now the tribe of Reuben and the tribe of Gad had an enormous number of livestock, and they saw that the land of Jazer and Gilead was a good place for cattle. 2 So the families of Gad and Reuben went to speak with Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land which the Lord conquered for the Israelites, is well suited for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 They said, “If we have found favor in your sight, grant this land to your servants for our possession and do not bring us over the Jordan.”
Moses Gets Mad
6 Moses answered the Gad and Reuben families, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here in safety? 7 Why are you discouraging the hearts of the Israelites from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? 8 Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to survey the land. 9 For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites so that they did not have the heart to take the land which the Lord was giving them.
10 The Lord’s anger was inflamed that day, and he swore to them, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and up, will see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, 12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have followed the Lord completely.’
13 The Lord’s anger fumed against Israel, and he sent them wandering back and forth in the wilderness for 40 years, until the entire generation who had sinned in the sight of the Lord had passed away. 14 “And now you have risen up in your fathers’ place, more sinful than the ones before you, to further incite the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel. 15 For if you turn away from following him, he will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will be responsible for the destruction of all these people.”
Reuben and Gad Explain
16 They approached Moses again to explain, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our families, 17 but our men will be ready and armed to advance with the Israelites, until we have brought them to their land. Our families will remain in the fortified cities, safe from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until all of the Israelites have received their inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit land with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”
20 Moses said to them, “If you will do this: if you will arm yourselves to go before the Lord to fight, 21 and every one of your armed men will cross the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven out his enemies from before him, 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord; then afterward you shall return, and be clear of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, then this land shall be your possession before the Lord.
23 But if you will not do as you have said, then you have sinned against the Lord, and you can be sure, your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your families, and pens for your sheep, and fulfill every word you have promised.”
25 The Gadites and the Reubenites answered Moses, “Your servants will do as our master commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock shall be there in the cities of Gilead, 27 but your servants will cross over, every man who is armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as our master has said.”
28 So Moses gave the orders concerning this land grant, to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to each head of household within the Israelite community: 29 “If the Gadites and the Reubenites will cross with you over the Jordan, with all of their men armed for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall grant them this land of Gilead for their possession, 30 but if they will not cross over with you armed for battle, then their share in the land shall be among the Israelites in the land of Canaan.”
31 The Gadites and the Reubenites responded, “As the Lord has spoken to your servants, so will we do. 32 We will cross over, armed before the Lord, into the land of Canaan, and the land we will inherit shall be on the other side of the Jordan.”
Reuben and Gad Get Gilead
33 Moses granted the land to them–to the Gadites and Reubenites, and also to the half-tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph–the territory of Sihon, King of the Amorites and the territory of Og, King of Bashan, all of their cities and the land surrounding them.
34 The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran, and they fortified the cities and built pens for the sheep.
37 The Reubenites built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, and Baal Meon, (their names were changed), and Sibmah. They also gave other names to the reconstructed cities.
39 The family of Machir, of Manasseh, went to the land of Gilead, overtook it and dispossessed the Amorites who had lived there. 40 Moses gave Gilead to the Machir family, of Manasseh, and they lived there. 41 Jair, also a descendant of Manasseh, went out and took over villages and called them Havvoth Jair. 42 Nobah went out and took over Kenath and its surrounding villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.