1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the halftribe of Manasseh
2 and said to them,
3 "You have observed all that Moses, the servant of Yahweh ordered you, and you have obeyed me constantly. You have never deserted your brothers over this long period of time; at every point you have obeyed the orders of Yahweh your God.
4 Now that Yahweh your God has granted your brothers the rest he promised them, go back to your tents, to the land given into your possession by Moses the servant of Yahweh, beyond the Jordan.
5 But take care above all to keep the commandments of the Law which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you: love Yahweh your God, follow his paths always, keep his commandments, be faithful to him and serve him with all your heart and all your soul."
6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away; they went home to their tents.
7 Moses had given territory in Bashan to one half of the tribe of Manasseh; because of this Joshua gave land to the other half of Manasseh among their brothers on the west bank of the Jordan. As Joshua sent them home to their tents he blessed them
8 and said to them, "You are going back to your tents with great wealth, with cattle in plenty, with silver and gold, bronze and iron and great quantities of clothing; these are the spoils of your enemies that you shared with your brothers."
9 The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh went home again; they left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, and made their way back to the land of Gilead, the territory which belonged to them and where they had settled in accordance with the order of Yahweh given through Moses.
10 When they came to the circles of stones at the Jordan which are in Canaanite territory, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there beside the Jordan, an imposing altar of great size.
11 The Israelites were told, "The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built this altar facing the land of Canaan near the circles of stones at the Jordan, beyond the territory of the Israelites."
12 At this news the children of Israel summoned the whole community at Shiloh, ready to make war on them.
13 The Israelites sent the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead,
14 and with him ten leading men, one leader from each tribe in Israel; every one of them was head of his family among the clans of Israel.
15 When they came to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, they said to them:
16 "The whole community of Yahweh asks you: What do you mean by this treachery committed against the God of Israel? Why turn aside from Yahweh today, building yourselves an altar? You are sinning against Yahweh himself.
17 Was the sin at Peor not enough, the sin from which we are not cleansed even now, in spite of the plague that ravaged the whole community of Yahweh?
18 You have stopped following Yahweh today, and you have set yourselves in revolt against him today. Tomorrow his anger will be roused against the whole community of Israel.
19 Do you think your land is unclean? Then cross over into the territory of Yahweh, where his Holy Tent is and come to live among us. But do not rebel against Yahweh or set yourselves apart by building an altar to vie with the altar of Yahweh our God.
20 When Achan, son of Zerah betrayed his trust in the matter of the anathema, did not Yahweh vent his anger on the whole community of Israel, although he was only one man? Did he not have to die for his sin?"
21 The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the clans of Israel:
22 "Yahweh is the God of gods! Yahweh well knows, and let Israel know it too: Let Yahweh punish us immediately if there has been defiance or treachery on our part against Yahweh.
23 Let Yahweh punish us if we have built an altar to turn away from Yahweh and offer holocaust and oblation and communion sacrifice on it.
24 We made it to prevent what might happen one day when your children say to ours: 'What link have you with Yahweh the God of Israel?
25 Has not Yahweh set the boundary of the Jordan between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad? You have no share in Yahweh.' Thus your children might make us turn aside from Yahweh.
26 So we said to each other, 'Let us build this altar, not for holocausts or other sacrifices
27 but as a witness between us and you and among our descendants after us. It will prove that we, too, worship Yahweh with our holocausts, our victims and our communion sacrifices in his presence. So that your children will never be able to say to ours: You have no share in Yahweh.
28 For, in this case, we should say to them: Look at this structure, Yahweh's altar made by our ancestors not for holocausts or other sacrifices but as a witness between us and you.'
29 We have no intention of defying Yahweh or turning away from him today. We are not building an altar for holocaust or oblations or sacrifices to compete with the altar of Yahweh our God that stands before his tabernacle!"
30 When Phinehas the priest, and the leaders of the community who were with him, heard the answer of the sons of Gad and of Reuben and of Manasseh, they approved of them.
31 Then the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar said to the sons of Reuben and sons of Gad and sons of Manasseh, "Now we clearly see that Yahweh is among us, because you have not sinned against him; you have saved the children of Israel from the punishment of Yahweh."
32 The priest Phinehas son of Eleazar and the leaders left the Reubenites and the Gadites and returned from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, and they brought back this answer to the Israelites.
33 The Israelites were pleased to hear this; they gave thanks to God and spoke no more of making war and ravaging the country where the sons of Reuben and of Gad had settled.
34 The Reubenites and the Gadites named the altar: 'Witness', "Because," they said, "it will be a witness between us that Yahweh is God."
Versículos relacionados com Joshua, 22:
Joshua chapter 22 narrates the return of the two and a half tribes, who had been authorized to set themselves across the Jordan River to their lands of origin in Israel. Before returning, they decided to build an altar as a memorial of testimony of their relationship with the Lord. This generated a great conflict between the Western tribes of Israel, who feared that the altar was used to offer sacrifices that were not allowed by the Lord. Following are five verses related to the theme of the selected chapters of other books of the Bible:
Exodus 20:24-26: "Make an altar of earth to me, and sacrifice your burnt offering and communion offerings, your sheep and oxen. Everywhere where I remember my name, I will turn to you and bless you . And if they make a stone altar for me, don't work with tools, because if you use an iron on it, you will be unlusted it. " This verse talks about how God instructed Israelites to build altars and offer sacrifices to Him, but also provides specific details about how these altars should be built.
Leviticus 17:8-9: "Tell them: Any Israelite or foreigner who living among them and offering burnt offering or other sacrifices, but does not bring them to the entrance of the meeting to worship the Lord, will be eliminated from the midst of his people . " This verse provides an important law on where sacrifices should be offered and highlights the importance of following the correct procedures to please the Lord.
Numbers 32:20-22: "They answered Moses: If we will give our pasture here in this region. But Moses said unto them, If they do, when everyone leaves for war, you will be here, alone. Why do you want to make the Israelites lose the courage to cross the Jordan and enter the earth that the Lord, our God, giving them? " This verse talks about the importance of the tribes remaining together and supporting each other in conquering the promised land.
Joshua 1:18: "Everywhere the sole of your foot stepping on, I gave you, as I promised Moses." This verse talks about God's promise to give all the earth that the Israelites stepped to them. He highlights the importance of maintaining this promise and gaining all the lands that were promised to them.
Proverbs 17:14: "The beginning of the discussion is like the opening of a dam; so, before the fight begins, stop it." This verse talks about the importance of avoiding unnecessary conflicts and resolving disputes peacefully. It can be applied to the conflict between the tribes of Israel in Joshua 22.
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