1. Joshua called the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh to a meeting, and he told them:
4. The Lord promised to give peace to your relatives, and that's what he has done. Now it's time for you to go back to your own homes in the land that Moses gave you east of the River Jordan.
5. Moses taught you to love the Lord your God, to be faithful to him, and to worship and obey him with your whole heart and with all your strength. So be very careful to do everything Moses commanded.
10-11. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh reached the western side of the Jordan Valley and built a huge altar there beside the river.When the rest of the Israelites heard what these tribes had done,
12. the Israelite men met at Shiloh to get ready to attack the two and a half tribes.
13. But first they sent a priest, Phinehas the son of Eleazar, to talk with the two and a half tribes.
14. Each of the tribes at Shiloh sent the leader of one of its families along with Phinehas.
15. Phinehas and these leaders went to Gilead and met with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. They said:
16. All the Lord's people have gathered together and have sent us to find out why you are unfaithful to our God. You have turned your backs on the Lord by building that altar. Why are you rebelling against him?
17. Wasn't our people's sin at Peor terrible enough for you? The Lord punished us by sending a horrible sickness that killed many of us, and we still suffer because of that sin.