5. Only be very careful to observe the commandment and law that Moses Yahweh’s servant commanded you, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
6. And Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.
7. And to the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua had given a possession with their kinsmen beyond the Jordan to the west; and when Joshua sent them to their tents and blessed them,
8. he said to them, “Return to your tents with much wealth, and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, copper, iron, and with very much clothing; divide the war-booty of your enemies with your kinsmen.”
9. So the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed with the Israelites at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead to the land of their possession, which they had acquired according to the command of Yahweh through the hand of Moses.
10. And they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, and the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar on the Jordan, a large and imposing altar.
11. And the Israelites heard it said that the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar next to the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the Israelites.
12. When the Israelites heard of it, the whole congregation of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh to go up against them for battle.
13. And the Israelites sent to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, Phinehas the priest son of Eleazar,
14. and ten leaders with him, one leader for each family from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one was the head of his family among the clans of Israel.
15. They came to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying,
16. “Thus says all the congregation of Yahweh: ‘What is this treachery that you have committed against the God of Israel by turning away today from following Yahweh, by building for yourselves an altar to rebel today against Yahweh?
17. Is not the sin of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves today, and for which a plague came to the congregation of Yahweh,
18. that you must turn today from following Yahweh? If you rebel today against Yahweh, tomorrow he will be angry with all of the congregation of Israel;
19. if, however, the land of your property is unclean, cross over to the land of Yahweh’s property, where Yahweh’s tabernacle resides, and take possession among us. But you must not rebel against Yahweh or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of Yahweh our God.
20. Did not Achan son of Zerah commit treachery with devoted things, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And he alone did not perish because of his iniquity.’ ”
21. And the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh spoke with the heads of the clans of Israel,
22. “Yahweh, God of gods! Yahweh, God of gods knows. And let Israel itself know, if it was in rebellion or treachery against Yahweh, do not spare us this day
23. for building for ourselves an altar to turn away from Yahweh, or if it was to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or fellowship offerings on it, may Yahweh himself take vengeance.
24. But in fact, we have done this because of anxiety, because of a reason, saying, ‘In the future your children may say to our children, ‘What is the relationship between you and Yahweh the God of Israel?