1 NOW THE sons of Reuben and of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle, and they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead [on the east side of the Jordan], and behold, the place was suitable for cattle. 2 So the sons of Gad and of Reuben came and said to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, 3 [The country around] Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 The land the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and your servants have cattle. 5 And they said, If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.
6 And Moses said to the sons of Gad and of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? 7 Why do you discourage the hearts of the Israelites from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? 8 Thus your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land! 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the hearts of the Israelites from going into the land the Lord had given them. 10 And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day and He swore, saying, 11 Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me-- 12 Except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord. 13 And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was consumed. 14 And behold, you are risen up in your fathers' stead, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. 15 For if you turn from following Him, He will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.
16 But they came near to him and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our flocks and walled settlements for our little ones. 17 But we will be armed and ready to go before the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones shall dwell in the fortified settlements because of the people of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until the Israelites have inherited every man his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the [west] side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward. 20 Moses replied, If you will do as you say, going armed before the Lord to war, 21 And every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies before Him 22 And the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you shall return and be guiltless [in this matter] before the Lord and before Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. 24 Build settlements for your little ones, and folds for your sheep, and do that of which you have spoken. 25 And the sons of Gad and of Reuben said to Moses, Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle shall be there in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord says.
28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them, If the sons of Gad and Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man armed to battle before the Lord, and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30 But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. 31 The sons of Gad and Reuben answered, As the Lord has said to your servants, so will we do. 32 We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side of the Jordan may be ours.
33 Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad and of Reuben and to half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan--the land with its cities and their territories, even the cities round about the country. 34 And the sons of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37 And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, and Baal-meon--their names were to be changed--and Shibmah; and they gave other names to the cities they built. 39 And the sons of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 And Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. 41 Jair son of Manasseh took their villages and called them Havvoth-jair. 42 And Nobah took Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah after his own name.