Joshua
Joshua 22
King James Version · tap any highlighted word for context
Joshua 22 — Scripture text (King James Version)
Then called the , and the , and the half tribe of , And said unto them, Ye have kept all that the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you: Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which the servant of the LORD gave you the other side . But take diligent heed to do the commandment and , which the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. So blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents. Now to the one half of the tribe of had given possession in : but unto the other half thereof gave among their brethren this side westward. And when sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them, And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. And the children of and the children of and the half tribe of returned, and departed from the children of out of , which is in the , to go unto the country of , to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to of the LORD by the hand of . And when they came unto the borders of , that are in the , the children of and the children of and the half tribe of built there an altar by , a great altar to see to. And the children of heard say, Behold, the children of and the children of and the half tribe of have built an altar over against the , in the borders of , at the passage of the children of . And when the children of heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of gathered themselves together at , to go up to war against them. And the children of sent unto the children of , and to the children of , and to the half tribe of , into the land of , the son of the priest, And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of ; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of . And they came unto the children of , and to the children of , and to the half tribe of , unto the land of , and they spake with them, saying, Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of , to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the LORD? Is the iniquity of too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD, But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of . Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD’S dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God. Did not the son of commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell all the congregation of ? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity. Then the children of and the children of and the half tribe of answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of , The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,) That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it; And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of ? For the LORD hath made a border between us and you, ye children of and children of ; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD. Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for , nor for sacrifice: But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD. Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you. God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his . And when the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of which were with him, heard the words that the children of and the children of and the children of spake, it pleased them. And the son of the priest said unto the children of , and to the children of , and to the children of , This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of out of the hand of the LORD. And the son of the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of , and from the children of , out of the land of , unto the , to the children of , and brought them word again. And the thing pleased the children of ; and the children of blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of and dwelt. And the children of and the children of called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.