The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

⭑ Douay-Rheims :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 32 -

(Deuteronomy 3:12–22; Joshua 13:8–14)

And the sons of Ruben and Gad had many flocks of cattle, and their substance in beasts was infinite. And when they saw the lands of Jazer and Galaad fit for feeding cattle,

They came to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the multitude, and said:

Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nemra, Hesebon, and Eleale, and Saban, and Nebo, and Beon,

The land, which the Lord hath conquered in the sight of the children of Israel, is a very fertile soil for the feeding of beasts: and we thy servants have very much cattle:

And we pray thee, if we have found favour in thy sight, that thou give it to us thy servants in possession, and make us not pass over the Jordan.

And Moses answered them: What, shall your brethren go to fight, and will you sit here?

Why do ye overturn the minds of the children of Israel, that they may not dare to pass into the place which the Lord hath given them?

Was it not thus your fathers did, when I sent from Cadesbarne to view the land?

And when they were come as far as the valley of the cluster, having viewed all the country, they overturned the hearts of the children of Israel, that they should not enter into the coasts, which the Lord gave them.

And he swore in his anger, saying:

If these men, that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land, which I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: because they would not follow me,

Except Caleb the son of Jephone the Cenezite, and Josue the son of Nun: these have fulfilled my will.

And the Lord being angry against Israel, led them about through the desert forty years, until the whole generation, that had done evil in his sight, was consumed.

And behold, said he, you are risen up instead of your fathers, the increase and offspring of sinful men, to augment the fury of the Lord against Israel.

For if you will not follow him, he will leave the people in the wilderness, and you shall be the cause of the destruction of all.

But they coming near, said: We will make sheepfolds, and stalls for our cattle, and strong cities for our children:

And we ourselves will go armed and ready for battle before the children of Israel, until we bring them in unto their places. Our little ones, and all we have, shall be in walled cities, for fear of the ambushes of the inhabitants.

We will not return into our houses until the children of Israel possess their inheritance:

Neither will we seek any thing beyond the Jordan, because we have already our possession on the east side thereof,

And Moses said to them: If you do what you promise, go on well appointed for war before the Lord:

And let every fighting man pass over the Jordan, until the Lord overthrow his enemies:

And all the land be brought under him, then shall you be blameless before the Lord and before Israel, and you shall obtain the countries that you desire, before the Lord.

But if you do not what you say, no man can doubt but you sin against God: and know ye, that your sin shall overtake you.

Build therefore cities for your children, and folds and stalls for your sheep and beasts, and accomplish what you have promised.

And the children of Gad and Ruben said to Moses: We are thy servants, we will do what my lord commandeth.

We will leave our children, and our wives and sheep and cattle, in the cities of Galaad:

And we thy servants all well appointed will march on to the war, as thou, my lord, speakest.

Moses therefore commanded Eleazar the priest, and Josue the son of Nun, and the princes of the families of all the tribes of Israel, and said to them:

If the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben pass with you over the Jordan, all armed for war before the Lord, and the land be made subject to you: give them Galaad in possession.

But if they will not pass armed with you into the land of Chanaan, let them receive places to dwell in among you.

And the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben answered: As the Lord hath spoken to his servants, so will we do:

We will go armed before the Lord into the land of Chanaan, and we confess that we have already received our possession beyond the Jordan.

Moses therefore gave to the children of Cad and of Ruben, and to the half tribe of Manasses the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sehon king of the Amorrhites, and the kingdom of Og king of Basan, and their land and the cities thereof round about.

And the sons of Cad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

And Etroth, and Sophan, and Jazer, and Jegbaa,

And Bethnemra, and Betharan, fenced cities, and folds for their cattle.

But the children of Ruben built Hesebon, and Eleale, and Cariathaim,

And Nabo, and Baalmeon (their names being changed) and Sabama: giving names to the cities which they had built.

Moreover the children of Machir, the son of Manasses, went into Galaad, and wasted it, cutting off the Amorrhites, the inhabitants thereof.

And Moses gave the land of Galaad to Machir the son of Manasses, and he dwelt in it.

And Jair the son of Manasses went, and took the villages thereof, and he called them Havoth Jair, that is to say, the villages of Jair.

Nobe also went, and took Canath with the villages thereof: and he called it by his own name, Nobe.

(Deuteronomy 3:12–22; Joshua 13:8–14)

Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock. They saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead. Behold, the place was a place for livestock.

Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,

“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,

the land which The LORD struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock; and your servants have livestock.”

They said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Don’t bring us over the Jordan.”

Moses said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?

Why do you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them?

Your fathers did so when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.

The LORD’s anger burned in that day, and he swore, saying,

‘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,

except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have followed the LORD completely.’

The LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and he made them wander back and forth in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation who had done evil in the LORD’s sight was consumed.

“Behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, an increase of sinful men, to increase the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.

For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all these people.”

They came near to him, and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones;

but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

We will not return to our houses until the children of Israel have all received their inheritance.

For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.”

Moses said to them: “If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before the LORD to the war,

and every one of your armed men will pass over the Jordan before the LORD until he has driven out his enemies from before him,

and the land is subdued before the LORD; then afterward you shall return, and be clear of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. Then this land shall be your possession before the LORD.

“But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.

Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth.”

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do as my lord commands.

Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock shall be there in the cities of Gilead;

but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord says.”

So Moses commanded concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ households of the tribes of the children of Israel.

Moses said to them, “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession;

but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, “As the LORD has said to your servants, so will we do.

We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”

Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan; the land, according to its cities and borders, even the cities of the surrounding land.

The children of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified cities and folds for sheep.

The children of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

Nebo, and Baal Meon, (their names being changed), and Sibmah. They gave other names to the cities which they built.

The children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were therein.

Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh; and he lived therein.

Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its villages, and called them Havvoth Jair.

Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.