The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Kapitel 32 -

(Deuteronomy 3:12–22; Joshua 13:8–14)

Now the sons of Ruben and of Gad had many herds, and their substance in cattle was inestimable. And when they had seen that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for feeding animals,

they went to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the multitude, and they said:

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

the land, which the Lord has struck in the sight of the sons of Israel, is a very fertile region for pasturing animals. And we, your servants, have very many cattle.

And so we beseech you, if we have found favor before you, that you give it to us, your subjects, as a possession, and that you not cause us cross the Jordan.”

And Moses answered them: “Should your brothers go to battle, while you sit here?

Why do you subvert the minds of the sons of Israel, so that they might not dare to cross into the place which the Lord will give to them?

Did not your fathers act in the same way, when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land?

And when they had gone all the way to the Valley of the Cluster of Grapes, having viewed the entire region, they subverted the hearts of the sons of Israel, so that they would not enter into the parts that the Lord gave to them.

And being angry, the Lord swore an oath, saying:

‘These men, who ascended out of Egypt, from twenty years and above, will not see the land, which I have promised under an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For they were not willing to follow me,(a)

except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; these have fulfilled my will.’

And the Lord, being angry against Israel, led them in a course through the desert for forty years, until the entire generation, which had done evil in his sight, was consumed.

And behold,” he said, “you have risen up in the place of your fathers, the offshoots and the nurslings of sinful men, in order to augment the fury of the Lord against Israel.

But if you are not willing to follow him, he will leave the people behind in the wilderness, and you will have been the cause of all our deaths.”

But approaching closer, they said: “We will manufacture sheep pens and cattle stalls, as well as fortified cities, for our little ones.

But we ourselves will continue on, armed and girded for battle, before the sons of Israel, until we lead them to their places. Our little ones, and whatever we may be able to have, shall be in walled cities, because of the treachery of the inhabitants.

We will not return to our houses, even until the sons of Israel may possess their inheritance.

Neither will we seek anything across the Jordan, because we already have our possession on its eastern side.”

And Moses said to them: “If you accomplish what you have promised, you may go out, equipped for battle, before the Lord.

And let every fighting man cross over the Jordan, until the Lord overthrows his enemies,

and all the land is subjected to him. Then you will be guiltless with the Lord and with Israel, and you will obtain the regions which you desire before the Lord.

But if you do not do what you have said, no one could doubt that you will have sinned against God. And know this: your sin shall overtake you.

Therefore, build cities for your little ones, and pens and stables for your sheep and cattle; and fulfill what you have promised.”

And the sons of Gad and of Ruben said to Moses: “We are your servants, we shall do what you, our ruler, orders.

We will leave behind our little ones, and our wives, and the sheep and cattle, in the cities of Gilead.

And we, your servants, all well-equipped, will go forth to battle, just as you, our ruler, has spoken.”

Therefore, Moses instructed Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the princes of the families throughout the tribes of Israel, and he said to them:

“If the sons of Gad and the sons of Ruben cross over the Jordan with you, all armed for war before the Lord, and if the land becomes subject to you, give them Gilead as a possession.

But if they are not willing to cross with you, armed, into the land of Canaan, then let them receive places among you for their dwellings.”

And the sons of Gad and the sons of Ruben responded: “Just as the Lord has spoken to his servants, so shall we do.

We will go forth, armed, before the Lord into the land of Canaan; and we acknowledge that we have already received our possession across the Jordan.”

And so, Moses gave to the sons of Gad and of Ruben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, and their land with its surrounding cities.

Therefore, the sons of Gad built up Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

and Atroth and Shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,

and Beth-Nimrah, and Beth-Haran, as fortified cities with pens for their cattle.

Yet truly, the sons of Ruben built up Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,

and Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names having been changed) and Sibmah, appointing names for the cities which they had built.

Moreover, the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, continued on within Gilead, and they devastated it, putting to death its inhabitant, the Amorite.

Therefore, Moses gave the land of Gilead to Machir, the son of Manasseh, and he lived in it.

But Jair, the son of Manasseh, went out and occupied its villages, which he called Havoth Jair, that is, the Villages of Jair.

Likewise, Nobah went forth and captured Kenath with its villages. And he called it by his own name, Nobah.

Fußnoten

(a)32:11 When translated literally, the verse only makes sense when one realizes that it is half an idea, with the first half of the idea being that the Lord has sworn. There is a popular expression: “I’ll be damned if... (such and such will ever happen).” This verse has a similar meaning in the Latin.(Conte)

(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.