The Two and a Half Tribes Return Home
1 Joshua held a meeting with the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, and he told them:
2-3 You have obeyed every command of the Lord your God and of his servant Moses. And you have done everything I've told you to do. It's taken a long time, but you have stayed and helped your relatives. 4 The Lord promised to give peace to your relatives, and that's what he has done. Now it's time for you to go back to your own homes in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan River.
5 Moses taught you to love the Lord your God, to be faithful to him, and to worship and obey him with your whole heart and with all your strength. So be very careful to do everything Moses commanded.
6-9 You've become rich from what you've taken from your enemies. You have big herds of cattle, lots of silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and plenty of clothes. Take everything home with you and share with the people of your tribe.
I pray that God will be kind to you. You are now free to go home.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad started back to Gilead, their own land. Moses had given the land of Bashan to the East Manasseh tribe, so they started back along with Reuben and Gad. God had told Moses that these two and a half tribes should conquer Gilead and Bashan, and they had done so.
Joshua had given land west of the Jordan River to the other half of the Manasseh tribe, so they stayed at Shiloh in the land of Canaan with the rest of the Israelites.
10-11 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh reached the western side of the Jordan River valley and built a huge altar there beside the river.
When the rest of the Israelites heard what these tribes had done, 12 the Israelite men met at Shiloh to get ready to attack the two and a half tribes. 13 But first they sent a priest, Phinehas the son of Eleazar, to talk with the two and a half tribes. 14 Each of the ten tribes at Shiloh sent the leader of one of its families along with Phinehas.
15 Phinehas and these leaders went to Gilead and met with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. They said:
16 All of the Lord's people have gathered together and have sent us to find out why you are unfaithful to our God. You have turned your backs on the Lord by building that altar. Why are you rebelling against him? 17 Wasn't our people's sin at Peor terrible enough for you? The Lord punished us by sending a horrible sickness that killed many of us, and we still suffer because of that sin. 18 Now you are turning your backs on the Lord again.
If you don't stop rebelling against the Lord at once, he will be angry with the whole nation. 19 If you don't think your land is a fit place to serve God, then move across the Jordan and live with us in the Lord's own land, where his sacred tent is located. But don't rebel against the Lord our God or against us by building another altar besides the Lord's own altar. 20 Don't you remember what happened when Achan was unfaithful and took some of the things that belonged to God? This made God angry with the entire nation. Achan died because he sinned, but he also caused the death of many others.
21 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered:
22 The Lord is the greatest God! We ask him to be our witness, because he knows whether or not we were rebellious or unfaithful when we built that altar. If we were unfaithful, then we pray that God won't rescue us today. Let us tell you why we built that altar, 23 and we ask the Lord to punish us if we are lying. We didn't build it so we could turn our backs on the Lord. We didn't even build it so we could offer animal or grain sacrifices to please the Lord or ask his blessing.
24-25 We built that altar because we were worried. Someday your descendants might tell our descendants, “The Lord made the Jordan River the boundary between us Israelites and you people of Reuben and Gad. The Lord is Israel's God, but you're not part of Israel, so you can't take part in worshiping the Lord.”
Your descendants might say that and try to make our descendants stop worshiping and obeying the Lord. 26 That's why we decided to build the altar. It isn't for offering sacrifices, not even sacrifices to please the Lord. 27-29 To build another altar for offering sacrifices would be the same as turning our backs on the Lord and rebelling against him. We could never do that! No, we built the altar to remind us and you and the generations to come that we will worship the Lord. And so we will keep bringing our sacrifices to the Lord's altar, there in front of his sacred tent. Now your descendants will never be able to say to our descendants, “You can't worship the Lord.”
But if they do say this, our descendants can answer back, “Look at this altar our ancestors built! It's like the Lord's altar, but it isn't for offering sacrifices. It's here to remind us and you that we belong to the Lord, just as much as you do.”
30-31 Phinehas and the clan leaders were pleased when they heard the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh explain why they had built the altar. Then Phinehas told them, “Today we know that the Lord is helping us. You have not been unfaithful to him, and this means that the Lord will not be angry with us.”
32 Phinehas and the clan leaders left Gilead and went back to Canaan to tell the Israelites about their meeting with the Reuben and Gad tribes. 33 The Israelites were happy and praised God. There was no more talk about going to war and wiping out the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar “A Reminder to Us All That the Lord Is Our God.”
Yosua ka 'Bakalai se 'Buzelesi Ozona 'Bäru
1 'Dooko Yosua zi lidri 'bakalai Rubena, Gada, ndi telesi 'bakala Manase ro be te, 2 ndi atate ànyari ekye: “Mìye tase cini Musa ruindu'ba OPI ro kota ami be oyene ono te, ago mìro tase cini mata ami be sina te. 3 Tu gi cini kwoi si madale ondro nyè'be Yisaraele'bai azi amiro kote, mìro ota OPI Lu amiro rote taoti si. 4 Ago yauono OPI Lu amiro ozo lolite Yisaraele'bai azi amiro ri, oso nda ko'ba tana be ronye. Ka'do inye mìgo teri 'bäru wari se orivoya modo amiro ro ono ya, se Musa, ruindu'ba OPI ro kozobe ämiri Golo Yaradene tasi ana ya. 5 Mìro tase Musa kota ami be sina 'do taoti si se ekye: ‘Nyùlu OPI Lu amiro, mìye ole ndaro, mìro ota ndaro, nyà'do 'diriro ndäri, ago nyìnduru ndäri ya cini amiro ndi lindri cini amiro be si 'do.’ ” 6 'Dooko Yosua äṛu ànya te, ago zo ànya te, ago ànya oyite 'bai ànyaro yasi. 7 Telesi 'bakala Manase ro ri Musa ozo wari Basana rote ago 'bakala telesi aza ri Yosua ozo wari aŋgoya Golo Yaradene ro yasi te ànyari tro ädrupii azi ànyaro yibe. Ondro Yosua kozo ànya te oyine 'bäru oko, nda äṛu ànya te. 8 Ago nda atate ànyari ekye: “Mìgo 'bäru ŋgadriamba be, koronyai 'ba ro amba be mo'di, logo läguläguro, atala, ndi logo amba be, ndi boŋgo be amba. Nyàla'do ŋgase mìrube ni kyila'baazii amiro rigyesi kwoi ädrupii azi amiro yibe.”
9 Ta'dota lidri 'bakalai Rubena, Gada, ndi telesi 'bakala Manase ro robe goyite 'bäru. Ànya e'beyi anjoko lidri Yisaraele ro rote Silo ya wari Kanana roya ago etoyi oyite wari andivo ànyaro roya Gilada ya, se ànya ruyite oso OPI kota ànya be Musa si ronye.
Vo Tori Oloro Golo Yaradene kala
10 Ondro 'bakalai Rubena, Gada, ndi telesi 'bakala Manase ro robe kosayite Gelilota ya, lama telesi Golo Yaradene ro ya wari kanana roya oko, ànya beyi vo tori oloro liŋgyiekye te 'desi, golo kala lau. 11 Ago ititate anjoko lidri Yisaraele ro ri ekye: “Nyèri dri! Yauono lidri 'bakalai Rubena, Gada ndi telesi 'bakala Manase ro robe beyi vo tori oloro te Gelilota ya wari kanana roya, lama telesi Golo Yaradene ro se lidri Yisaraele ro ro 'do ya!” 12 Ago ondro lidri Yisaraele ro keriyi ta ono te oko, lowa anjoko cini ikyite voaloya Silo ya oyine kyila oyene 'bakalai kai be.
13 'Dooko lidri Yisaraele ro zoyi Finasa ŋgwa kohani Eleazara rote, lidri 'bakalai Rubena, Gada, ndi telesi 'bakala Manase ro robe re wari Gilada ro ya. 14 Opii 'butealo oyiyite Finasa be, ba alo alo ni 'bakalai Yisaraele ro yasi ago ànya cini ni dri'bai katidrii käläsikala ànyaro ro. 15 Ànya ikyiyite lidri Rubena, Gada, ndi telesi 'bakala Manase ro robe re, wari Gilada roya ago atayite ekye: 16 Vo lowa cini OPI ro ri atate ekye: “Tana e'di mìye tase undiro ono te Lu Yisaraele ro ri ni ya? Nyògbote OPI be vo tori oloro ono obena si andivo amiro ri! Mìso kote tona nda vo! 17 Inye'do takozi amaro se Peora ya, se mà drigba ugu rueza tana ro se OPI keza lidri modo ndaro robe tana ro adravo koziro si ana ojo dri koya? 18 Inye'do yau ono mìlete oganezo ni osovoya nda vo ya? Ondro ka'do nyògbo bete OPI be tu ondro ono si, ondo nda a'dona ndi kyilaro lowa cini Yisaraele robe. 19 Ka'do inye, ondro ka'do wari amiro ka'do kote wäṛiro mätu oyene kigye, 'dooko nyìkyi wari OPI roya, vose Mutuguṛi ndaro be kigye ono ya. Nyèji ta wari azaka ro ämiri ni amaro lakosi. Oko nyògbo ko OPI be ago mì'ba azaka amaro ko ogbo'ba ro vo tori oloro obena si ondivo amiro ri toni vo tori oloro OPI Lu amaro ro risi. 20 Mìyi tase Akana ŋgwa Zera ro kogabezo ota ŋgase a'ba tana be ko urune ana ro orone ana tana; eza lowa cini Yisaraele rote tana ro. Akana dra kote toto ni iṛe ta takozi ndaro rota.”
21 'Dooko lidri 'bakalai Rubena, Gada, ndi telesi 'bakala Manase ro robe zayitadri dri'bai katidrii 'bakalai anjioko Yisaraele ro rote ekye: 22 “Lu ni Mbaraekye! Nda ni OPI owo! Lu ni mbaraekye! Nda ni Opi owo! Nda ni tase màye ta ono be tana ro ono te, ago màle kpa ämiri tana unine! Ondro ka'do mògbote ago mä̀ti taoma amaro OPI be kote 'dooko ondro ono mì'ba màri kote lidriidriro! 23 Ondro ka'do màro OPI kote ago màbe vo tori oloro gwo te andivo amaro ri ŋgapäṛi ozaro ozaza, kode ŋgapäṛi inya ro ozaza driigye kode ŋgapäṛi rumora ro ozaza drigye oko, mì'ba OPI andivo keza ama ni. 24 Màye tase ono te tana ama turiro tana tu mileya ya zelevoi amiro atanayi gwo zelevoi amaro ri ekye: ‘Losi amiro OPI Lu Yisaraele robe e'diya? 25 Opi Nda 'ba Golo Yaradene te kishwe ro lakole amaro ndi ami lidri Rubena ndi Gada robe ya. Ami orivoya ta aza ako oyene OPI be’. 'Dooko zelevoi amiro laganayi zelevoi amaro 'da ni OPI mätuvoya. 26 Ta'dota mä̀kyi mabe vo tori oloro ko ŋgapäṛi ozaro ozaza kode tori ozoza, 27 oko orivoya taka'daro yi, lidri amaro ndi amiro be ri, ago kovole'bai se ama vosi ri, anjioko endaro mà kpa OPI mätu Mutuguṛi alokado ndaro mile tro ŋgapäṛi amaro ozaro ago oloro ndi ŋgapäṛi rumora robe. Tana ukyi zelevoi amiro atayi 'da zelevoi amaro ri ekye ànya orivoya ta aza ako oyene OPI be. 28 'Do orivoya tausu amaro, màkye ondro ka'do ta ka'dote inye oko zelevoi amaro katayi robe ekye: ‘Mìndre! Zutui amaro beyi vo tori oloro kpate oso vo tori oloro OPI ro ronye. Ko ŋgapäṛi ozaro kode tori oloro, oko orivoya taka'daro yi lidri amaro ndi amiro be ri.’ 29 Endaro mä̀nina ko ogbone OPI be kode yau ono orine osoako nda vo, vo tori oloro obena si ŋgapäṛi ozaro ozaza driigye kode ta ŋgapäṛi inya ro ndi tori oloro be rota. Mä̀nina ko vo tori oloro aza obene to ni vo tori oloro OPI Lu amaro ro se kedrebe mile Mutuguṛi a'do lototi ndaro roya ana ri.”
30 Ondro kohani Finasa ndi opii lowa ro se nda be, se ni dri'bai katidrii 'bakalai Yisaraele ro kai, keriyi tase lidri 'bakalai Rubena, Gada, ndi telesi 'bakala Manase ro robe katayibe ana te oko, tana ojo ànya te. 31 Ago Finasa ŋgwa kohani Eleazara ro atate ànyari ekye: “Ondro ono mä̀nite OPI orivoya tro ama yibe. Tana nyògbo kote nda be, ago ta'dota mìpa lidri Yisaraele ro teni taezaro OPI ro yasi.”
32 'Dooko Finasa ndi dri'bai se kai be e'beyi lidri Rubena ndi Gada robe te wari Gilada roya ago goyite kovole wari Kanana ro ya, lidri Yisaraele ro re, ago logoyitate ànyari. 33 Ago tase itibe ana tana si Yisaraele'bai te ago räṛuyi Lu te. Ànya go atayi ta oyiro kyila ya ukyine wari se lidri Rubena ndi Gada robe koriyibe kigye ana perene kote.
34 Lidri Rubena ndi Gada robe atayite ekye: “Vo tori oloro ono te tazevoedrero ama cini ri anjioko OPI ni Lu owo.” Ta'dota ànya ziyi ävuruna te “Tazevoedre”.