the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Hebrew Names Version
Numbers 32
1 Now the children of Re'uven and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Ya`zer, and the land of Gil`ad, that behold, the place was a place for cattle; 2 the children of Gad and the children of Re'uven came and spoke to Moshe, and to El`azar the Kohen, and to the princes of the congregation, saying, 3 `Atrot, and Divon, and Ya`zer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and El`aleh, and Sevam, and Nevo, and Be`on, 4 the land which the LORD struck before the congregation of Yisra'el, is a land for cattle; and your servants have cattle. 5 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 Yarden. 6 Moshe said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Re'uven, Shall your brothers go to the war, and shall you sit here? 7 Why discourage you the heart of the children of Yisra'el from going over into the land which the LORD has given them? 8 Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the valley of Eshkol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Yisra'el, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them. 10 The LORD's anger was kindled in that day, and he swore, saying, 11 Surely none of the men who came up out of Mitzrayim, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya`akov; because they have not wholly followed me: 12 save Kalev the son of Yefunneh the Kenizzi, and Yehoshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed the LORD. 13 The LORD's anger was kindled against Yisra'el, and he made them wander back and forth in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, who had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. 14 Behold, you are risen up in your fathers' place, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Yisra'el. 15 For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all this people.
16 They came near to him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: 17 but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Yisra'el, until we have brought them to their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our houses, until the children of Yisra'el have inherited every man his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Yarden, and forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Yarden eastward. 20 Moshe said to them, If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before the LORD to the war, 21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Yarden before the LORD, until he has driven out his enemies from before him, 22 and the land is subdued before the LORD; then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless towards the LORD, and towards Yisra'el; and this land shall be to you for a 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 you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth. 25 The children of Gad and the children of Re'uven spoke to Moshe, saying, 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 Gil`ad; 27 but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord says.
28 So Moshe gave charge concerning them to El`azar the Kohen, and to Yehoshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the tribes of the children of Yisra'el. 29 Moshe said to them, If the children of Gad and the children of Re'uven will pass with you over the Yarden, every man who is armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then you shall give them the land of Gil`ad for a possession: 30 but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Kana`an. 31 The children of Gad and the children of Re'uven answered, saying, 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 Kana`an, and the possession of our inheritance [shall remain] with us beyond the Yarden. 33 Moshe gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Re'uven, and to the half-tribe of Menashsheh the son of Yosef, the kingdom of Sichon king of the Amori, and the kingdom of `Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities of it with [their] borders, even the cities of the land round about. 34 The children of Gad built Divon, and `Atrot, and `Aro`er, 35 and `Atrot-Shofan, and Ya`zer, and Yogbehah, 36 and Beit-Nimrah, and Beth-haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37 The children of Re'uven built Heshbon, and El`aleh, and Kiryatayim, 38 and Nevo, and Ba`al-Me`on, (their names being changed,) and Sivmah: and they gave other names to the cities which they built. 39 The children of Makhir the son of Menashsheh went to Gil`ad, and took it, and dispossessed the Amori who were therein. 40 Moshe gave Gil`ad to Makhir the son of Menashsheh; and he lived therein. 41 Ya'ir the son of Menashsheh went and took the towns of it, and called them Havvot-Ya'ir. 42 Novach went and took Kenat, and the villages of it, and called it Novach, after his own name.
