The tribes of Ruben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasses return to their possessions. They build an altar by the side of the Jordan, which alarms the other tribes. An embassage is sent to them, to which they give a satisfactory answer.

 1 At the same time Josue called the Rubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasses,
Eodem tempore vocavit Josue Rubenitas, et Gaditas, et dimidiam tribum Manasse,

 2 And said to them: You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: you have also obeyed me in all things,
dixitque ad eos : Fecistis omnia quae praecepit vobis Moyses famulus Domini : mihi quoque in omnibus obedistis,

 3 Neither have you left your brethren this long time, until this present day, keeping the commandment of the Lord your God.
nec reliquistis fratres vestros longo tempore, usque in praesentem diem, custodientes imperium Domini Dei vestri.

 4 Therefore as the Lord your God hath given your brethren rest and peace, as he promised: return, and go to your dwellings, and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan:
Quia igitur dedit Dominus Deus vester fratribus vestris quietem et pacem, sicut pollicitus est : revertimini, et ite in tabernacula vestra, et in terram possessionis, quam tradidit vobis Moyses famulus Domini trans Jordanem :

 5 Yet so that you observe attentively, and in work fulfill the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: that you love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, and keep all his commandments, and cleave to him, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul.
ita dumtaxat ut custodiatis attente, et opere compleatis mandatum et legem quam praecepit vobis Moyses famulus Domini, ut diligatis Dominum Deum vestrum, et ambuletis in omnibus viis ejus, et observetis mandata illius, adhaereatisque ei, ac serviatis in omni corde, et in omni anima vestra.

 6 And Josue blessed them, and sent them away, and they returned to their dwellings.
Benedixitque eis Josue, et dimisit eos. Qui reversi sunt in tabernacula sua.

 7 Now to half the tribe of Manasses, Moses had given a possession in Basan: and therefore to the half that remained, Josue gave a lot among the rest of their brethren beyond the Jordan to the west. And when he sent them away to their dwellings and had blessed them,
Dimidiae autem tribui Manasse possessionem Moyses dederat in Basan : et idcirco mediae, quae superfuit, dedit Josue sortem inter ceteros fratres suos trans Jordanem ad occidentalem plagam. Cumque dimitteret eos in tabernacula sua, et benedixisset eis,

 8 He said to them: With much substance and riches, you return to your settlements, with silver and gold, brass and iron, and variety of raiment: divide the prey of your enemies with your brethren.
dixit ad eos : In multa substantia atque divitiis revertimini ad sedes vestras, cum argento et auro, aere ac ferro, et veste multiplici : dividite praedam hostium cum fratribus vestris.

 9 So the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses returned, and parted from the children of Israel in Silo, which is in Chanaan, to go into Galaad the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
Reversique sunt, et abierunt filii Ruben, et filii Gad, et dimidia tribus Manasse, a filiis Israel de Silo, quae sita est in Chanaan, ut intrarent Galaad terram possessionis suae, quam obtinuerant juxta imperium Domini in manu Moysi.

 10 And when they were come to the banks of the Jordan, in the land of Chanaan, they built an altar immensely great near the Jordan.
Cumque venissent ad tumulos Jordanis in terram Chanaan, aedificaverunt juxta Jordanem altare infinitae magnitudinis.

 11 And when the children of Israel had heard of it, and certain messengers had brought them an account that the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses had built an altar in the land of Chanaan, upon the banks of the Jordan, over against the children of Israel:
Quod cum audissent filii Israel, et ad eos certi nuntii detulissent, aedificasse filios Ruben, et Gad, et dimidiae tribus Manasse, altare in terra Chanaan, super Jordanis tumulos, contra filios Israel :

 12 They all assembled in Silo, to go up and fight against them.
convenerunt omnes in Silo, ut ascenderent, et dimicarent contra eos.

 13 And in the mean time they sent to them into the land of Galaad, Phinees the son of Eleazar the priest,
Et interim miserunt ad illos in terram Galaad Phinees filium Eleazari sacerdotis,

 14 And ten princes with him, one of every tribe.
et decem principes cum eo, singulos de singulis tribubus.

 15 Who came to the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses, into the land of Galaad, and said to them:
Qui venerunt ad filios Ruben, et Gad, et dimidiae tribus Manasse in terram Galaad, dixeruntque ad eos :

 16 Thus saith all the people of the Lord: What meaneth this transgression? Why have you forsaken the Lord the God of Israel, building a sacrilegious altar, and revolting from the worship of him?
Haec mandat omnis populus Domini : Quae est ista transgressio? cur reliquistis Dominum Deum Israel, aedificantes altare sacrilegum, et a cultu illius recedentes?

 17 Is it a small thing to you that you sinned with Beelphegor, and the stain of that crime remaineth in us to this day? and many of the people perished.
an parum vobis est quod peccastis in Beelphegor, et usque in praesentem diem macula hujus sceleris in nobis permanet? multique de populo corruerunt.

 18 And you have forsaken the Lord today, and tomorrow his wrath will rage against all Israel.
Et vos hodie reliquistis Dominum, et cras in universum Israel ira ejus desaeviet.

 19 But if you think the land of your possession to be unclean, pass over to the land wherein is the tabernacle of the Lord, and dwell among us: only depart not from the Lord, and from our society, by building an altar beside the altar of the Lord our God.
Quod si putatis immundam esse terram possessionis vestrae, transite ad terram, in qua tabernaculum Domini est, et habitate inter nos : tantum ut a Domino, et a nostro consortio non recedatis, aedificato altari praeter altare Domini Dei nostri.

 20 Did not Achan the son of Zare transgress the commandment of the Lord, and his wrath lay upon all the people of Israel? And he was but one man, and would to God he alone had perished in his wickedness.
Nonne Achan filius Zare praeteriit mandatum Domini, et super omnem populum Israel ira ejus incubuit? et ille erat unus homo, atque utinam solum periisset in scelere suo.

 21 And the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasses answered the princes of the embassage of Israel:
Responderuntque filii Ruben et Gad, et dimidia tribus Manasse, principibus legationis Israel :

 22 The Lord the most mighty God, the Lord the most mighty God, he knoweth, and Israel also shall understand: If with the design of transgression we have set up this altar, let him not save us, but punish us immediately:
Fortissimus Deus Dominus, fortissimus Deus Dominus, ipse novit, et Israel simul intelliget : si praevaricationis animo hoc altare construximus, non custodiat nos, sed puniat nos in praesenti :

 23 And if we did it with that mind, that we might lay upon it holocausts, and sacrifice, and victims of peace offerings, let him require and judge:
et si ea mente fecimus ut holocausta, et sacrificium, et pacificas victimas super eo imponeremus, ipse quaerat et judicet :

 24 And not rather with this thought and design, that we should say: Tomorrow your children will say to our children: What have you to do with the Lord the God of Israel?
et non ea magis cogitatione atque tractatu, ut diceremus : Cras dicent filii vestri filiis nostris : Quid vobis et Domino Deo Israel?

 25 The Lord hath put the river Jordan for a border between us and you, O ye children of Ruben, and ye children of Gad: and therefore you have no part in the Lord. And by this occasion you children shall turn away our children from the fear of the Lord. We therefore thought, it best,
terminum posuit Dominus inter nos et vos, o filii Ruben, et filii Gad, Jordanem fluvium, et idcirco partem non habetis in Domino : et per hanc occasionem avertent filii vestri filios nostros a timore Domini. Putavimus itaque melius,

 26 And said: Let us build us an altar, not for holocausts, nor to offer victims,
et diximus : Exstruamus nobis altare, non in holocausta, neque ad victimas offerendas,

 27 But for a testimony between us and you, and our posterity and yours, that we may serve the Lord, and that we may have a right to offer both holocausts, and victims and sacrifices of peace offerings: and that your children tomorrow may not say to our children: You have no part in the Lord.
sed in testimonium inter nos et vos, et sobolem nostram vestramque progeniem, ut serviamus Domino, et juris nostri sit offerre et holocausta, et victimas, et pacificas hostias : et nequaquam dicant cras filii vestri filiis nostris : Non est vobis pars in Domino.

 28 And if they will say so, they shall answer them: Behold the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for holocausts, nor for sacrifice, but for a testimony between us and you.
Quod si voluerint dicere, respondebunt eis : Ecce altare Domini, quod fecerunt patres nostri, non in holocausta, neque in sacrificium, sed in testimonium nostrum ac vestrum.

 29 God keep us from any such wickedness that we should revolt from the Lord, and leave off following his steps, by building an altar to offer holocausts, and sacrifices, and victims, beside the altar of the Lord our God, which is erected before his tabernacle.
Absit a nobis hoc scelus ut recedamus a Domino, et ejus vestigia relinquamus, exstructo altari ad holocausta, et sacrificia, et victimas offerendas, praeter altare Domini Dei nostri, quod exstructum est ante tabernaculum ejus.

 30 And when Phinees the priest, and the princes of the embassage, who were with him, had heard this, they were satisfied: and they admitted most willingly the words of the children of Ruben, and Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasses.
Quibus auditis, Phinees sacerdos, et principes legationis Israel, qui erant cum eo, placati sunt : et verba filiorum Ruben, et Gad, et dimidiae tribus Manasse, libentissime susceperunt.

 31 And Phinees the priest the son of Eleazar said to them: Now we know that the Lord is with us, because you are not guilty of this revolt, and you have delivered the children of Israel from the hand of the Lord.
Dixitque Phinees filius Eleazari sacerdos ad eos : Nunc scimus quod nobiscum sit Dominus, quoniam alieni estis a praevaricatione hac, et liberastis filios Israel de manu Domini.

 32 And he returned with the princes from the children of Ruben and Gad, out of the land of Galaad, into the land of Chanaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.
Reversusque est cum principibus a filiis Ruben et Gad de terra Galaad, finium Chanaan, ad filios Israel, et retulit eis.

 33 And the saying pleased all that heard it. And the children of Israel praised God, and they no longer said that they would go up against them, and fight, and destroy the land of their possession.
Placuitque sermo cunctis audientibus. Et laudaverunt Deum filii Israel, et nequaquam ultra dixerunt, ut ascenderent contra eos, atque pugnarent, et delerent terram possessionis eorum.

 34 And the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad called the altar which they had built, Our testimony, that the Lord is God.
Vocaveruntque filii Ruben, et filii Gad, altare quod exstruxerant, Testimonium nostrum, quod Dominus ipse sit Deus.