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Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a verygreatmultitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
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The children of Gad and the children of Reubencame and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation,saying,
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Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah,[a] and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,
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Even the country which the LORDsmotebefore the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:
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Wherefore, said they, if we have foundgrace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not overJordan.
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And Mosessaid unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethrengo to war, and shall ye sit here?
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And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?
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Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.
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For when they went up unto 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.
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And the LORD'Sanger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,
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Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twentyyearsold and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly[b]followed me:
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Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have whollyfollowed the LORD.
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And the LORD'Sanger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wildernessfortyyears, until all the generation, that had doneevil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.
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And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinfulmen, to augment yet the fierceanger of the LORD toward Israel.
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For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet againleave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.
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And they came near unto him, and said, We will buildsheepfoldshere for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
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But we ourselves will go readyarmedbefore the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fencedcitiesbecause of the inhabitants of the land.
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We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.
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For we will not inherit with them on yonder sideJordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this sideJordaneastward.
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And Mosessaid unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armedbefore the LORD to war,
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And will go all of you armedoverJordanbefore the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,
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And the land be subduedbefore the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possessionbefore the LORD.
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But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
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Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.
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And the children of Gad and the children of Reubenspake unto Moses,saying, Thy servants will do as my lordcommandeth.
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Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead:
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But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war,before the LORD to battle, as my lordsaith.
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So concerning them MosescommandedEleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chieffathers of the tribes of the children of Israel:
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And Mosessaid unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you overJordan, every man armed to battle,before the LORD, and the land shall be subduedbefore you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:
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But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessionsamong you in the land of Canaan.
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And the children of Gad and the children of Reubenanswered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.
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We will pass overarmedbefore the LORD into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this sideJordan may be ours.
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And Mosesgave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihonking of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Ogking of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about.
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And the children of GadbuiltDibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
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And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer,[c] and Jogbehah,
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And Bethnimrah,[d] and Bethharan,fencedcities: and folds for sheep.
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And the children of ReubenbuiltHeshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim,
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And Nebo, and Baalmeon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave[e] other namesunto the cities which they builded.
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And the children of Machir the son of Manassehwent to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.
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And MosesgaveGilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.
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And Jair the son of Manassehwent and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havothjair.
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And Nobahwent and tookKenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.