17
Their land included the plains around the Jordan River. The western border was the river, from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea), which is near Mount Pisgah on the east.
18
I gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh this command: "The LORD your God has given you this land so that you can take possession of it. All your soldiers must be ready for battle when they cross [the Jordan River] ahead of the other Israelites.
19
I know you have a lot of livestock. Your wives, children, and livestock must stay here in the cities that I gave you.
20
Your soldiers will go with the other Israelites until they take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan River. Then they will have a place to rest as you have. After that each of you may go back to the land I gave you."
21
I also gave Joshua this command: "You have seen with your own eyes everything that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same to all of the kingdoms on the other side [of the Jordan River] where you're going.
22
Don't be afraid of them, because the LORD your God himself will fight for you."
23
Then I pleaded with the LORD:
24
"Almighty LORD, you have [only] begun to show me how great and powerful you are. What kind of god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and the mighty acts you have done?
25
Please let me go over and see the beautiful land on the other side of the Jordan River--those beautiful mountains in Lebanon."
26
The LORD was angry with me because of you, so he wouldn't listen to me. He said, "That's enough out of you! Don't talk to me anymore about this.
27
Go to the top of Mount Pisgah, and look west, north, south, and east. You may look at the land, but you will never cross the Jordan River.