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Rh speak unto our children, saying: What have ye to do with the, the God of Israel? for the hath made the Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no portion in the ; so might your children make our children cease from fearing the. Therefore we said: Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice; but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of the before Him with our burnt-offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come: Ye have no portion in the. Therefore said we: It shall be, when they so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say: Behold the pattern of the altar of the, which our fathers made, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you. Far be it from us that we should rebel against the, and turn away this day from following the , to build an altar for burnt-offering, for meal-offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the our God that is before His tabernacle.'

And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them well. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh: 'This day we know that the is in the midst of us, because ye have not committed this treachery against the ; now have ye delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the .' And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them back word. And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and spoke no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and the children of Gad dwelt. And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar—: 'for it is a witness between us that the is God.'

And it came to pass after many days, when the had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old and well stricken in years; that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them: 'I am old and well stricken in years. And ye have seen all that the your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the  your God, He it is that hath fought for you. Behold, I have allotted unto you for an inheritance, according to your tribes, these nations that remain, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun. And the your God, He shall thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the  your God spoke unto you. Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written