Joshua 22:26

Easy-to-Read Version

"So we decided to build this altar. But we did not plan to use it for burning offerings and sacrifices.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Therefore we said: Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offering or sacrifice.

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:

King James Version
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:

Lexham English Bible
So we said, ‘Let us build immediately for ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifices;

English Standard Version
Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

New Century Version
"That is why we decided to build this altar. But it is not for burnt offerings and sacrifices.

New English Translation
So we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices,

Amplified Bible
"So we said, 'Let us prepare and build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice,

New American Standard Bible
"Therefore we said, 'Let's build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore we said, We will nowe go about to make vs an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

Legacy Standard Bible
"Therefore we said, ‘Let us build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;

Contemporary English Version
That's why we decided to build the altar. It isn't for offering sacrifices, not even sacrifices to please the Lord .

Complete Jewish Bible
So we said, ‘Let us now make preparations and build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,

Darby Translation
And we said, Let us now set to work to build an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice,

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice;

Good News Translation
So we built an altar, not to burn sacrifices or make offerings,

Literal Translation
And we said, Let us now prepare for ourselves, to build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore sayde we: Let vs make oure children an altare, not for sacrifice, ner for burntofferinge,

American Standard Version
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice:

Bible in Basic English
So we said, Let us now make an altar for ourselves, not for burned offerings or for the offerings of beasts:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore we saide, We wyll make vs an aulter, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Therefore we said: Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice;

King James Version (1611)
Therefore we said, Let vs now prepare to build vs an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And we gave orders to do thus, to build this altar, not for burnt-offerings, nor for meat-offerings;

English Revised Version
Therefore we said, Let as now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:

Berean Standard Bible
That is why we said, 'Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and seiden, Bilde we an auter to vs, not in to brent sacrifices, nethir to sacrifices to be offrid,

Young's Literal Translation
`And we say, Pray let us prepare for ourselves to build the altar -- not for burnt-offering nor for sacrifice --

Update Bible Version
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice:

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice:

World English Bible
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:

New King James Version
Therefore we said, "Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice,

New Living Translation
"So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,

New Life Bible
So we said, ‘Let us build an altar. It will not be for burnt gifts or killing animals in worship.

New Revised Standard
Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
We said, therefore, Let us prepare, we pray you, to build us an altar, - not for ascending-offering, nor for sacrifice;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And said: Let us build us an altar, not for holocausts, nor to offer victims,

Revised Standard Version
Therefore we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

THE MESSAGE
"So we said to ourselves, ‘Let's do something. Let's build an altar—but not for Whole-Burnt-Offerings, not for sacrifices.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Therefore we said, 'Let us build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;

Contextual Overview

²¹ The people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh answered the eleven men. They said, ²² "The Lord is our God! Again we say that the Lord is our God! And God knows why we did this thing. We want you to know also. You can judge what we did. If you think we did it because we are against the Lord or refuse to obey him, you can kill us today. ²³ Do you think we built our own altar because we want to turn away from the Lord ? Do you think we built another altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fellowship offerings? If that is why we built this altar, we ask the Lord himself to punish us. ²⁴ But that is not why we built it. We built it because we were afraid that in the future your descendants might not accept us as part of God's people. So your children might say to our children, ‘You people have no reason to worship the Lord , the God of Israel. ²⁵ The Lord separated you people of Reuben and Gad from us by giving you the land on the other side of the Jordan River. So you are not part of the Lord 's people.' If your children said that, it might make our children stop worshiping the Lord . ²⁶ "So we decided to build this altar. But we did not plan to use it for burning offerings and sacrifices. ²⁷ The real reason we wanted our altar was to show our people that we worship the same God you do. This altar will be the proof to you and us and to all our future children that we worship the Lord . We give our sacrifices, grain offerings, and fellowship offerings to the Lord . We wanted your children to grow up and know that we are also Israelites like yourselves. ²⁸ In the future, if it happens that your children say that we don't belong to Israel, then our children can say, ‘Look, our fathers who lived before us made an altar. That altar is exactly like the Lord 's altar at the Holy Tent. We don't use this altar for sacrifices—this altar is proof that we are part of Israel.' ²⁹ "The truth is, we don't want to be against the Lord . We don't want to stop following him now. We know that the only true altar is the one that is in front of the Holy Tent. That altar belongs to the Lord our God."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Joshua 22:29 - to build Judges 6:24 - built Isaiah 19:19 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore we said,.... One to another, in order to prevent the apostasy of our children from God, their departure from his worship, and going into idolatry:

let us now prepare to build us an altar; get materials ready, and set about it instantly, without any delay, while the thing dwells upon our minds:

not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice; not for offerings of any kind required by the law, neither for sin offerings nor trespass offerings, nor any other not named.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 22:26. An altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice — Because this would have been in flat opposition to the law, Leviticus 17:8-9; Deuteronomy 12:4-6; Deuteronomy 12:10-11; Deuteronomy 12:13-14, which most positively forbade any sacrifice or offering to be made in any other place than that one which the Lord should choose. Therefore the altar built by the Reubenites, &c., was for no religious purpose, but merely to serve as a testimony that they were one people with those on the west of Jordan, having the same religious and civil constitution, and bound by the same interests to keep that constitution inviolate.