Study Desk

"Also, collect a tribute tax for the LORD from the men of war who went to battle, one in five hundred of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the sheep;

As for the sons of Israel's half, which Moses separated from the men who had gone to war—

"So we have brought as an offering to the LORD what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD."

The men of war had taken plunder, every man for himself.

So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting as a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD.

Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a very large number of livestock. So when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock,

the land which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock."

"For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the sons of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the LORD had given them.

'None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully,

except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun; for they have followed the LORD fully.'

"So the LORD'S anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the LORD came to an end.

"For if you turn away from following Him, He will once more leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people."

Then they approached him and said, "We will build sheepfolds for our livestock here and cities for our little ones;

So Moses said to them, "If you will do this, if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for the war,

"Build yourselves cities for your little ones, and sheepfolds for your sheep, and do what you have promised."

while your servants, that is, everyone who is armed for war, cross over in the presence of the LORD to battle, just as my lord says."

And Moses said to them, "If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, everyone who is armed for battle, cross with you over the Jordan in the presence of the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as their property;

Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and sheepfolds for sheep.

and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.

'As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea, that is, its coastline; this shall be your western border.