1. And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had much cattle, a very great multitude; and they saw the land of Jaazer, and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for cattle.
2. And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the assembly, saying,
3. Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jaazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elaleh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon,
4. the country that Jehovah smote before the assembly of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle;
5. and they said, If we have found favour in thine eyes, let this land be given to thy servants for a possession: bring us not over the Jordan.
6. And Moses said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye abide here?
7. And why do ye discourage the children of Israel from going over into the land that Jehovah has given them?
8. Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land:
9. they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, and discouraged the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land that Jehovah had given them.
10. And Jehovah's anger was kindled the same time, and he swore, saying,
11. If the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob! for they have not wholly followed me;
12. save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; for they have wholly followed Jehovah.
13. And Jehovah's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation was consumed that had done evil in the eyes of Jehovah.
14. And behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, a progeny of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of Jehovah toward Israel.
15. If ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.
16. And they drew near to him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones;