13. The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he made them wander back and forth in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation who had done evil in the Lord’s sight was consumed.
14. “Behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, an increase of sinful men, to increase the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel.
15. For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all these people.”
16. They came near to him, and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones;
17. but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
18. We will not return to our houses until the children of Israel have all received their inheritance.
19. For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.”
20. Moses said to them: “If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before the Lord to the war,