(1) The Reubenites and the Gadites owned cattle in very great numbers. Noting that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were a region suitable for cattle, (2) the Gadite and Reubenite [leaders] came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the chieftains of the community, and said, (3) “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon— (4) the land that ה' has conquered for the community of Israel—is cattle country, and your servants have cattle. (5) It would be a favor to us,” they continued, “if this land were given to your servants as a holding; do not move us across the Jordan.”
(ו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִבְנֵי־גָ֖ד וְלִבְנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֑ן הַאַֽחֵיכֶ֗ם יָבֹ֙אוּ֙ לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה וְאַתֶּ֖ם תֵּ֥שְׁבוּ פֹֽה׃
(ז) וְלָ֣מָּה (תנואון) [תְנִיא֔וּן] אֶת־לֵ֖ב בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מֵֽעֲבֹר֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן לָהֶ֖ם ה'׃ (ח) כֹּ֥ה עָשׂ֖וּ אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם בְּשׇׁלְחִ֥י אֹתָ֛ם מִקָּדֵ֥שׁ בַּרְנֵ֖עַ לִרְא֥וֹת אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ט) וַֽיַּעֲל֞וּ עַד־נַ֣חַל אֶשְׁכּ֗וֹל וַיִּרְאוּ֙ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ וַיָּנִ֕יאוּ אֶת־לֵ֖ב בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לְבִלְתִּי־בֹא֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן לָהֶ֖ם ה'׃ (י) וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף ה' בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַיִּשָּׁבַ֖ע לֵאמֹֽר׃ (יא) אִם־יִרְא֨וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֜ים הָעֹלִ֣ים מִמִּצְרַ֗יִם מִבֶּ֨ן עֶשְׂרִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ וָמַ֔עְלָה אֵ֚ת הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֛עְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֑ב כִּ֥י לֹא־מִלְא֖וּ אַחֲרָֽי׃ (יב) בִּלְתִּ֞י כָּלֵ֤ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּה֙ הַקְּנִזִּ֔י וִיהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ בִּן־נ֑וּן כִּ֥י מִלְא֖וּ אַחֲרֵ֥י ה'׃ (יג) וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֤ף ה' בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיְנִעֵם֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר אַרְבָּעִ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה עַד־תֹּם֙ כׇּל־הַדּ֔וֹר הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י ה'׃
(יד) וְהִנֵּ֣ה קַמְתֶּ֗ם תַּ֚חַת אֲבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם תַּרְבּ֖וּת אֲנָשִׁ֣ים חַטָּאִ֑ים לִסְפּ֣וֹת ע֗וֹד עַ֛ל חֲר֥וֹן אַף־ה' אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (טו) כִּ֤י תְשׁוּבֻן֙ מֵֽאַחֲרָ֔יו וְיָסַ֣ף ע֔וֹד לְהַנִּיח֖וֹ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וְשִֽׁחַתֶּ֖ם לְכׇל־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּֽה׃ {ס}
(6) Moses replied to the Gadites and the Reubenites: “Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here?
(7) Why will you turn the minds of the Israelites from crossing into the land that ה' has given them? (8) That is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to survey the land. (9) After going up to the wadi Eshcol and surveying the land, they turned the minds of the Israelites from invading the land that ה' had given them. (10) Thereupon ה' was incensed and swore, (11) ‘None of the men from twenty years up who came out of Egypt shall see the land that I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they did not remain loyal to Me— (12) none except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they remained loyal to ה'.’ (13) ה', incensed at Israel, made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the whole generation that had provoked ה’s displeasure was gone.
(14) And now you, a breed of sinful fellows, have replaced your ancestors, to add still further to ה’s wrath against Israel. (15) If you turn away from [God], who then abandons them once more in the wilderness, you will bring calamity upon all this people.”
נוא וְאִם־הֵנִיא אָבִיהָ אֹתָהּ (במדבר ל, ו), וְלָמָּה תְנִואוּן [תְנִיאוּן] אֶת־לֵב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (במדבר לב, ז). שֶׁמֶן רֹאשׁ אַל־יָנִי רֹאשִׁי (תהלים קמא, ה), נכתב בלא אל"ף. וכתבנו הדומים לו בחלק הדקדוק. והשם וִֽידַעְתֶּם אֶת־תְּנֽוּאָתִֽי (במדבר יד, לד), תְּנוּאוֹת עָלַי יִמְצָא (איוב לג, י), ענינם ענין שבר הדברים והמחשבות וביטולם.
"And if her father prevents her" (Numbers 30:6); "And why do you turn the heart-mind of B'nai Yisrael" (Numbers 32:7); "let my head not refuse such choice oil." (Psalm 141:5), here written without the aleph. And we have written similar ones to this in the section on grammar. "And you will know what it means to thwart Me." (Numbers 14:35), "But [God] finds reasons to oppose me," (Job 33:10). This terms appears in verses about breaking/shattering things, and the nullification or cancellation of thoughts.
(ד) וְאִשָּׁ֕ה כִּֽי־תִדֹּ֥ר נֶ֖דֶר לַה' וְאָסְרָ֥ה אִסָּ֛ר בְּבֵ֥ית אָבִ֖יהָ בִּנְעֻרֶֽיהָ׃ (ה) וְשָׁמַ֨ע אָבִ֜יהָ אֶת־נִדְרָ֗הּ וֶֽאֱסָרָהּ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽסְרָ֣ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֔הּ וְהֶחֱרִ֥ישׁ לָ֖הּ אָבִ֑יהָ וְקָ֙מוּ֙ כׇּל־נְדָרֶ֔יהָ וְכׇל־אִסָּ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־אָסְרָ֥ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֖הּ יָקֽוּם׃ (ו) וְאִם־הֵנִ֨יא אָבִ֣יהָ אֹתָהּ֮ בְּי֣וֹם שׇׁמְעוֹ֒ כׇּל־נְדָרֶ֗יהָ וֶֽאֱסָרֶ֛יהָ אֲשֶׁר־אָסְרָ֥ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֖הּ לֹ֣א יָק֑וּם וַֽה' יִֽסְלַח־לָ֔הּ כִּי־הֵנִ֥יא אָבִ֖יהָ אֹתָֽהּ׃
(4) If a woman makes a vow to ה' or assumes an obligation while still in her father’s household by reason of her youth, (5) and her father learns of her vow or her self-imposed obligation and offers no objection, all her vows shall stand and every self-imposed obligation shall stand. (6) But if her father restrains her on the day he finds out, none of her vows or self-imposed obligations shall stand; and ה' will forgive her, since her father restrained her.
(34) You shall bear your punishment for forty years, corresponding to the number of days—forty days—that you scouted the land: a year for each day. Thus you shall know what it means to thwart Me.
(16) Then they stepped up to him and said, “We will build here sheepfolds for our flocks and towns for our children. (17) And we will hasten as shock-troops in the van of the Israelites until we have established them in their home, while our children stay in the fortified towns because of the inhabitants of the land. (18) We will not return to our homes until the Israelites—every one of them—are in possession of their portion. (19) But we will not have a share with them in the territory beyond the Jordan, for we have received our share on the east side of the Jordan.”
(כ) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה:
- אִם־תֵּחָ֥לְצ֛וּ לִפְנֵ֥י ה' לַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃
- (כא) וְעָבַ֨ר לָכֶ֧ם כׇּל־חָל֛וּץ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן לִפְנֵ֣י ה' עַ֧ד הוֹרִישׁ֛וֹ אֶת־אֹיְבָ֖יו מִפָּנָֽיו׃ (כב) וְנִכְבְּשָׁ֨ה הָאָ֜רֶץ לִפְנֵ֤י ה'
- וְאַחַ֣ר תָּשֻׁ֔בוּ
וִהְיִיתֶ֧ם נְקִיִּ֛ם מֵה' וּמִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְ֠הָיְתָ֠ה הָאָ֨רֶץ הַזֹּ֥את לָכֶ֛ם לַאֲחֻזָּ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י ה'׃
(כג) וְאִם־לֹ֤א תַעֲשׂוּן֙ כֵּ֔ן הִנֵּ֥ה חֲטָאתֶ֖ם לַה' וּדְעוּ֙ חַטַּאתְכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּמְצָ֖א אֶתְכֶֽם׃ (כד) בְּנֽוּ־לָכֶ֤ם עָרִים֙ לְטַפְּכֶ֔ם וּגְדֵרֹ֖ת לְצֹנַאֲכֶ֑ם וְהַיֹּצֵ֥א מִפִּיכֶ֖ם תַּעֲשֽׂוּ׃
(כה) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר בְּנֵי־גָד֙ וּבְנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֔ן אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ יַעֲשׂ֔וּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲדֹנִ֖י מְצַוֶּֽה׃ (כו) טַפֵּ֣נוּ נָשֵׁ֔ינוּ מִקְנֵ֖נוּ וְכׇל־בְּהֶמְתֵּ֑נוּ יִֽהְיוּ־שָׁ֖ם בְּעָרֵ֥י הַגִּלְעָֽד׃ (כז) וַעֲבָדֶ֨יךָ יַֽעַבְר֜וּ כׇּל־חֲל֥וּץ צָבָ֛א לִפְנֵ֥י ה' לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲדֹנִ֖י דֹּבֵֽר׃
(20) Moses said to them, “If you do this:
- if you go to battle as shock-troops, at the instance of ה',
- (21) and every shock-fighter among you crosses the Jordan, at the instance of ה', until [God] has personally dispossessed the enemies,
- (22) and the land has been subdued, at the instance of ה',
- and then you return
—you shall be clear before ה' and before Israel; and this land shall be your holding under
ה'. (23) But if you do not do so, you will have sinned against ה'; and know that your sin will overtake you. (24) Build towns for your children and sheepfolds for your flocks, but do what has come out of your mouth.”
(25) The Gadites and the Reubenites answered Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. (26) Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all our other livestock will stay behind in the towns of Gilead; (27) while your servants, all those recruited for war, cross over, at the instance of ה', to engage in battle—as my lord orders.”
(28) Then Moses gave instructions concerning them to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes. (29) Moses said to them, “If every shock-fighter among the Gadites and the Reubenites crosses the Jordan with you to do battle, at the instance of ה', and the land is subdued before you, you shall give them the land of Gilead as a holding. (30) But if they do not cross over with you as shock-troops, they shall receive holdings among you in the land of Canaan.”
(31) The Gadites and the Reubenites said in reply, “Whatever ה' has spoken concerning your servants, that we will do. (32) We ourselves will cross over as shock-troops, at the instance of ה', into the land of Canaan; and we shall keep our hereditary holding across the Jordan.”
(33) So Moses assigned to them—to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph—the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, the land with its various cities and the territories of their surrounding towns.