14 And with him ten rulers, according to the ruler of the generation of all the tribes of Israel; every one of them was a ruler of a generation among the thousands of Israel.

15 And they came to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half of the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, and spoke to them, saying,

16 Thus saith all the congregation of the Lord, What is this transgression which ye have done before the God of Israel, that ye have now departed from the Lord, and have built yourselves an altar, and have now risen up against the Lord?

17 Is the iniquity of Theor not enough for us, from which we have not been cleansed to this day, and for which the congregation of the Lord has been smitten?

E-18 And you're turning away from the Lord today! Today you are rebelling against the Lord, and tomorrow [the Lord] will be angry with all the congregation of Israel;

19 But if the land of your possession seems unclean to you, then go to the land of the Lord's possession, in which is the tabernacle of the Lord, and take an inheritance among us, but do not rise up against the Lord, and do not rise up against us, building for yourselves an altar except the altar of the Lord our God.

20 Was it not only Achan, the son of Zara, who committed a crime, taking from the accursed, and the wrath was against all the congregation of Israel? He did not die alone for his iniquity.

21 And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, answered and said to the rulers of the thousands of Israel,

22 The God of gods is the Lord, the God of gods is the Lord, he knows, and let Israel know. If we rise up and depart from the Lord, may the Lord not have mercy on us in this day!

23 If we have built an altar to depart from the LORD, and to offer burnt offerings and meal offerings therein, and to offer peace offerings therein, let the Lord himself seek it.

24 But we have done this for fear that in the time to come your sons will not say to our sons, 'What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel?

25 The Lord has made the Jordan the Jordan the boundary between us and you, O sons of Reuben, and the children of Gad: you have no part in the Lord." In this way, your sons would not allow our sons to honor the Lord.

26 Therefore we said, Let us build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices,

27 but that he may be a witness between us and you, between our generations that are to come, that we may serve the Lord with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our thanksgivings, and that in the time to come your sons may not say to our sons, 'You have no part in the Lord.'