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.'
28 And we said, 'If they say this to us and to our generations in the time to come, we will say, 'See the likeness of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for a burnt offering, nor for a sacrifice, but that it might be a witness between us and you.'
29 Let it not be so, that we should rise up against the Lord, and now depart from the Lord, and build an altar for burnt offerings, and for meal offerings, and for sacrifices, except the altar of the Lord our God, which is before his tabernacle.
30 Финеес священник, [все] начальники общества и головы тысяч Израилевых, которые были с ним, услышав слова, которые говорили сыны Рувимовы и сыны Гадовы и сыны Манассиины, одобрили их.
31 И сказал Финеес, сын Елеазара, священник, сынам Рувимовым и сынам Гадовым и сынам Манассииным: сегодня мы узнали, что Господь среди нас, что вы не сделали пред Господом преступления сего; теперь вы избавили сынов Израиля от руки Господней.
32 И возвратился Финеес, сын Елеазара, священник, и начальники от сынов Рувимовых и от сынов Гадовых [и от половины колена Манассиина] в землю Ханаанскую к сынам Израилевым и принесли им ответ.
33 И сыны Израилевы одобрили это, и благословили сыны Израилевы Бога и отложили идти против них войною, чтобы разорить землю, на которой жили сыны Рувимовы и сыны Гадовы [и половина колена Манассиина].
34 И назвали сыны Рувимовы и сыны Гадовы [и половина колена Манассиина] жертвенник: Ед, потому что, сказали они, он свидетель между нами, что Господь есть Бог наш.