Liber Iosue, 22

1. eodem tempore vocavit Josue Rubenitas et Gadditas et dimidiam tribum Manasse

1. At the same time Josue called the Rubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasses,

2. dixitque ad eos fecistis omnia quæ vobis præcepit Moses famulus Domini mihi quoque in omnibus obœdistis

2. And said to them: You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: you have also obeyed me in all things,

3. nec reliquistis fratres vestros longo tempore usque in præsentem diem custodientes imperium Domini Dei vestri

3. Neither have you left your brethren this long time, until this present day, keeping the commandment of the Lord your God.

4. quia igitur dedit Dominus Deus vester fratribus vestris quietem ac pacem sicut pollicitus est revertimini et ite in tabernacula vestra et in terram possessionis quam tradidit vobis Moses famulus Domini trans Jordanem

4. Therefore as the Lord your God hath given your brethren rest and peace, as he promised: return, and go to your dwellings, and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan:

5. ita dumtaxat ut custodiatis adtente et opere conpleatis mandatum et legem quam præcepit vobis Moses servus Domini ut diligatis Dominum Deum vestrum et ambuletis in omnibus viis ejus et observetis mandata illius adhereatisque ei ac serviatis in omni corde et in omni anima vestra

5. Yet so that you observe attentively, and in work fulfil the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: that you love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, and keep all his commandments, and cleave to him, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul.

6. benedixitque eis Josue et dimisit eos qui reversi sunt in tabernacula sua

6. And Josue blessed them, and sent them away, and they returned to their dwellings.

7. tribui autem Manasse mediæ possessionem Moses dederat in Basan et idcirco mediæ quæ superfuit dedit Josue sortem inter ceteros fratres suos trans Jordanem ad occidentalem ejus plagam cumque dimitteret eos in tabernacula sua et benedixisset illis

7. Now to half the tribe of Manasses, Moses had given a possession in Basan: and therefore to the half that remained, Josue gave a lot among the rest of their brethren beyond the Jordan to the west. And when he sent them away to their dwellings and had blessed them,

8. dixit ad eos in multa substantia atque divitiis revertimini ad sedes vestras cum argento et auro ære ac ferro et veste multiplici dividite prædam hostium cum fratribus vestris

8. He said to them : With much substance and riches, you return to your settlements, with silver and gold, brass and iron, and variety of raiment: divide the prey of your enemies with your brethren.

9. reversique sunt et abierunt filii Ruben et filii Gad et dimidia tribus Manasse a filiis Israël de Silo quæ sita est in Chanaan ut intrarent Galaad terram possessionis suæ quam obtinuerant juxta imperium Domini in manu Mosi

9. So the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses returned, and parted from the children of Israel in Silo, which is in Chanaan, to go into Galaad the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

10. cumque venissent ad tumulos Jordanis in terra Chanaan ædificaverunt juxta Jordanem altare infinitæ magnitudinis

10. And when they were come to the banks of the Jordan, in the land of Chanaan, they built an altar immensely great near the Jordan.

11. quod cum audissent filii Israël et ad eos certi nuntii detulissent ædificasse filios Ruben et Gad et dimidiæ tribus Manasse altare in terra Chanaan super Jordanis tumulos contra filios Israël

11. And when the children of Israel had heard of it, and certain messengers had brought them an account that the children of Ruben, and of Cad, and the half tribe of Manasses had built an altar in the land of Chanaan, upon the banks of the Jordan, over against the children of Israel:

12. convenerunt omnes in Silo ut ascenderent et dimicarent contra eos

12. They all assembled in Silo, to go up and fight against them.

13. et interim miserunt ad illos in terram Galaad Finees filium Eleazar sacerdotem

13. And in the mean time they sent to them into the land of Galaad, Phinees the son of Eleazar the priest,

14. et decem principes cum eo singulos de tribubus singulis

14. And ten princes with him, one of every tribe.

15. qui venerunt ad filios Ruben et Gad et dimidiæ tribus Manasse in terram Galaad dixeruntque ad eos

15. Who came to the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses, into the land of Galaad, and said to them:

16. hæc mandat omnis populus Domini quæ est ista transgressio cur reliquistis Dominum Deum Israël ædificantes altare sacrilegum et a cultu illius recedentes

16. Thus saith all the people of the Lord: What meaneth this transgression? Why have you forsaken the Lord the God of Israel, building a sacrilegious altar, and revolting from the worship of him?

17. an parum vobis est quod peccastis in Beelphegor et usque in præsentem diem macula hujus sceleris in nobis permanet multique de populo corruerunt

17. Is it a small thing to you that you sinned with Beelphegor, and the stain of that crime remaineth in us to this day? and many of the people perished.

18. et vos hodie reliquistis Dominum et cras in universum Israël ejus ira desæviet

18. And you have forsaken the Lord to day, and to morrow his wrath will rage against all Israel.

19. quod si putatis inmundam esse terram possessionis vestræ transite ad terram in qua tabernaculum Domini est et habitate inter nos tantum ut a Domino et a nostro consortio non recedatis ædificato altari præter altare Domini Dei vestri

19. But if you think the land of your possession to be unclean, pass over to the land wherein is the tabernacle of the Lord, and dwell among us: only depart not from the Lord, and from our society, by building an altar beside the altar of the Lord our God.

20. nonne Achan filius Zare præteriit mandatum Domini et super omnem populum Israël ira ejus incubuit et ille erat unus homo atque utinam solus perisset in scelere suo

20. Did not Achan the son of Zare transgress the commandment of the Lord, and his wrath lay upon all the people of Israel? And he was but one man, and would to God he alone had perished in his wickedness.

21. responderuntque filii Ruben et Gad et dimidiæ tribus Manasse principibus legationis Israël

21. And the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasses answered the princes of the embassage of Israel:

22. fortissimus Deus Dominus fortissimus Deus Dominus ipse novit et Israël simul intelleget si prævaricationis animo hoc altare construximus non custodiat nos sed puniat in præsenti

22. The Lord the most mighty God, the Lord the most mighty God, he knoweth, and Israel also shall understand: If with the design of transgression we have set up this altar, let him not save us, but punish us immediately:

23. et si ea mente fecimus ut holocausta et sacrificium et pacificas victimas super eo inponeremus ipse quærat et judicet

23. And if we did it with that mind, that we might lay upon it holocausts, and sacrifice, and victims of peace offerings, let him require and judge:

24. et non ea magis cogitatione atque tractatu ut diceremus cras dicent filii vestri filiis nostris quid vobis et Domino Deo Israël

24. And not rather with this thought and design, that we should say: To morrow your children will say to our children: What have you to do with the Lord the God of Israel?

25. terminum posuit Dominus inter nos et vos o filii Ruben et filii Gad Jordanem fluvium et idcirco partem non habetis in Domino et per hanc occasionem avertent filii vestri filios nostros a timore Domini putavimus itaque melius

25. The Lord hath put the river Jordan for a border between us and you, O ye children of Ruben, and ye children of Gad: and therefore you have no part in the Lord. And by this occasion you children shall turn away our children from the fear of the Lord. We therefore thought, it best,

26. et diximus extruamus nobis altare non in holocausta neque ad victimas offerendas

26. And said: Let us build us an altar, not for holocausts, nor to offer victims,

27. sed in testimonium inter nos et vos et subolem nostram vestramque progeniem ut serviamus Domino et juris nostri sit offerre holocausta et victimas et pacificas hostias et nequaquam dicant cras filii vestri filiis nostris non est vobis pars in Domino

27. But for a testimony between us and you, and our posterity and yours, that we may serve the Lord, and that we may have a right to offer both holocausts, and victims and sacrifices of peace offerings: and that your children to morrow may not say to our children: You have no part in the Lord.

28. quod si voluerint dicere respondebunt eis ecce altare Domini quod fecerunt patres nostri non in holocausta neque in sacrificium sed in testimonium vestrum ac nostrum

28. And if they will say so, they shall answer them: Behold the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for holocausts, nor for sacrifice, but for a testimony between us and you.

29. absit a nobis hoc scelus ut recedamus a Domino et ejus vestigia relinquamus extructo altari ad holocausta et sacrificia et victimas offerendas præter altare Domini Dei nostri quod extructum est ante tabernaculum ejus

29. God keep us from any such wickedness that we should revolt from the Lord, and leave off following his steps, by building an altar to offer holocausts, and sacrifices, and victims, beside the altar of the Lord our God, which is erected before his tabernacle.

30. quibus auditis Finees sacerdos et principes legationis Israël qui erant cum eo placati sunt et verba filiorum Ruben et Gad et dimidiæ tribus Manasse libentissime susceperunt

30. And when Phinees the priest, and the princes of the embassage, who were with him, had heard this, they were satisfied: and they admitted most willingly the words of the children of Ruben, and Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasses.

31. dixitque Finees filius Eleazari sacerdos ad eos nunc scimus quod nobiscum sit Dominus quoniam alieni estis a prævaricatione hac et liberastis filios Israël de manu Domini

31. And Phinees the priest the son of Eleazar said to them: Now we know that the Lord is with us, because you are not guilty of this revolt, and you have delivered the children of Israel from the hand of the Lord.

32. reversusque est cum principibus a filiis Ruben et Gad de terra Galaad finium Chanaan ad filios Israël et rettulit eis

32. And he returned with the princes from the children of Ruben and Gad, out of the land of Galaad, into the land of Chanaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.

33. placuitque sermo cunctis audientibus et laudaverunt Deum filii Israël et nequaquam ultra dixerunt ut ascenderent contra eos atque pugnarent et delerent terram possessionis eorum

33. And the saying pleased all that heard it. And the children of Israel praised God, and they no longer said that they would go up against them, and fight, and destroy the land of their possession.

34. vocaveruntque filii Ruben et filii Gad altare quod extruxerant Testimonium nostrum quod Dominus ipse sit Deus

34. And the children of Ruben, and the children of Cad called the altar which they had built, Our testimony, that the Lord is God.