9And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, and returned to the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, of which they had taken possession, according to the word of the LORD through Moses. 10And when they came to the borders of the Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to see. 11And the children of Israel were told, “Behold, the children of Reuben of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the frontier of Canaan, in the border of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the children of Israel”. 12And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered at Shiloh, to go to war against them. 13And the children of Israel sent to the children of Reuben, of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, 14And with him ten princes, one from each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; each one was a head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel. 15And they came to the children of Reuben, of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they said to them, 16“Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, “What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that you have built you an altar, that you might rebel this day against the LORD? 17Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD, 18But that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? And it will be, seeing that you rebel today against the LORD, that tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of the LORD, in which the LORD's tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us; but do not rebel against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar besides the altar of the LORD our God. 20Did not Achan, the son of Zerah, commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.”

21Then the children of Reuben, of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the thousands of Israel, 22“The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, He knows, and let Israel itself know; if it is in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day) 23That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer on it burnt or meal offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the LORD Himself require it; 24And if we have not rather done it for fear of this: that in time to come, your children might speak to our children, and say, “What have you to do with the LORD God of Israel? 25For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad; you have no part in the LORD”; so shall your children cause our children to stop fearing the LORD. 26Therefore we said, “Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, 27But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, “You have no part in the LORD.” 28Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, “Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but as a witness between us and you”. 29God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meal offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before His tabernacle.”

30And when Phinehas, the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this trespass against the LORD; now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.” 32And Phinehas, the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them back word. 33And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and Gad lived. 34And the children of Reuben and of Gad called the altar Ed (“Witness”); for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.