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'Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me,
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except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.'
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So the Lord's anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.
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And look! You have risen in your father's place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel.
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For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people."
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Then they came near to him and said: "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,
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but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
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We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance.
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For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan."
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Then Moses said to them: "If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war,
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and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him,
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and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.
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But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.
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Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth."
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And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: "Your servants will do as my lord commands.
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Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead;
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but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, just as my lord says."
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So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.
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And Moses said to them: "If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession.
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But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan."
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Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: "As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do.