The Wilderness Years

And Moses giveth the tribute--Jehovah's heave-offering--to Eleazar the priest, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses.

And of the sons of Israel's half, which Moses halved from the men who war--

and the company's half is, of the flock three hundred thousand, and thirty thousand, seven thousand and five hundred;

and of the herd six and thirty thousand;

and of asses thirty thousand and five hundred;

and of human beings sixteen thousand--

Moses taketh from the sons of Israel's half the one possession from the fifty, of man and of beast, and giveth them to the Levites keeping the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses.

And the inspectors whom the thousands of the host hath, (heads of the thousands and heads of the hundreds), draw near unto Moses,

and they say unto Moses, `Thy servants have taken up the sum of the men of war who are with us, and not a man of us hath been missed;

and we bring near Jehovah's offering, each that which he hath found, vessels of gold--chain, and bracelet, seal-ring, ear -ring, and bead--to make atonement for ourselves before Jehovah.'

And Moses receiveth--Eleazar the priest also--the gold from them, every made vessel,

and all the gold of the heave-offering which they have lifted up to Jehovah is sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels, from heads of the thousands, and from heads of the hundreds;

(the men of the host have spoiled each for himself);

and Moses taketh--Eleazar the priest also--the gold from the heads of the thousands and of the hundreds, and they bring it in unto the tent of meeting--a memorial for the sons of Israel before Jehovah.

And much cattle hath been to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad, very many; and they see the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, and lo, the place is a place for cattle;

and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Reuben, come in and speak unto Moses, and unto Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the company, saying:

`Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon--

the land which Jehovah hath smitten before the company of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle.'

And they say, `If we have found grace in thine eyes, let this land be given to thy servants for a possession; cause us not to pass over the Jordan.'

And Moses saith to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, `Do your brethren go in to the battle, and ye--do ye sit here?

and why discourage ye the heart of the sons of Israel from passing over unto the land which Jehovah hath given to them?

`Thus did your fathers in my sending them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land;

and they go up unto the valley of Eshcol, and see the land, and discourage the heart of the sons of Israel so as not to go in unto the land which Jehovah hath given to them;

and the anger of Jehovah burneth in that day, and He sweareth, saying,

They do not see--the men who are coming up out of Egypt from a son of twenty years and upward--the ground which I have sworn to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, for they have not been fully after Me;