17. Is not the sin of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves today, and for which a plague came to the congregation of Yahweh,
18. that you must turn today from following Yahweh? If you rebel today against Yahweh, tomorrow he will be angry with all of the congregation of Israel;
19. if, however, the land of your property is unclean, cross over to the land of Yahweh’s property, where Yahweh’s tabernacle resides, and take possession among us. But you must not rebel against Yahweh or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of Yahweh our God.
20. Did not Achan son of Zerah commit treachery with devoted things, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And he alone did not perish because of his iniquity.’ ”
21. And the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh spoke with the heads of the clans of Israel,
22. “Yahweh, God of gods! Yahweh, God of gods knows. And let Israel itself know, if it was in rebellion or treachery against Yahweh, do not spare us this day
23. for building for ourselves an altar to turn away from Yahweh, or if it was to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or fellowship offerings on it, may Yahweh himself take vengeance.
24. But in fact, we have done this because of anxiety, because of a reason, saying, ‘In the future your children may say to our children, ‘What is the relationship between you and Yahweh the God of Israel?
25. Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, the descendants of Reuben and Gad; you have no portion in Yahweh.’ So your children may put an end to our children worshiping Yahweh.
26. So we said, ‘Let us build immediately for ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifices;
27. instead, it is a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us for performing the serving of Yahweh in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings; so that your children may not say in the future to our children, “You have no portion in Yahweh.” ’
28. And we thought, if they say to us and to our children in the future, we can say, ‘Look at this replica of the altar of Yahweh, which our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; rather, it is a witness between us and you.’
29. Far be it from us to rebel against Yahweh, to turn today from following Yahweh, to build an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, instead of the altar of Yahweh our God that is before his tabernacle.”