8. He said, "Return to your homes. Take your great wealth with you. Return with your large herds of livestock. Take your silver, gold, bronze and iron with you. Return with all of your clothes. Divide up the things you have taken from your enemies. Share them with your people."
9. So the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh went home. They left the other people of Israel at Shiloh in Canaan. They returned to Gilead. That was their own land. They had gotten it in keeping with the Lord's command through Moses.
10. The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh came to Geliloth. It was near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. They built a large altar there by the Jordan.
11. The rest of the people of Israel heard that they had built the altar. They heard that they had built it on the border of Canaan at Geliloth. It was near the Jordan River on the west side.
12. So the whole community of Israel gathered together at Shiloh. They decided to go to war against the eastern tribes.
13. The people of Israel sent the priest Phinehas to the land of Gilead. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. They sent him to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh.
14. They sent ten of their leaders with him. There was one for each of the tribes of Israel. Each man was the leader of a family group among the larger family groups of Israel.
15. They went to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead. They said to them,
16. "We're speaking for the Lord's whole community. How could you disobey the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord? How could you disobey him by building an altar for yourselves?
17. "Don't you remember how we sinned at Peor? The Lord struck us with a plague because of what we did. Up to this very day we're still suffering because of that sin.
18. Are you turning away from the Lord now? "Suppose you disobey the Lord today. If you do, he'll be angry with the whole community of Israel tomorrow.
19. "If your own land isn't 'clean,' come over to the Lord's land. It's where his holy tent stands. Share our land with us. But don't disobey the Lord. Don't turn against us by building an altar for yourselves. Don't build any altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.
20. "Remember Achan, the son of Zerah. Achan wasn't faithful to the Lord. He took the things that had been set apart to the Lord in a special way to be destroyed. Didn't the Lord's anger come on the whole community of Israel? And Achan wasn't the only one who died because of his sin."
21. Then the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh replied. They answered the leaders of the family groups of Israel.
22. They said, "The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And we want Israel to know! Have we opposed the Lord? Have we refused to obey him? If we have, don't spare us today.
23. "Have we built our own altar so we can turn away from the Lord? Have we built it to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it? Have we built it to sacrifice friendship offerings on it? If we have, may the Lord himself hold us accountable.